Casual Cook 4 - Head of Kitchen

Job Description

Thurrock Catering Services provides Bronze Food for Life, award winning lunchtime meals at 30 Primary Schools, 3 Secondary Schools within the Borough, serving more than one million meals each year to children and school staff. Due to the Universal Free School Meal’s for KS1 pupils and continued expansion and growth of our service which now includes catering for Grangewaters Residential Groups and Holiday Activity Feeding Events, an opportunity now exists to work in a friendly and flexible environment within school kitchens in Thurrock.

Head of Kitchen – Mobile to cover all area in Thurrock

Salary: £29,253 - £32,736 per annum pro rata / Hourly Rate: £15,16 - £16,97 per hour

Grade C

Casual – Zero Hour Contract (20 to 30 Hours per week service dependant)

You will be required to prepare, produce, and deliver an excellent standard food service to the staff and pupils at schools in the Grays area of Thurrock, you must be able to organise, arrange and supervise all activities in the school kitchen, counter display and dining room area and must be prepared to cover where-ever required across Thurrock in other schools if needed. You will need to promote the service and keep abreast of new products, promotions, and any changes in legislation.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Deliver a high standard catering service
• Cover and support the Catering Service wherever required across Thurrock
• Promotion of the Catering Service keeping abreast of new products & legislation,
• Organise and manage the catering provision to ensure an efficient and cost effective service to meet set targets on food and labour costs
• Ordering provisions, food preparation and cooking in accordance to the recipe file and menu.
• All paperwork & reporting required to ensure stock take and payroll deadlines are met
• The management of staff to include attendance and annual appraisals.
• Increase uptake and business growth

Full workplace training will be given, which includes food hygiene and safety training. A flexible approach with a ‘can-do’ attitude is required together with a pleasant personality and excellent customer care ethics.

DBS: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check at Enhanced Level is required for this post.

Advert Closing Date:

• Redeployment Only: 7th August 2025
• Internal & External: 17th August 2025

Interview Date: To be confirmed

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

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Application Requirements

As part of the Safer Recruitment process, Gap Management is required for all Safeguarding roles. Please complete the Gaps in Employment grid provided (refer to the example document for guidance) and upload it under Miscellaneous Documents as part of your application.

If the Job Profile and Person Specification list any qualifications as essential, please also upload copies of those relevant qualifications.

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About us

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.

For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council