Catering Assistant

NHS National Services Scotland; Kirkwall; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Distant Islands Allowance

Retailer discounts

Job summary

NHS Orkney is seeking a General Catering Assistant to join the Balfour Catering Team. You will support kitchen operations, assist with food preparation, run the restaurant service, and deliver meals to wards and areas around the hospital.

The role is permanent and part-time (23 hours per week), based at The Balfour, with a pro rata salary of £26,696–£28,988 and Distant Islands Allowance. Enhanced rates apply for unsocial hours, weekends, and holidays.

Qualifications

• Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate or training provided by NHS Orkney.
• Part-time 23 hours per week in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist in all aspects of food preparation.
• Support restaurant operation and customer service.
• Deliver meals to wards and service meals to staff and public.

Skills

Kitchen support

Food preparation

Customer service

Teamwork

Education

Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate

Job description

The Position:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a General Catering Assistant to work within the Catering Team at the Balfour to provide assistance in all aspects of food preparation, restaurant operation and customer service.

The Catering Service provides a high-quality patient meal service to the Balfour, providing 3 meals per day for up to 50 patients. A public restaurant service is also provided for staff and members of the public, serving upwards of 150 meals per day. This role will also entail providing assistance to the chefs, the service of food at the restaurant and delivering meals to wards.

The Candidate:

The successful candidate will work as part of a small team, providing a high standard of kitchen support under the direction of the Supervisor Chef/Retail & Restaurant Supervisor and Catering Team Lead.

If there are applicants that do not have an elementary food hygiene certificate, they will be able to undertake training towards this qualification which will be provided by NHS Orkney, through other partners.

Location, Working Pattern and Contract Duration:

This post will be based at The Balfour

The successful candidate will work Part Time 23 hours per week

This post is Permanent

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.

Benefits and Salary:

Did you know NHS Scotland salaries are higher than those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

NHS Orkney also offers an attractive pension scheme, wide range of work life balance policies, employee assistance programme and various discounts to both local and national retailers.

The salary for these roles is £26,696 - £28,988 pro rata per annum, plus Distant Islands Allowance pro rata. This equates to approximately £14.22 - £15.44 per hour. Enhanced rates are payable for unsocial hours, increasing to approximately £20.48 - £22.23 per hour on Saturdays and £26.73 - £29.03 per hour on Sundays and Public Holidays. You'll also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,719

Further Information:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If there are additional requirements you would like to request, please contact [e-mail]

Interview Date: Monday 26th October 2026

To find out more about this opportunity please contact Danny McCaig, Catering Team Lead on [e-mail]

This post is subject to a PVG Scheme Record check.