Operations and Experience Lead (Founding Role)

Origin – Café | VR | Social Arena | Sherborne

Origin is a new kind of space — combining a calm, high-quality café environment with immersive VR experiences and social connection.

We’re creating a place where people can step out of the noise, feel at ease, and enjoy something genuinely different.

We’re looking for a founding team member to help bring this to life — not just by managing operations, but by shaping how the space works and feels from day one.

The Role

This is a hands-on, early-stage role focused on turning a vision into a working, welcoming space.

Pre-opening (Fit-out Phase)

You will:

• work alongside builders, suppliers, and founders during the refit of the space
• help ensure the space is not only built well, but works well in practice
• walk the space regularly, thinking through real customer and staff flow
• contribute to decisions on layout, positioning, and setup
• coordinate practical elements (equipment, deliveries, setup timelines)
• help set up core systems (POS, bookings, stock, cleaning, safety)
• manage costs to ensure the project stays on budget
• recruit for other strategic positions
• ensure the operation complies with health and safety, and security requirements

Post-opening (Operational Phase)

You will:

• oversee the day-to-day running of the venue
• support and guide front-of-house team members
• ensure consistency across café and VR experiences
• manage stock, suppliers, and core admin
• identify and solve problems early, before they escalate
• handle customer issues to safeguard the reputation of the company

What matters most

We’re looking for someone who is:

• practical and capable — able to get things done and keep things moving
• observant and thoughtful — notices details that affect how a space feels
• calm and steady — especially when things are busy or evolving
• comfortable with ambiguity — able to make progress without everything defined
• naturally takes ownership — sees things through without needing constant direction

Experience in operations, hospitality, events, or similar environments is helpful — but mindset and judgement matter more.

A key part of the role

At Origin, how the space feels matters as much as how it runs.

We want people to feel:

• welcome
• calm
• at ease

This role plays a central part in protecting that — through decisions about layout, flow, systems, and standards.

What makes this different

This is a founding role.

You won’t be stepping into a finished system —

you’ll be helping create it.

That means:

• real responsibility
• input into decisions
• the opportunity to shape how things are done

A good fit if you…

• enjoy building and improving systems
• like being on-site and involved in how things actually work
• can think ahead and spot issues early
• take pride in creating smooth, well-run environments
• balance efficiency with attention to detail

Not the right fit if you…

• prefer highly structured roles with everything predefined
• focus only on process, not people or environment
• avoid decision-making or ownership
• prefer to manage from a distance rather than being present

Salary negotiable but you will need to be able to justify your expectations with relevant experience