Senior Cook

Location: Youlbury

Term: Fixed Term Contact - 10 months

Salary: £26,570 per annum (pro-rata of £31,884 per annum, Band D, Level 3, Inclusive of Market Supplement)

Hours: 40 hours per week - please note this is not a late-night Chef position and only occasional weekend work is required

DBS: Enhanced

Core Purpose

There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to build great experiences for our customers. This role is all about ensuring our customers’ enjoy great food to be able to fuel amazing adventures. As the Senior Cook at Gilwell Park you will oversee the kitchen operations of our busy activity centre, attracting hundreds of young people per week for residential visits, day visits and events. You’ll be responsible for all aspects of our onsite food delivery including preparing and overseeing our seasonal menu’s, managing a small team of experienced and developing cooks and working with our Catering Operations Manager to ensure the kitchen operates to Scout Adventures standards, whilst complying with Safe Food regulations.

We’re looking for someone with a keen eye for detail, a desire to produce great quality food in a volume driven environment and an ability to work with a range of customers, staff and volunteers. We need someone who can operate in a fast paced, dynamic environment whilst delivering excellent customer service to a variety of customer bases.

Key Accountabilities

Responsibility

Managing the kitchen team and ensuring that they deliver high quality food whilst maintaining our food safe standards

- Train and lead a team of volunteers to follow Scout Adventures catering standards

- Preparation and cooking of a varied range of nutritious food for guests and staff at mealtimes

- Serve the food to an exceptional standard and interact with the guests and volunteers in an appropriate, knowledgeable and helpful way

- Ensure that allergens and dietary requirements are always catered for, and the kitchen is managed in strict accordance with allergen awareness

- Assist in the service and clearing of all food, beverages and utensils

- Assist with overseeing routine deep cleaning of the kitchen, food storage, service and dining areas, including heavy and light equipment and machinery, crockery and cutlery, in accordance with the cleaning schedule

- Follow and enforce established kitchen systems and procedures to guarantee an efficient and organised meal service's

Administration

Place and receive stock orders in line with the needs of the business, controlling waste and adhering to set budgets

- Planning and managing kitchen rotas in line with the needs of the business

- Work with the Catering Operations Manager to create menu’s to suit our varying customers and volunteers

- Planning and Managing events and functions as required in collaboration with the Catering Operations Manager

Person Specification

Experience

Extensive experience of working in a large professional kitchen environment, schools or mass catering

- Experience in managing people

- Proven competence in managing teams in an operational setting

- Experience of problem solving in a customer service focussed environment

- Experience in either an educational, outdoor educational or visitor experience environment would be beneficial but not mandatory

- Confidence working in a value’s based working environment

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

Training and managing junior kitchen members and volunteers

- Health & Safety and Food Hygiene qualification L2

- First Aid qualification, desirable

- Must be able to implement the Food Safety Management plan, and stock control systems

- Ability to build effective relationships with visitors, volunteers and staff

- Skilled collaborator, with the ability to use the skills of those around you to deliver best overall product

- Confident IT user

Values & Personal Qualities

- A self-aware, positive and approachable leader

- A robust awareness of keeping young people safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and you understand how and when to take appropriate action

- An excellent role model who promotes high standards or integrity, and commands trust and confidence from others - Professional outlook, detailed orientated and able to multitask and meet deadlines

- A team player that can work collaboratively as well as using own initiative

- Friendly, calm and approachable, even under pressure

Other Essential Criteria

- Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all students

- Willingness to undertake training

- This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check

- Comfortable working on a rota-basis including weekends and evening shifts, working on a 5 day over 7 basis

Benefits

We’ve got some great benefits

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days holiday a year, plus bank holidays rising to 32 days after two years (pro rata for part time staff) (and we don’t insist you go camping)

Looking after your health and well-being

Simply Health scheme: Optical, dental and many more appointments covered, as well as great gym and family days out discounts.

Sickness absence: Once you’re three months in, we have generous sickness pay, above the statutory.

Looking after your future

Pension Scheme: We look after your future. You'll be automatically enrolled into the Scouts Group Personal Pension Plan, contributing 3% of your qualifying earnings. Scouts will contribute double at 6% of your qualifying earnings on auto enrolment.

You can increase your contribution at any point, and we'll double your contribution up to a maximum of 10% of your gross salary. Looking after your family: Your loved ones will receive four times the basic salary if you pass away while employed by us

Apply now via the Fast Apply button.