Vacancies

Cromford Mills – Celebrating Heritage, Creating a Sustainable Future

The Arkwright Society at Cromford Mills is seeking an experienced Catering and Hospitality Consultant to provide specialist operational, commercial and technical advice to inform the design and future operation of an enhanced catering offer as part of our Heritage Fund supported project, Cromford Mills: Celebrating Heritage, Creating a Sustainable Future.

Cromford Mills, a Grade I listed mill complex and key attribute of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, is the birthplace of the modern factory system, pioneered by Sir Richard Arkwright and central to the story of the Industrial Revolution. Our proposal is to create a new destination restaurant with approximately 120 internal covers, additional outdoor seating, and kitchen. This commission will ensure that the developing design proposals respond to the operational, financial and sustainability requirements of a successful catering business while respecting the heritage significance and constraints of this internationally important site.

Working closely with the client, appointed business planning consultants, architectural design team and wider project partners, the consultant will provide specialist advice on restaurant operations, kitchen and back-of-house requirements, customer experience, staffing, servicing and commercial viability. The successful consultant will also play a key role in ensuring that the catering strategy supports the site’s long-term vision, enhances the visitor experience and contributes to the financial resilience of Cromford Mills.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a high-quality catering destination within one of Britain’s most significant industrial heritage sites, creating an offer that complements its historic character while supporting its future sustainability.

For a full brief and application details, please follow the link below or click here.

Tender submission deadline: Wednesday 12^th August at midday

Tender assessment/interviews: Week commencing 17^th August 2026 (provisional)

If you would like an informal conversation or to visit the site, please contact Eilis Scott, CEO of The Arkwright Society, at escott@arkwrightsociety.org.uk.

If required, visits will take place by appointment during the week commencing 27th July.

Clarification Questions, 7th August 2026:

Question: Is there a programme for the design stages? There looks to be quite a bit here to consider but I don’t want to go over-board if there’s not the budget. Also important to understand what sort of design team into is expected over what periods of time.

Answer: Yes there is a programme, but this is being reviewed by Mosedale Gillatt Architects who are currently working up RIBA 2 design proposals. MGA have estimated that planning and Listed Building Consent applications (RIBA stage 3) will be submitted in October 2026. RIBA stage 4 will follow with catering consultant input being required for contractor tender documentation in March 2027.

Question: Is there an idea of budget or expected time input? From a KH perspective we can usually work to budgets but in some cases, this means tuning the scope to the fee. It is all related to the time input required.

Answer: Our budget is up to £20,000.

Question: We’d not usually include for CGI’s, artist impressions etc. as these are items we work with a partner on so can either exclude or make an allowance if we’re clear what we need to allow for.

Answer: We don’t think this is something we will need, but please can you include as an additional/separate cost?

Question: Within the design stages there is reference to interior design. Again we will usually get involved with this but would not usually lead. For example we would work with the team to develop seating layouts and can advise on seating but wouldn’t usually lead in the specification of floor, wall, ceiling finishes, signage and lighting front of house. Again we could do this but need to be clear on scope. If we needed to bring in an interior designer, which we can do, this will clearly add cost.

Answer: Following a discussion with Mosedale Gillatt Architects, they particularly require your input on what the catering offer will be, type of kitchen, table layouts and what kitchen equipment is required. They also expressed some urgency for this information, ideally within the first 4 weeks following your appointment, so the M&E Engineer can size the plant required to service the equipment and ventilation requirements etc.

Question: There is no indication of an indicative budget.  As with many hospitality related projects these can easily become all consuming.  Would you have guidance on what you have budgeted and/or expect to spend please so I can judge my service offering accordingly.

Answer: Please see answer to question number 2.

Question: Could you indicate where the overlap of roles is in relation to the in house Head of Commercial Operations.  As they retain some tasks which do not therefore fall within the scope of the Catering Consultant, I would be curious to know firstly why they are not completing the Catering Consultant role and secondly, if a consultant is brought in, how much time is allocated to work closely with the Head of Commercial Operations?  Much of the scope of the consultant role overlaps in a fundamental way with the commercial head role.  In addition, on a practical note, if the roles were reversed I would have issue with a consultant being brought onboard to have influence on my area of expertise.

Answer: The Head of Commercial is not completing the Catering Consultant role simply due to capacity (their role is very operationally heavy and also includes our retail offer). The Head of Commercial will be fully involved with the project and work closely with the Catering Consultant as much as their day job allows.

Question: The tender document references 2023 research including local competitors etc.  The hospitality industry has had a tough few years and looks very different now to 2023.  Is there scope to get some of this research updated?

Answer: The Arkwright Society staff team can update this as they have an abundance of local knowledge.

Question: We are working on the proposal with the interior designer at the moment, and ask if you would have any detailed plans or drawings that you could share?

Answer: The Design team will provide a finished ‘space’ – which the interior design would use as a canvas to inhabit. We’d expect the interiors package to include choice of wall and floor finishes, colour designation (and schedules), servery design and FFE specifications.  Initial designs comprise kitchen 64m2 and café 118m2 – both in new build with café overspill into the ground floor of Building 1 (historic space).