Casual Cook | Colac

Busy Bees; Colac; On-site; AUD 45,000 - 48,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform allowance

Childcare discounts

Training & development

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Busy Bees at Colac is seeking a passionate Casual Chef to prepare nutritious meals for children aged 0-5 years, ensuring safety and high-quality food standards in a centre setting. This casual role offers weekday daytime hours and a supportive team.

The position requires experience as a Chef, Food Safety Supervisor certificate, and a Working with Children Check (VIC) or willingness to obtain one. Uniforms and professional development are provided.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Chef or Cook; childcare experience is highly regarded.
• Food Safety practices and kitchen hygiene knowledge required.
• Excellent time management and organisation skills essential.
• Ability to cater for allergies, intolerances and dietary needs.
• Demonstrated commitment to child safety and wellbeing.
• Willingness to obtain Working with Children Check (VIC) if not current.

Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare healthy, balanced meals per Australian Dietary Guidelines.
• Cater for allergies and cultural dietary requirements.
• Manage food ordering, budgeting and stock control.
• Maintain a clean, safe kitchen per Food Safety Standards.
• Collaborate with Centre Leadership Team.
• Support nutrition education for children.

Skills

Chef experience

Food safety

Time management

Allergen management

Childcare knowledge

Working with Children Check VIC

Education

Food Safety Supervisor Certificate

Job description

Casual Chef | $33.87 per hour + Casual Loading | Colac, VIC

Busy Bees is a leading global early learning provider, offering high-quality education in nurturing, purpose-built centres where educators are supported to grow, lead and make a real difference in children's lives, with over 130 centres across Australia and around 3,000 employees.

Our Bee Safe Commitment: Child safety is at the heart of everything we do and is embedded in our people, places and processes. Help us give every child the Best Start in Life.

We're seeking a passionate and organised Casual Chef to join our team at Busy Bees at Colac, located at 91-97 Pound Road, Colac VIC 3250, on a casual basis . You will play a key role preparing fresh, nutritious meals that support the health, wellbeing, and development of children aged 0-5 years.

What you'll do

• Plan and prepare healthy, balanced meals in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines
  
• Cater for allergies, intolerances, and cultural dietary requirements
  
• Manage food ordering, budgeting, and stock control
  
• Maintain a clean, safe kitchen environment in accordance with Food Safety Standards
  
• Work collaboratively with the Centre Leadership Team
  
• Contribute to children's learning around nutrition and healthy eating

What you'll bring

• A genuine commitment to child safety, speaking up, always doing the right thing, and alignment with Busy Bees values
  
• Previous experience as a Chef or Cook (experience in childcare highly regarded)
  
• Food Safety Supervisor Certificate
  
• Knowledge of safe food handling and kitchen hygiene practices
  
• Strong organisation and time management skills
  
• A genuine passion for preparing nutritious meals for children and understanding allergen management and child-safe practices
  
• Current Working with Children Check for VIC or willingness to obtain

Why Busy Bees?

Because we offer the B.E.E.S. advantage:
Better pay. Everyday balance. Education for growth. Support you can rely on.
We live by our values of Care, Quality, Service, and Value to make a real impact on child safety and quality.

• Uniform and laundry allowances included, so your take-home pay stays yours.
  
• Family-friendly benefits; 50% childcare gap-fee discounts for permanent staff & EAP support, because your family should benefit too.
  
• Paid learning & development; First Aid, CPR & mandatory training covered, ongoing professional development, and access to our Busy Bees learning platform and ACCCO RTO pathways.
  
• Supportive leaders & inclusive teams; hands-on leadership, strong tenure and a culture built on trust, respect and collaboration.
  
• Career pathways that grow with you; opportunities & training to progress from Educator to leadership, management and area roles.
  
• Work-Life Balance; Monday-Friday, daytime hours only - no nights or weekends within stable, well-resourced kitchens without hospitality burnout.

Employment is conditional on satisfactory, rigorous pre-employment checks (including WWCC, ID, Qualifications, Gecko Training, Work Rights, NQAITS register/Prohibited Persons & References) and child safety training, reflecting our strong commitment to safeguarding, equity, diversity and inclusion.

We are proud to be a child safe organisation, putting child safety at the heart of everything we do through our Bee Safe commitment.