Assistant Chef

Busy Bees Nurseries; Livingston; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

28 days holiday per year (including BH

Birthday off

25% childcare discount

Wellbeing hub and discounts

Pension access

Job summary

Busy Bees Livingston Village Nursery is seeking an Assistant Chef to join its kitchen team on a Mon-Wed schedule, 08:30-16:30. You will prepare healthy meals for children, support the Chef with daily operations, and help maintain food safety and hygiene standards in a nurturing early years environment.

The role offers opportunities for professional development within Busy Bees’ Bee Curious curriculum, with a supportive team and community-focused ethos, plus employee benefits and discounts.

Qualifications

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals meeting dietary requirements for children.
• Maintain high standards of food safety and hygiene in the kitchen.
• Demonstrate leadership and mentor junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

Skills

Healthy cooking

Food safety

Leadership

Mentoring

Stock management

Job description

This is a Monday - Wednesday position 08.30-16.30 position.

Join Our Team at Busy Bees – Leading Nursery Group in the UK

Are you passionate about cooking and providing nutritious meals for young children? As an Assistant Chef at Busy Bees, you’ll be a key part of our kitchen team, preparing healthy meals that support children's growth and development. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a nurturing environment where you will contribute to the wellbeing of children while gaining valuable experience in catering within the early years sector.

About Us

Busy Bees is the UK's leading nursery group, with nearly 400 nurseries across the UK and more overseas. We are dedicated to giving every child the best start in life and are proud to have won awards for our workplace culture. At Busy Bees, we ensure that every member of our team feels heard, valued, and nurtured.

Why Work at Busy Bees?

We offer a supportive environment that empowers you to create engaging, educational spaces where children can thrive. As part of our team, you’ll be introduced to our unique Bee Curious curriculum, designed to foster curiosity and confidence in young learners.

Our Charitable Commitment

Through our partnership with BBC Children in Need, we offer fantastic opportunities for community involvement and fundraising to support children's lives.

About Our Nursery

Our 103 place Busy Bees Livingston Village Nursery provides a welcoming environment for families and children and staff. With a wide range of engaging and exciting resources, there are endless opportunities for children to learn and have fun during their time at nursery. Not only are the team experienced and highly trained, they are also committed to making learning fun for children, ensuring they have the best start in life. Just a six-minute drive from the centre of Livingston, our West Lothian nursery can be conveniently accessed from many local suburbs. Our nursery is equidistant from both Livingston North and South train stations, between a five and 10-minute drive away, as well as free onsite parking.

Busy Bees Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Ongoing professional development and career progression
• Our ‘Hive’ benefits and wellbeing hub, with discounts across a huge range of retailers
• Up to 28 days holiday per year (including bank holidays)
• Your birthday off – it’s our gift to you!
• 25% childcare discount
• Enhanced family leave and return to work bonus
• Menopause support through Peppy
• Financial support through Salary Finance
• Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Easy access to your workplace pension through Cushon
• Discounted Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

But wait, there’s more! You'll also enjoy access to our Benefits and Wellbeing platform, Hive - offering huge array huge of retail discounts helping your money to go further, along with a Wellbeing Hub featuring resources to support your physical and mental health. A Celebrating You section showcasing the ways we recognise and reward our valued team members. Plus, a dedicated Grow with Us area sharing the exciting development opportunities and training designed to support you to thrive and grow at Busy Bees.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

Ideal Candidate

• Ideally experience in leadership within early years settings.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance.