Please read in conjunction with Notes for applicants.

Reporting relationship

The Chef will report to the Chef Manager. The Chef will also liaise with senior members of staff, principally the Director of English Language Courses and the Director of the Liberal Arts Programme.

The Chef will have line management responsibility for a team of 2 General Assistants.

Purpose of the role

Assume control of the Catering operation at 3 Bardwell Road and all catering staff and report daily to the Chef Manager.

To provide the highest standard of catering on a daily basis to staff and students attending the Bardwell Road site.

In certain areas of catering, close liaison will be needed with other colleagues for their catering requirements.

Duties and General Duties

• Producing all meals as required by the College to a high standard of a varied nature to reflect the international nature of St. Clare's.
• Organising catering for special events at Bardwell Road as required by the College.
• To assist the Chef Manager in the ordering of supplies and designing of menus within the cyclic menu system and budget requirements.
• To assume responsibility for work rotas, timekeeping both health and Safety and hygiene procedures for two General Assistants and agency staff when necessary. Problems to be reported to the Chef Manager promptly.
• Ensure that the highest standards of meal preparation, production and service are carried out in accordance with the menus and the Food Safety Act 1990.
• Develop a friendly and helpful atmosphere to all customers at all times
• Report any staff absences to the Chef Manager.
• Collate and prepare all overtime sheets, invoices and delivery notes
• Check deliveries for correct quantities and quality, signing delivery invoices accordingly.
• Compliance with the correct dress code including all protective clothing and footwear at all times.
• Observe requirements of Health and Safety at Work Act and to act on COSSH recommendations for cleaning practices, ensuring that the correct cleaning material is used for the individual task.
• Observe Food Hygiene Regulations
• Menus are based on the cyclical menus at the Banbury Road site. However, the Bardwell Road Chef will have some flexibility and, in collaboration with the Chef Manager, be able to make changes within the constraints of the budget and the broad range of nationalisation being catered for.
• Observe regulations regarding fire prevention and control
• Assume responsibility for maintaining, refilling and reporting all faults and defects of the vending machine.
• Report all equipment problems and defects to the Chef Manager at the earliest opportunity.
• Responsibility for cash handling to include taking, processing and security of float and funds and maintaining the till float at the correct level. These duties to be undertaken in accordance with procedures laid down by the Financial Controller.
• Further tasks as directed by the Chef Manager.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will have shown that they have the following skills, experience and attributes: City and Guilds 706/1 and 706/2 or NVQ level 3 in Food Preparation and Production. Level 2 Food Safety in Catering as a minimum requirement and a minimum of 2 years experience within the catering industry

The appointee will be expected to assist the Chef Manager in improving the quality and range of catering offered to students to maintain St. Clare's current high standards.

• The ability to manage a small team.
• The ability to manage stock-holding and ordering within the constraints of the budget.
• Recent experience of working in a commercial catering environment (larger than a cafe, takeaway or B&B).
• Hard working, well motivated, positive attitude.
• Good communication skills and a friendly manner for dealing with students and staff.
• Capable of undertaking some strenuous duties.
• The ability to establish effective working relationships with colleagues and to be a good team member.
• Able to follow both written and oral instructions.
• Smart, tidy and clean.

Terms and conditions

Working hours
37½ hours a week with one hour for lunch. Some flexibility is essential here.

Working hours
Normal hours of work are Monday to Friday between the hours of 07.00 to 15.00 during term time (September – June). During the Summer Courses period from June to August hours will vary and evening week-end work will be expected for which overtime will be paid.

The Employee may take one hour for lunch between 12.00 and 14.00.

Holidays

22 working days per year and the period over Christmas when the College is closed (24 December – 1 January inclusive). The College operates during bank holidays and work may be required on one of more of these days, with time off in lieu.

Salary and benefits

Salary will be Grade 7 of St. Clare's Scale for Catering staff which is within the range £21,612.17-£24,467.34 per annum.

Salaries are reviewed on the 1 September each year.

Overtime rate of 1½ times normal rate is paid for any hours in excess of 37½ hours worked within a calendar week. Bank holidays at 1½ times normal rate.

Pension

A contributory pension is offered through St. Clare's group personal pension scheme. The employer pays double the contribution of the employee, up to a maximum of 10% of gross salary, ie. the employer pays up to 10%, and the employee pays up to 5%. Employee's contributions above 5% may be made, but do not attract a matching contribution from the employer.

There is a death-in-service benefit of four time's annual salary.

Probationary Period:

The first six months will be probationary, within which notice is two weeks on either side. Thereafter notice is one month on either side.

References and Checks

All offers of employment and contracts are issued subject to satisfactory references and satisfactory outcomes on completion of all necessary checks, including establishing the right to work in the UK. In some cases some or all of these checks will have been undertaken before an offer is made. In most cases, taking up employment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of all necessary procedures.

Under the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, we are required to undertake additional checks on all employees working with our residential students who are under 18:

• Full written references, and phone references on quoted referees, including current employer, may be obtained before or after interview. You should indicate specifically if you wish St. Clare's to refrain from contacting your current employer.
• Police checks / Criminal Records Bureau checks must also be undertaken, for which employees / prospective employees are required to provide information and consent. A Certificate of Good Conduct is acceptable if you are returning from abroad.
• Contact with all previous employers where the employee has worked with children or vulnerable adults is also required. This is to establish the reason for leaving the position. On occasions, further information and a reference may be sought in writing, by phone or by other means. By providing details of previous employment, it is assumed that the employee/prospective employee has given consent for this contact, and no specific consent of the employee / prospective employee will be sought.

The College reserves the right to contact any previous employer and to make any additional enquiries it considers necessary in order to meet its responsibilities in relation to employment of people working with students who are under the age of 18.

Please apply with short covering letter and current C.V., including two referees, one of which should be your current or most recent employer either by mail or by email to:

Chris Maddox, Chef Manager
St. Clare's, Oxford
135 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AL

Email: recruitment@stclares.ac.uk

The deadline for applications is on Monday 9 August 2010.

Please note that CVs without a suitable accompanying letter and/or details of referees will be discarded.