If you enjoy working with people and are interested in making a difference in the community, we would love to hear from you! If there are no opportunities here that float your boat, please drop us a line and we might know someone who can help.
Work with Us
The Riverside Centre is home to Community Action Isle of Wight, and independent island charity whose sole focus is supporting other community groups and organisations on the Isle of Wight. The projects we undertake as a charity, are funded by the revenue we generate through our room hire and venue sales – just like other charities have high street shops, we have a venue to hire!
Our venue has a variety of office space which we let permanently to other organisations and also meeting rooms which we hire out by the hour, or day. Its a big, old building, and receives a high footfall or people from every corner of the island and every walk of life; and that’s what makes it a great place to work.
Part-Time Cook
Start date: Immediate | 16 hours per week | £ depending on experience
The Riverside Centre is a thriving community venue located next to Newport Harbour in the centre of the Isle of Wight. Home to Community Action Isle of Wight, it has long been a place of integration in both ethos and practice and is used by a diverse group of people and organisations, for business meetings, conferences and venue hire.
We are currently looking for someone with previous catering experience to join our small team, helping us to deliver excellent service to our customers, visitors and service users. This is a varied role that will suit a confident individual with good people skills. On a daily basis your duties may include:
- Prepare and serve sandwich and buffet lunches for business meetings and room hire bookings, for up to 150 people.
- Prepare and present a variety of hot and cold buffets, finger food and hot food options for venue hire customers, up to 200 people.
- Bake and serve a variety of cakes, pastries and savouries.
- Research, cost and design breakfast, lunch, buffet and snack menus;
- Manage stock, supplies and ordering.
- Maintain a clean an orderly kitchen, maintain equipment and complete all food safety compliance requirements; daily temperature checks and SFBB requirements.
- Serve and pour beers, wines and spirits from the bar, serve hot and cold snacks, take card and cash payment, restock fridges, clear tables and keep the area tidy during events.
- Prepare and serve refreshments to customers in their meeting rooms, and maintain clean, well-stocked facilities.
This position would suit someone within a minimum of 2 years experience, looking for an autonomous position, with the possibility of developing our current food offering.
This is a permanent position for 16 hours per week, worked flexibly over 4 or 5 days depending on the spread of bookings, and will include early starts, evenings and weekends. There is also the possibility of overtime.
Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will be confident working alone, decision making and taking the initiative, as well as working with the hospitality team and wider organisation.
Please email a CV with a short introduction to; cbachelor@theriversidecentre.org.uk
For more information about The Riverside Centre, please visit www.theriversidecentre.org.uk
Part-Time Customer Assistant
Start date: Immediate | 16 hours per week | £ depending on experience
The Riverside Centre is a thriving community venue located next to Newport Harbour in the centre of the Isle of Wight. Home to Community Action Isle of Wight, it has long been a place of integration in both ethos and practice and is used by a diverse group of people and organisations, for business meetings, conferences and venue hire.
We are currently looking for someone with previous experience in a customer facing role to join our small team, helping us to deliver excellent service to our customers, visitors and service users. This is a varied role that will suit a confident individual with good people skills. On a daily basis your duties may include:
- Meet and greet incoming visitors, covering reception at events and during busy times. Answer incoming phones calls, transfer and take messages.
- Assist guests and visitors with directions, parking payments, refreshments and information. The ideal candidate will also have excellent people skills and be confident dealing with the general public in a variety of situations.
- Prepare and set-up meeting rooms according to booking requirements.
- Ensure the building is presented at its best at all times; tidying reception areas, litter picking, topping up and tidying washrooms, emptying bins and cleaning where necessary between bookings.
- Serve and pour beers, wines and spirits from the bar, serve hot and cold snacks, take card and cash payment, restock fridges, clear tables and keep the area tidy during events.
- Prepare and serve refreshments to customers in their meeting rooms, and maintain clean, well-stocked facilities.
There is a manual element to this role which involves moving chairs and tables for set-up, often multiple times a day.
This is a permanent position for 16 hours per week, which will be split over 4 or 5 days depending on the spread of bookings, and will include early starts, evenings and weekends. There is also the possibility of overtime.
Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will be confident working alone, decision making and taking the initiative, as well as working with the hospitality team and wider organisation.
Please email a CV with a short introduction to; cbachelor@theriversidecentre.org.uk
For more information about The Riverside Centre, please visit www.theriversidecentre.org.uk
Bar & Events Staff
Start date: Immediate | Saturdays and evenings | £12.71 per/hour
We are currently looking for bar staff with great people skills to join our small team at The Riverside Centre, covering functions and events on Saturdays, and occasional evenings.
Our venue is one of the largest multi-use facilities on the island and hosts a wide variety of events, from meetings and markets, to parties, conferences, weddings and recruitment fairs. Our customers come from a wide range of businesses, organisations and charities as well as individuals, from right across the island and beyond.
The ideal candidate will have excellent people skills and be confident dealing with the general public in a variety of situations. You will have previous experience in hospitality or retail and enjoy meeting people and be equally comfortable working alone as well as being part of a team.
This is a varied role, which will also involve room set-up, clearing and cleaning the centre after each shift for the next incoming booking, restocking and serving customers.
The hours vary with each event, but will include early starts or late finishes on Saturdays, occasionally Sundays and week-day evenings. Additional day shifts may be available Monday – Friday.
Candidates should email their CV to cbachelor@theriversidecentre.org.uk. For more information about The Riverside Centre, visit www.theriversidecentre.org.uk.
Volunteer for Us
The Riverside Centre is home to Community Action Isle of Wight; our ethos is one of community inclusion and opportunities for all.
The services we provide at The Riverside Centre generate financial support for the community projects we undertake as a charity, just like other charities have high street shops, we have a venue to hire!
We support individuals looking for voluntary opportunities for all manner of reasons, and pride ourselves on fostering a supportive work environment, in a remarkable setting. Our organisation, and those based within our building, offers services to individuals, charities and community groups from right across the island and as such, you can expect variety, inclusion and respect.
We are always happy to hear from anyone looking for voluntary work, and if there are no opportunities available at The Riverside Centre or Community Action Isle of Wight, we also run the Isle of Wight Volunteer Centre and will help you find the right organisation for your needs.
Volunteer Opportunity | Gardening
The Riverside Centre in the heart of Newport is looking for a volunteer gardener to maintain our grounds, beds and borders; this position would suit either an individual happy to work alone, or friends or couples looking to volunteer together.
In this role, you will have the flexibility to develop the planting in the borders around the building and have creative control to plan and grow the many and varied beds, (there is also the option to utilise our allotment area). Some beds simply require routine maintenance, others are a blank canvass; the Riverside Centre is also keen to develop wildlife friendly planting schemes; we also have a number of mature trees and shrubs.
As a charity we support the idea of making use of what we have, reusing and recycling, making do and mending and will happily accept plant donations.
This position is all year round, and requires a minimum of 4 hours a week on days and at times to suit you. You will report to the Operations Manager, and have the assistance of staff and volunteers as and when required, for example with heavy lifting. All expenses are covered and tools are provided. Free onsite parking and wifi, and unlimited tea and biscuits.
If you would like to come and take a look around, please email us here
Volunteer Opportunity |Front Desk Reception
The role of front desk reception is diverse and multifunctional; as the first point of contact you are ‘the face’ of the Riverside Centre, and creating a great first impression by polite and friendly interaction is a key aspect of the role.
Customer service is an integral part of the role, directing attendees, delegates and visitors to the right part of the building and helping guests with directions. You should be knowledgeable about the facilities within the building and their location, the whereabouts and differences of the various toilet and bathroom facilities, available refreshments, the fire evacuation procedure , the location and identity of first aiders, and also be knowledgeable and proactive in helping visitors with the car parking arrangements.
The Riverside Centre is a diverse environment and hosts a wide range of individuals, and so confidence adapting to different people and their individual needs is key; although the Riverside Centre is not a public building, it is a building that is open to the public; expect the unexpected!
As the first point of contact you are also the first line in defence. We do not use an accreditation or ‘sign-in, sign-out’ system, so vigilance and intuition are a necessary part of the role although full training will be given in how to recognise and report undesirable behaviours.
You should be comfortable working alone and be confident making decisions. A telephone is provided to make calls to internal staff and our external tenants when their visitors arrive, but there is no expectation to answer the telephone when it rings, unless this is something you are comfortable with.
We are looking for volunteers for a minimum of 4 hours a week; the following shifts are available:
Wednesday morning 9am – 12pm
Wednesday afternoon 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Friday morning 9am – 12.30pm
If you would like to find out more or come and take a look around, please email us here