Deputy Head Chef inYork inYork PUBLISHED FRI 22 NOV 2024

Looking for a Chef role that offers you a great work-life balance? At St Leonard's Hospice, we are recruiting for a passionate and food focussed Deputy Head Chef to deputise for our Head Chef.

Ensuring the catering team strive for excellence in everything within its remit, you will help to source local seasonal produce and interact with patients to truly meet their individual and changing needs.

The Catering team's shift patterns are normally worked between 7.30am 6.30pm, 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.

On a day-to-day basis, you will:

• Deliver consistently high level of exciting, delicious and inventive catering for our patients, staff and visitors
• Work with the Head Chef to review the catering offer to meet the needs of the organisation
• Manage the day to day running of the catering team
• Support and develop a collaborative team
• Help maintain our 5* EHO rating

To fulfil the Deputy Head Chef role, you will need:

• Excellent food presentation skills
• Comprehensive knowledge of food hygiene and food safety regulations
• The ability to manage and prioritise your workload
• To be a team player
• Effective verbal communication skills

Whats in it for you as Deputy Head Chef:

• Golden Hello of £500 (after tax) as a special thank you and welcome to our team
• Shift enhancements
• Generous annual leave entitlement of up to 41 days
• Attractive pension schemes
• Extensive employee discounts on shops, holidays and lifestyle choices
• Opportunities to grow your skills and career
• Free on-site car parking
• Day shifts which allow you to have a great work/life balance
• A supportive and friendly working environment

About us

Main duties and responsibilities

Catering:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Work with the team to develop patient menus and to share the exciting Catering team developments both internally and externally.
4. Work to high standards within the kitchen and ensure these are consistently maintained across the hours of operation.
5. 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.
6. Compliance with all legal and organisational standards, delivering and promoting best practice at all times across the team.
7. Provide refreshments for internal, external functions and special events as required including cakes and meals for celebratory events for patients.

Staff Management:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Undertake a staff briefing with all team members at the start of their working day.

Administrative and Compliance:

1. Undertake procurement as required, matching menus to sourcing of goods, ensuring fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable provisions are used.
2. Ensure deliveries match purchase orders, ensuring quality and standards are met, and stored correctly.
3. Assist with managing all stock to ensure shelf rotation and that they are clearly visible to aid ease of identifying stock levels.
4. 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.
5. 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.