Senior Cook / Head Chef

Job overview

The Yeatman Hospital is seeking a skilled and experienced kitchen supervisor/Chef who is passionate about food and wants to make a difference.

Hours and times are negatable, 30/25 hours per week Monday to Friday happy to support school hours.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for culinary excellence, strong leadership abilities, and a keen eye on detail.

As Kitchen Supervisor/Chef, you will have full operational and financial responsibility for the hospitals catering facility, leading the team to deliver the highest quality of food and service to 27 in-patients, as well as our staff and members of the public in our friendly hospital café.

You must be able to work flexibly as part of team if needed.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.

Main duties of the job

Responsibilities

• Supervising and supporting a small team of catering staff, ensuring the smooth day to day operation
• Recruiting, managing and training catering team
• Planning of menus, orders, deliveries and budget control
• Managing food safety, Health & Safety and Allergens legislation, overseeing food safety practices and compliance and conducting periodic audits

Requirement

• Desirable - Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate or willingness to undertake
• Strong knowledge of kitchen operation, food production and culinary techniques
• Excellent leadership and supervisory skills
• Understanding of HACCP, allergen regulations and best practice
• Awareness of COSHH regulation
• Basic IT skills/computer competence

Offer

• Permanent contract – no late nights
• Generous holiday allowance increasing with service
• NHS pension
• Uniform provided
• On-site free parking
• Healthcare discount scheme

Appointment to this post is subject to a standard DBS certificate.

Although this is a 30hrs per week, we are committed to supporting flexible working in line with service needs and would consider 25 hours availability.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety. If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact dhc.wideningparticipation@nhs.net

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.