Assistant Chef

Busy Bees Childcare; Ripon; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading nursery provider in Ripon is seeking an Assistant Chef to prepare healthy meals and oversee kitchen operations. The ideal candidate will have experience in leadership within early years settings, strong mentoring skills, and the ability to maintain food safety standards. This role offers competitive salary, ongoing development, and various employee benefits including childcare discounts and holiday pay.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Ongoing professional development

Up to 28 days holiday

25% childcare discount

Enhanced family leave

Cycle to Work scheme

Discounted Private Medical Insurance

Qualifications

• Experience in leadership within early years settings is preferred.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills are crucial.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance is necessary.

Responsibilities

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

Skills

Leadership experience

Mentoring skills

Problem-solving skills

Job description

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 will be introduced to our unique Bee Curious curriculum, designed to foster curiosity and confidence in young learners. 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: Busy Bees Day Nursery and Preschool Ripon is an Ofsted-rated Good facility with a capacity of 126 children, caring for ages from 12 weeks to 5 years. This purpose-built, one-storey nursery features eight rooms, all offering outstanding care and direct access to enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery also boasts a large garden space, complete with a woodland nature trail and forest area, providing an enriching outdoor experience. Located conveniently on College Business Park, it is an ideal setting for children's early learning and development.

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)
• 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 of retail discounts to help your money 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.

If you have a passion for leading teams and supporting quality education, apply today!