Cook

We are outstanding, you can be too.

Portland College is looking for an enthusiastic cook/chef to fill an exciting and challenging vacancy within its catering operation.

The successful candidate will work as part of the wider catering team providing quality and consistency across a variety of daily services with an emphasis on fresh, local and homemade produce.

An integral part of this role will be to support the provision of high-quality food for up to 280 learners/citizens and around 450 staff, and you will be expected to be involved in a busy calendar of events, including weddings, private functions and conferences.

This role offers a great work-life balance with only having to work 1 in 4 weekends, but with the opportunity for earning an additional amount by working on the regular functions and events.

You will be passionate about providing a high-quality and consistent catering service for our learners/citizens and staff. Your experience will allow you to take pride in cooking, presenting and serving dishes according to agreed specified quality standards.

You will be actively encouraged to participate in and contribute to the continuing implementation of new and innovative menu ideas.

Your communication skills will be second to none, and you will thrive when working in a team environment.

You can see more about what we do at Portland Charity by looking at the Who We Are and Choose Your Future pages on our website https://www.portland.ac.uk/

Working at Portland Charity

At Portland Charity our learners, citizens and staff are at the heart of what we do, we are passionate about our vision that all people with disabilities will have a lifetime of opportunity and you could help us to achieve that. Our priority for staff is to create an outstanding place to work where the rewards of a job well done can be seen in the faces of our learners and citizens.

There are lots of great benefits to working at Portland Charity

• A rewarding career and working towards positive outcomes for our learners and citizens
• Enhanced holidays of 33 days per year when you join us (pro rata) and you are able to buy up to 10 additional days of holiday
• You are eligible for a Blue Light Card with access to lots of great discounts
• Free and confidential access to an Employee Assistance Programme
• Free parking on site and access to a subsidised canteen with a variety of meal options
• Everyone has an opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills on the job through training, mentoring and qualifications!
• Free life assurance – your family will benefit from a payment of 4x your annual salary if the unthinkable should happen

We are committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections the community.

Qualifications needed

Essential

City & Guild 706/1 and 706/2 / Diploma Cookery Level 2 or equivalent

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Basic Nutritional experience or qualification

Desirable

Level 3 Supervisory Food Safety

Level 3 Nutrition and Special Diets

Maths and English Level 2

Working Hours

Shifts include working 7:00am-3:00pm and 10:00am-6:00pm on weekdays and 9:00am-6:00pm on a weekend. Shifts are allocated on a rota which is issued 4 weeks in advance.

Applying to work at Portland Charity

There are some other important things you need to know before you apply to work with us at Portland Charity.

Portland Charity is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its learners, citizens, customers, volunteers and staff. We expect all our staff to be aware of their responsibilities to protect learners, citizens, customers, volunteers and staff from abuse or harm and to promote Fundamental British Values.

Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK.

You will need to provide evidence of your care qualifications and or be willing to complete the Care Certificate within a three month period.

Please note – We need you to complete an application form to fulfil our Safer Recruitment responsibilities but you can submit a CV and we will consider it alongside your application form.

In order to apply for this role, you will need to apply using our online recruitment portal, Face Ed.

Please click on the “apply” button and this will take you to the link to access the platform.

If you have any questions or need some help when completing your application you can contact work@portland.ac.uk or call the Recruitment team on 01623 499111, extension 428 or 205 and we will be happy to help.

Many of our staff have a disability and we’re proud to hold Disability Confident and Mindful Employer status which recognises our positive approach to physical and mental health and wellbeing at work. If you would like to speak with us before completing an application you can contact our Recruitment team on 01623 499 111 or via email at work@portland.ac.uk who will be happy to support you with your application or answer any questions.

https://www.mindfulemployer.dpt.nhs.uk/

https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

Below are links to all the documents you will need, including the online application portal.