Assistant Manager - Job Description

The Castle Cinema is an independent community cinema in Hackney, and the reincarnation of one of London’s earliest cinemas! Built in 1913 as The Castle Electric Theatre, the original cinema closed in 1958 but re-opened in 2017 after a successful crowdfunding campaign. Since then we’ve built strong ties to the community, working hard to ensure we’re serving everyone’s needs.

With two beautiful screens and a stunning bar, we’re passionate about great films, delicious refreshments and genuine service, and want a trip to The Castle to be remarkable for all three.

We’re proud to have built a great team and organisational culture based on the following values:

Honest and generous - Friendly and informal - Diverse and inclusive.

We endeavour to reach a broad range of audiences, and we’ve developed five Community Goals:

Improve access for disabled guests - Develop underserved audiences - Support and enhance education locally - Nurture a diverse team - Maintain an inclusive and thought-provoking programme for all

A diverse workforce benefits both our organisation and the community it serves, and we encourage candidates who reflect the local community, and those underrepresented in the arts. This includes marginalised cultures and ethnicities, LGBTQ+ folk and those who are neurodiverse or disabled.

Summary

We’re looking for an Assistant Manager to join our team and help us to keep everything running like clockwork.

They need to be highly organised with great attention to detail, adept at understanding practical & technical details, and great at delegating to appropriate contractors or teammates then making sure to follow up.

They will be expected to log and track information effectively, have great interpersonal skills to get the best out of team members & contractors, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Objectives & Responsibilities

  • Deputise for Senior Managers where applicable.

  • Act as a key holder for the site and ensure all opening and closing duties are being carried out correctly.

  • Help ensure all health and safety, HR, security and financial procedures are being upheld.

  • Manage emergency procedures and be responsible for the safety of both staff and guests whilst on shift.

  • Lead the FOH, Supervisor and DM teams, ensuring everyone has received all training and business updates, and undertake regular performance reviews. Be an active part of team recruitment processes.

  • Report and track issues (software, maintenance, etc). Coordinate through to completion, chasing suppliers for updates and managing contractors on site etc.

  • Reply to hire enquiries and other emails

  • Support finance with admin tasks, including ticketing back office software

  • Produce a weekly and monthly staff rota, monitor staffing levels and staff absence etc

  • Other HR admin such as listing job adverts and collating respondents

  • Programme - making event pages, scheduling on ticketing platform

  • Oversee projection duties and technical maintenance

  • Provide emergency cover at the cinema where required

  • Attend management meetings where required

  • Assist with stock control ie. Ordering, accepting deliveries, inputting wastage and performing monthly stock takes.

  • Ensure customer service is always to the highest standard, including food, coffee and cocktail service, as well as general cleanliness and presentation.

  • Ensure staff follow guidance and policy, and support any disciplinary or corrective procedures when necessary.

  • Proactive in getting to know the local community.

  • Act as a point of escalation for any customer queries.

  • Undertake any other duties reasonably requested by the management

Person Specification

  • A background in cinema management or similar hospitality experience.
  • Ability to handle high pressure situations.
  • Great organisation and time management skills.
  • Experience in developing operational processes and implementing procedures.
  • Great numeracy and literacy skills.
  • Ability to quickly understand technical issues so they can liaise effectively with relevant parties
  • Personable and welcoming.
  • Confident communicator with customers and staff.
  • Flexible and approachable working attitude.
  • Solid competency in Microsoft Office / Google Docs software
  • A demonstrable passion for cinema and events.

Terms & Conditions

Job title: Assistant Manager

Reporting to: Senior Managers, Cinema Directors

Pay: £28k p/a pro rata

Hours: Full time, salaried

Working days / times: 5 days per week, including key business hours - evenings, weekends, bank holidays etc

Holiday entitlement: 28 days per year

Other benefits: Complimentary tickets to screenings, 50% discount on select food and drink at the bar, health assured (Employee Assistance Programme), additional annual leave accrued annually, discretionary bonus, company sick pay.

Contract: Permanent, subject to a three month probationary period

Location: Homerton, East London.

Please send CVs and cover letters to: jobs@thecastlecinema.com and include “Assistant Manager” in the subject line. Cover letters should be no more than one page, and outline why you’d like to work with The Castle.

Please also complete our diversity monitoring survey: https://forms.gle/4uAP4Z8mqpk9j6Ns9

Deadline for applications: 15th Jan 2023 at 23:59. There will be two interview stages.

Start Date: Ideally Feb/Mar 2023 but flexible for the right candidate. There will be training/orientation days as part of the on-boarding process.

Please note: as a small team we may not be able to respond to every application, if you haven’t heard back from us by 3rd Feb this means your application has been unsuccessful. Thank you in advance for your interest.

Last updated: 21st Dec 2022