Cook

Cook - Shearwater

Salary: Band: 5, £25,652 - £27,363 pa, pro rata (£17,852 - £19,043 for 25.75 hours) plus shift allowance if applicable

25.75 hours per week - Hours worked over a two-week rota.  Example of shift times - 07:30 - 16:30 or 09:00 - 15:00 and weekends 07:30 - 15:00. Sunday and bank holiday working may apply. 

Portsmouth City Council

At Portsmouth City Council we're all about developing our staff, because we want to build a bigger and better city but we need the best employees to do so. 

With a little over 207,000 residents and 7,000 businesses throughout this city, this unitary authority's main goal is to ensure the best care and development of all those within the city. From customer service to multi-million pound projects, our residents are at the heart of everything we do.   

Shearwater is in the Milton area of Portsmouth and is a purpose built 40 bed dementia residential home, which opened in August 2009. The accommodation is spread over 2 floors in units of 20 per floor. All bedrooms have a private ensuite with a shower. The home also has a good-sized garden for residents to enjoy. 

We currently have around 100 staff working different roles and different shifts throughout the home. 

Your new role

As Cook you will be preparing food on a daily basis, with the help of a kitchen assistant/s, producing nutritionally based meals, including dietary requirements, for up to 40 people.  You will be required to plan and produce a varied and exciting menu whilst managing a set budget as well as being responsible for the overall Health and Safety in the kitchen including induction of any new staff.  You will also support the activity team to cater for special activities/events within Shearwater.  Following the stock ordering process, you will liaise with various suppliers and check with the delivery of supplies whilst arranging appropriate storage. You will work with the wider Shearwater team to ensure all kitchen records are kept up to date, ensuring policies and procedures are being followed, whilst overseeing the kitchen cleaning schedule and ensure all kitchen staff are following national guidance provided including COSHH.

What you’ll need to succeed

With proven cookery skills, you will need an advanced qualification in catering, for example, City and Guilds 701/702 and a basic food hygiene certificate (or be working towards a suitable qualification).  You will have experience of ordering stock and the ability to keep within a set budget whilst still providing quality and varied food with minimal waste. You will be required to have a good knowledge of food and nutrition requirements, including a good range of special dietary requirements, and a knowledge and understanding of food safety including IDDSI and food intolerances or allergies. (IDDSI training will be provided).  With good interpersonal and communication skills you will be flexible to enable you to adapt to changing workloads and requirements of the unit with the ability to organise and lead kitchen staff.

Please read the job profile for the full details of this role  

 What you'll get in return

We really appreciate our employees and fully realise they are essential to our success and look to offer an inclusive, supportive working environment where employees can reach their potentials with a healthy work life balance, offering the following rewards:

• Generous annual leave (27 days per year rising to 31, pro rata for part time hours) with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• A fantastic pension which allows you the opportunity to pay in more for that greater return.
• Flexible working hours. 
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities including apprenticeships.
• Extensive wellbeing support through the Employee Assistance Programme 
• Discount on travel, travel loans and the bike loan scheme
• Discounts on a wide range of goods and services – access a range of discounts and offers from thousands of restaurants, shops and more.

Staff rewards: https://careers.portsmouth.gov.uk/working-for-the-council/

 Additional Information:

The full job profile is attached here - Cook - Profile

Application Details:

Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.  Please do not just submit a CV. Applicants will be shortlisted based on their ability to use good examples that meet the criteria of this role. Please read alongside the 'How to apply' information on the home page of the website.

You may wish to attach an additional letter or document to supplement your application. 

Please ensure you provide your full education history from secondary school, include name/address of establishment, details of relevant qualifications & awarding body. 

Please explain any gaps - this is essential for all safeguarding roles.

There is no closing date.  Applicants will be contacted for interview as and when shortlisting takes place and we reserve the right to close the advert early if we have a successful applicant.

Please note this interview process will be two phases. If you are successful to pass the initial interview you will be invited back to demonstrate your cooking skills by cooking one cake and one pot savoury dish that requires the use of herbs and spices. All items will be provided on the day and taste tested by our residents.

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are a disability confident employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible and welcome applications from all areas of society. 

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it. 

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours. 

We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e-mail folders as sometimes our e-mails may go into spam/junk folders. 

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.