Cook

The Royal Children's Hospital; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 62,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Staff Wellbeing Hub

Parkville location near public transit

Job summary

The Royal Children’s Hospital is seeking a Cook Grade 3 to join our Nutrition and Food Services team in Melbourne. You will prepare high-quality meals for patients and families in a central plated service model, while supporting multiple kitchen areas to ensure meals are nutritious, safe and served on time.

We offer opportunities in a busy, supportive environment with benefits like salary packaging, staff wellbeing programs, and convenient transport access.

Qualifications

• A Level 1 Food Safety Certificate is required.
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery is required.
• Food allergy training certificate is required.
• Familiarity with the HACCP system is required.
• Advanced food preparation skills are required.
• Basic computer operating skills are required.
• Experience in healthcare or early education and hospitality is advantageous.
• Knowledge of allergen-free and therapeutic diets is required.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of the Food Service Team in food production, distribution and storage.
• Prepare patient meals in the central plated service model and support kitchen operations as needed.
• Liaise with Dietitians and Supervisors on dietary needs of individual patients.
• Provide outstanding customer service and document communications accurately when required.

Skills

Food Safety Certificate (Level 1)

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Food allergy training certificate

HACCP familiarity

Advanced food preparation skills

Basic computer operating skills

Healthcare/education hospitality exp

Allergen-free and therapeutic diets

Education

A Level 1 Food Safety Certificate

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Job description

The Hospital The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”.

The Hospital The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”. RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries. The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards . RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. For further Information on RCH is available here .

Cook - Grade 3

• Excellent employee benefits, including salary packaging
• Work for Australia's leading Children's Hospital
• Friendly and supportive team environment
• Full time and part time roles available

About The Roles

These are 1 x full time (1.0 EFT, 80 hours per fortnight) and 1 x part time (0.42 EFT, 32 hours per fornight) ongoing positions within the Nutrition and Food Services department.

You will be responsible for providing high-quality food services to our patients and families in our cook-fresh centralised plating food service model. You will work as part of the RCH Food Service Team in a variety of food production & distribution areas, ensuring our patients receive high-quality, nutritious and safe meals in a timely and accurate manner.

Classification for this position is IN17 Cook Grade 3 ($68,384 per annum plus allowances/penalties where applicable plus superannuation)

What You’ll Achieve

• Work as part of our friendly and supportive team in food production, distribution and storage
• Flexibility to work within the Diet Kitchen for preparation of special meals, bulk cooking within the Main Kitchen for patient meals and Early Learning Centre meals/sandwich preparation
• Liaise with Food Service Dietitians and Supervisors regarding the specific dietary needs of individual patients
• Communicate with other team members to ensure that tasks are undertaken effectively and that patient needs are met
• Provide outstanding customer service. Recording communication accurately in writing when required

Your Skills And Experience

• A Level 1 Food Safety Certificate
• Minimum of Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
• Food allergy training certificate (All About Allergens for Hospitals - Kitchen Staff)
• Familiarity with the HACCP system
• Advanced food preparation skills
• Basic computer operating skills
• Previous healthcare or early education and hospitality experience
• Knowledge and experience in cooking allergen-free and therapeutic diets

About The Nutrition And Food Services Department

The Department of Nutrition and Food Services is a large department of around 120 staff incorporating the main kitchen, central formula room and the clinical dietetics service. The main kitchen provides 3 cook fresh meals and a mid-meals service for approximately 100 patients per day. The central formula room produces formula, enteral feeds and fortifies expressed breast milk for approximately 120 patients per day. This is a 7-day per week operation.

What We Offer

• Staff Wellbeing Hub
• Parkville location and close to public transport

Other Requirements

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCH's “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city. We also offer staff benefits such as discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program. The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability. It is a requirement of your employment that you be vaccinated against Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children’s Hospital. Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information. It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children’s Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption, and offers of employment are conditional on successful completion of background checks including reference checks.

Are you ready to join our team?

For more information about this position please contact: Andrei Kononov, Executive Chef Ph: 03 9345 5668 Email: [e-mail]

Applications close 1 November 2026