Prison Catering: Caterer - HMP Littlehey

This is not your average catering job. It is a great chance to put your catering qualifications and skills into practice and make an impact far beyond the kitchen.

As part of the prison's catering team, you'll be working in a professional industrial kitchen environment, with a good salary, pension and Civil Service benefits including apprenticeship opportunities 'earn while you learn'. Unlike traditional restaurant jobs, you won't have to work late into the evening.

You'll oversee the work of offenders to prepare and cook quality, nutritional meals for the entire prison. Plus, you'll play your part in helping them turn their lives around - supporting them to learn new skills and work towards gaining qualifications to increase their chances of employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending when they leave prison.

For the full job description please refer to supporting document 1.

Watch our video on the website to hear from some of our prison caterers about what the role is really like.

Hours and salary

You will work a 37-hour week and shift patterns are in place which include hours outside of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, weekends and public holidays. You will receive a 20% unsocial hours payment in addition to your basic pay, subject to working these hours.

All roles can be open to part-time and job share arrangements subject to the business need/operational requirement. However, you will still be required to undertake the full range of shifts. As a new recruit, you will start on the minimum salary.,

• UK nationals


• nationals of the Republic of Ireland


• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)


• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020


• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  Level 2 certificate in food production within hospitality and catering or equivalent


• Food hygiene certificate at Level 2


In addition, you must be:

• Familiar with all current health, safety and hygiene related regulations for working in a kitchen


• Able to demonstrate competency within an industrial kitchen environment


• Able to speak with confidence in English, Level 2 certificate in Food Production within Hospitality and Catering or equivalent


• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2


• Vocational Qualification at Level 3 or be willing to work towards gaining this qualification within an agreed timescale., Communicating and Influencing


• Managing a Quality Service


• Working Together


• Making Effective Decisions


• Developing Self and Others


Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Work experience 1


• Work experience 2, Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Band 3 salary minimum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £30,902

Band 3 salary maximum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £32,539, Alongside your salary of £30,902, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £8,374 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development


• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance


• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity


• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%


• Annual Leave


• Public Holidays


• Season Ticket Advance