Food Service Assistant

Downing College; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Downing College in Cambridge is seeking a Food Service Assistant to join our friendly Catering Front-of-House team, delivering high-quality meals to the College community and guests. You will receive full training and have opportunity to develop skills with the team.

The role is permanent, full-time, with a seven-day rota including early mornings and late evenings. Salary is £27,361.09 per annum, with a range of non-contractual benefits; applications from diverse backgrounds are welcome.

Qualifications

• Experience of Front of House in the hotel industry or hospitality in a customer-facing role.
• Ability to work with and cover for other staff members.
• Desirable: Food Hygiene certificate and good understanding of Food Safety and Health & Safety legislation.

Responsibilities

• Join the Catering Front-of-House team to prepare and serve high-quality food for the College community and guests.
• Work across a seven-day rota with shifts usually between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm.
• Training will be provided and opportunities to develop skills within the team.

Skills

Front of House experience

Customer facing

Team coverage

Education

Food Hygiene certificate

Job description

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Information on the role of Food Service Assistant

Permanent, full-time role

Salary £27,361.09 per annum

An opportunity to join our friendly Catering Front-of-House team who prepare and serve a range of high-quality food, including fine dining, to the College community and commercial guests. You will receive full training and will have the opportunity to learn and develop skills from the rest of the team.

The ideal candidate will have:

• experience of Front of House in the hotel industry or hospitality and gained within a customer facing role
• the ability to work with, and cover for, other members of the staff team
• a certificate in Food Hygiene and a good understanding of Food Safety and relevant Health & Safety legislation are desirable.

Details of the Role

The hours worked include a mix of shifts over a seven-day rota basis - usually between the hours of 7.00 am and 10.00 pm (but this is subject to change, depending on the needs of business). The candidate would usually work 75 hours over two weeks.

The annual salary for this role is £27,361.09 per annum based on Step 29 of the College Salary Scale.

As well as the salary, we offer a wide range of benefits. Please see the attached advert for further information. A full list of benefits is available from the College’s HR Office. (Please note that these benefits are non-contractual and may be amended or withdrawn at our discretion.)

Closing date: Friday 9 October 2026 at midday. Please note that the closing date for this post may be brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Applications are welcomed from a broad range of backgrounds. Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK.

Applicants who declare a disability will be offered an interview if they meet the minimum criteria for the job.

We are pleased to be able offer this document in an accessible format, please contact HR ( [e-mail] ) if you wish to receive this advert and role profile or an application form in a different, accessible format, e.g. large print.

For further information or in event of queries, please contact the HR Office: