Cook/Chef

• Fixed term contract until 25/6/27
• Term-time only (salary pro-rata'd as term time contract)
• 7.45am to 3.45pm Monday to Friday
• £25,949 pro-rata
• Apply through the link to our website

Sunderland College has been delivering highly successful courses for more than 20 years and is one of the largest providers of post-16 education in the North East with approximately 14,300 students.  

The College has three campuses across the city of Sunderland, offering a wide range of academic and vocational provision for school leavers and adults. The College aims to develop and positively shape lives, communities, and the economy through teaching, learning and development of skills. Our students consistently achieve outstanding results and Sunderland College has been ranked in the top 25% in the country for student achievement rates. In October 2024, we were ranked as Ofsted outstanding, and we are proud of our diverse student and staff community that provide our students with bespoke education pathways to help them achieve their future career goals. 

About the Candidate

We’re looking for an innovative person who can inspire our menu and offer something different. This busy role involves all aspects of food preparation and cooking to providing a customer orientated service for our students and service users.  

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of menu costs to ensure we are offering a value for money service, with nutritional healthy foods, whilst achieving budget. You will have a good understanding of HACCP, COSHH and Food Allergen guidelines and implement these through your practices. You will need to drive forward ways to maximise income in the catering outlets whilst enhancing the service provision. 

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Chef within our Bede Campus and other EPNE sites when necessary.  It is a term-time only role, and there are no staff management responsibilities expected. The successful candidate will work as part of the catering team between 7.45am and 3.45pm and will report to the Chef Supervisor and Food & Beverage Manager. The Chef role will take responsibility for the day-to-day preparation, cooking and serving of the breakfast and lunch menus assisted by catering assistants in the Campus café kitchen.  The college caters for around 500 covers through breakfast and lunch.

Role Responsibilities 

• To provide operational food preparation, cooking and serving of breakfast and lunch in the main Campus Cafe
• To ensure departmental financial controls are adhered too and targets are achieved through maximising income, whilst enhancing service provision.
• To lead in the preparation, cooking and service of provision to provide a menu that is of a high standard and exceeds our customers’ expectations.
• To adhere to all food safety and health and safety legislation and in house systems.

Qualifications.

• Food Safety L2
• NVQ 2 – Professional cookery or Food Preparation and Cooking 
• Allergen Awareness and Control Level 2 

Essential Skills & Experience

• Commercial food preparation and cooking experience  
• A good understanding of Health and Safety within the workplace 
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate to people of all levels 
• Self-motivated with the ability to work under own initiative and deal with problems as they arise

Benefits

• Term time only equates to working 38 weeks out of 52 a year.
• Enjoy a generous holiday allowance ranging between 35-48 days per year, plus public holidays - (Excluding Term Time Only contracts)
• Generous family leave and flexible working options (dependent on role)
• Local government pension scheme
• Access to myLifestyle benefits platform providing retail discounts and more.  
• We offer dental, eye care & health cash plans.  
• Extensive wellbeing support through a digital Wellbeing Hub that offers a broad range of support for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.
• Free parking on most campuses.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

At Education Partnership North East (EPNE), we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We know that diverse perspectives strengthen our teams to enhance the education and support we provide to our learners and communities.

We recognise that talented individuals may not always follow a traditional career path and may hesitate to apply unless they meet every requirement. If you are excited about the role and believe you can make a positive contribution, we encourage you to apply.

As a Disability Confident Employer and Armed Forces Covenant Member, and with Ofsted Outstanding status across all campuses, we are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing environment where everyone can thrive.

Due to the nature of this post, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure Check.  (Enhanced DBS child workforce/child barred check).

We believe in equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

We are committed to PREVENT and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.