Deputy Head Chef

Job summary Looking for aChef role that offers you a great work-life balance?
At St Leonard's Hospice, weare recruiting for a passionate and food focussed Deputy Head Chef to deputisefor our Head Chef.
Ensuring thecatering team strive for excellence in everything within its remit, you willhelp to source local seasonal produce and interact with patients to truly meettheir individual and changing needs.The Catering team's shift patterns are normally worked between , which allows our team to have a great work-life balance.
Full flexibility is essential though as no two days are the same and it is imperative the needs of the Hospice and Catering Team are met at all times.Interviews are available immediately and we reservethe right to withdraw this post at any time.
Main duties of the job On a day-to-daybasis, you will: Deliverconsistently high level of exciting, delicious and inventive catering for ourpatients, staff and visitors Work with theHead Chef to review the catering offer to meet the needs of the organisation Manage the day today running of the catering team Support anddevelop a collaborative team Help maintain our5* EHO ratingTo fulfil theDeputy Head Chef role, you will need: Excellent foodpresentation skills Comprehensiveknowledge of food hygiene and food safety regulations The ability tomanage and prioritise your workload To be a teamplayer Effective verbalcommunication skillsWhats in it foryou as Deputy Head Chef: Golden Hello of £500 (after tax) as aspecial thank you and welcome to our team Shift enhancements Generous annual leave entitlement ofup to 41 days Attractive pension schemes Extensive employee discounts on shops,holidays and lifestyle choices Opportunities to grow your skills andcareer Free on-site car parking Day shifts which allow you to have agreat work/life balance A supportive and friendly workingenvironment About us Our mission is to provide excellent care and support to those living with life-limiting illness and to the people they care about, to enrich their lives and to contribute to the ongoing development of end-of-life care.
We do this by placing our patients at the centre of everything we do, and through involving patients and their families in all decisions regarding their care.We can only achieve this with the help of our amazing colleagues, by developing and recognising their contribution, and by sharing our knowledge and skills through education, audit and research.We do not have sponsorship status and therefore all our offers are made conditional upon our candidates submitting evidence of their right to work in the UK in conjunction with our other pre-employment checks.
Job description Job responsibilities Main duties and responsibilitiesCatering:To deputise for the Head Chef on all aspects of food across the organisation; delivering enticing, nutritional, inventive and experimental menus to meet the needs of our patients, staff, visitors and volunteers.Collaborate with every department that come in contact with the catering service, particularly with the Clinical team to meet the needs of our patients, how to communicate promptly any changes to their requirements and how to create a flexible service that works with the demands of the Inpatient unit, allowing the care staff time to care.Work with the team to develop patient menus and to share the exciting Catering team developments both internally and externally.Work to high standards within the kitchen and ensure these are consistently maintained across the hours of operation.Embed in the team a desire to create; that any dish can be reviewed and improved upon and that creativity and excitement with food should be celebrated.
Encourage and enable initiative taking within the team.Compliance with all legal and organisational standards, delivering and promoting best practice at all times across the team.Provide refreshments for internal, external functions and special events as required including cakes and meals for celebratory events for patients.Staff Management:With the active support of the Head Chef and in their absence, manage and inspire the Catering team (including volunteers), ensuring that individual skills are utilised appropriately and staff have frequent developmental opportunities.Embed within the team the Hospice Strategy key concepts of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Synergy; ensuring these are delivered in everything the team does and be confident in challenging where behaviours fall short of demonstrating this.Undertake a staff briefing with all team members at the start of their working day.Administrative and Compliance:Undertake procurement as required, matching menus to sourcing of goods, ensuring fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable provisions are used.Ensure deliveries match purchase orders, ensuring quality and standards are met, and stored correctly.Assist with managing all stock to ensure shelf rotation and that they are clearly visible to aid ease of identifying stock levels.Monitor and maintain consistent high food standards and quality across all areas and during all stages of production and supply to ensure HACCP procedures are maintained including cleaning rotas and closing down procedures.
This will ensure quality control measures and hygiene systems are achieved at all times.
To actively use and complete audits, checklists, COSHH and risk assessments using appropriate software.To assist the Head Chef to manage and comply with food hygiene procedures, hospice health & safety systems to ensure that St Leonards complies with statutory obligations and regulations under the Health and Safety at Work Act and other relevant legislation.
Person Specification Experience Essential Experience of working within catering environment Ensuring consistent food standards & quality Excellent food presentation skills Experience of performing audit/quality controls Knowledge of special dietary requirements and food allergies Comprehensive knowledge of Food Hygiene Regulations, Health & Safety and HACCP Creating menus Ability to multi-task Good organisational & planning skills Excellent time management Attention to detail/accuracy Able to manage and prioritise workload Desirable Experience of working within a healthcare catering environment (ideally palliative care) Working with volunteers Working in a not-for-profit environment / Charity Sector Managing catering requirements at fundraising events Managing and monitoring budgets within agreed financial constraints Efficient and structured approach to procurement Producing risk assessments Communication Essential Courteous and respectful of others Ability to be sensitive and empathetic Ability to communicate at all levels within the Hospice Effective verbal communication skills Personal Essential Team player Enthusiasm and can do attitude Positively promote the Hospice in all settings Have sympathy with the philosophy and concept of hospice care Ability to listen & act on feedback Integrity, discretion and be able to respect confidentially Courteous and respectful of others Tactful, sensitive, tolerant, flexible & positive manner Professional approach to work Calm under pressure IT skills Essential Basic IT Skills Microsoft Office Applications ( Word, Excel, Outlook) Qualifications Essential Level 3 Supervising Food Safety or higher City & Guilds or NVQ Level 2 or equivalent Level 2 Basic Food Hygiene Certificate Other requirements Essential Flexible approach to hours of work Be prepared to assist with Hospice fundraising Desirable Current driving licence & access to a vehicle for work purposes