Catering Assistant

Sodexo; Tendring; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Mental health resources

Employee Assistance Programme

Free health & wellbeing app

Discounts on high street brands

Salary finance tools

Retirement savings plan and life保险

Full training and protective uniform

Learning and development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Flexible working

Competitive pay

Job summary

Sodexo is hiring a Food Service Assistant at Fryatt Hospital, Harwich. The role involves preparing and serving nutritious meals, maintaining kitchen hygiene, and supporting patient wellbeing with excellent service.

You will work across morning and afternoon shifts with 0-hour casual contract, ensuring standards and safety are upheld while delivering compassionate care in a healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in cook or catering roles.
• Strong food hygiene knowledge and practice.
• Excellent patient/customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook meals following standard recipes on a planned menu.
• Monitor stock levels, rotate stock, report shortages or quality issues.
• Maintain strict food safety and hygiene standards in prep and service areas.
• Serve meals to patients, staff and visitors with good service.
• Conduct temperature checks and quality monitoring; keep records updated.
• Use kitchen equipment safely and report faults; secure areas after shifts.
• Communicate with colleagues, patients and managers; escalate issues when needed.
• Support team operations including training, administration and health & safety tasks.

Skills

Customer service

Food safety

Communication

Flexible

Driving license

Education

Food Hygiene Level 2 Certificate

City & Guilds 7061/7062 or NVQ Level 2

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Fryatt Hospital - Harwich

Healthy outcomes start with positive patientexperiences.

• 0 Hour Casual Contract / Various Shift Times - Morning shift - 7:00 - 15:00, Afternoon shift - 15:00 - 18:30
• £12.92 per hour
• Parking / Access to Blue Light Card / Sodexo Benefits

As a Food ServiceAssistant at Sodexo in Fryatt Hospital, you’ll play an important part inpreparing and serving nutritious, comforting meals that support patientrecovery and wellbeing . You’ll also helpmaintain a clean, safe environment in the kitchen and dining areas. With a cheerfulattitude and great customer service, your presence can make a real differencein someone’s day . Join Sodexo and be partof something greater. You belong in a team where you can act with purpose andthrive in your way.

What you’ll do:

• Prepare and cook meals to a planned menu, following standard recipes and maintaining high cooking standards.
• Monitor stock levels, rotate food correctly, and report shortages or quality issues to the Team Leader.
• Maintain strict food safety, hygiene, infection control, and cleanliness standards in all food preparation and service areas.
• Serve food to patients, staff, and visitors while delivering excellent customer service.
• Complete temperature checks, food probing, quality monitoring, and maintain accurate records.
• Use kitchen equipment safely, report faults promptly, and ensure appliances and kitchen areas are secured at the end of shifts.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, visitors, managers, and other departments, escalating issues where necessary.
• Support team operations by assisting with training, administration, health and safety compliance, and undertaking additional duties as delegated by supervisors

What you bring:

• Proven experience working in a cook or catering role.
• Food Hygiene Level 2 Certificate (Level 3 Food Hygiene is desirable).
• Catering qualification such as City & Guilds 7061/7062 or NVQ Level 2 (desirable).
• Knowledge of food preparation techniques, standardised recipes, portion control, and stock management.
• Strong communication and customer service skills when working with patients, colleagues, and stakeholders.
• Reliable, punctual, flexible, and able to work under pressure to meet service demands and deadlines.
• Awareness of NHS policies and procedures and experience within a healthcare setting (desirable).
• Ability to work independently, adapt to changing service needs, use cleaning equipment safely, and support services across different healthcare locations, including holding a full driving licence where required.

What we offer:

Working at Sodexo isn’t just a job — it’s a chance tomake a difference every day. You'll be part of a supportive team, act withpurpose, and thrive in a role where your work matters. We also offer a range ofbenefits to support you and your loved ones:

• Mental health and wellbeing resources
• Employee Assistance Programme (including financial/legal advice & personal support)
• Free health & wellbeing app with 24/7 virtual GP access
• Discounts on high street brands for you and your family
• Salary finance tools and financial wellbeing resources
• Retirement savings plan and life insurance
• Full training and protective uniform provided.
• Opportunities to gain experience through learning and development.
• Cycle to Work scheme & volunteering opportunities.
• Flexible working and a dynamic team environment
• Competitive pay

About Sodexo

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every dayfor everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services thatimprove the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food andFM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services .

We are committed tobeingan inclusive employer. Weare a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from peoplewith a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds, and identities . We encourage our employees to get involved with ourEmployee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, SodexoDisability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed tochanging attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have thechance to fulfil their aspirations . We run a DisabilityConfident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet theminimum selection criteria for the job .

Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together,Generations and Origins.