Kitchen Assistant

Bright Horizons Family Solutions, LLC.; Northampton; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Childcare discount 40%

Enhanced parental leave

20 days annual leave plus holidays and

Paid Christmas closure

Pension

Wellbeing benefits and early wage

Job summary

Bright Horizons Wooldale Day Nursery and Preschool in Northampton is seeking an Early Years Kitchen Assistant to support the Chef in preparing age-appropriate meals, minimising waste, and keeping the kitchen clean and safe. You will cater for dietary requirements, communicate needs to teams, and take charge in the Chef's absence.

The role offers part-time hours (Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00) with a friendly, supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Previous catering experience in a domestic or commercial setting.
• Passion for nutrition and promoting healthy eating.
• Strong communication with colleagues, children and parents.

Responsibilities

• Support the Chef in preparing and cooking age-appropriate meals with minimal waste.
• In the Chef's absence, run the kitchen and ensure dietary requirements are clearly communicated to teams.
• Maintain a clean, safe kitchen environment and ensure food safety standards are met.

Skills

Cooking experience

Nutrition awareness

Communication skills

Education

Food Safety CIEH L2 or above

Tools

COSHH

Job description

Nursery – Bright Horizons Wooldale Day Nursery and Preschool. Salary – Starting from: £12.75per hour Hours – Monday-Friday, shifts 10am-2pm Location – Wootton, Northampton, NN4 Are you looking to work for an organisation whose culture is driven by our HEART principles – Honesty, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork? Where you can be yourself, feel supported, and help to make a difference to the next generation? Somewhere you can say: “I did that.” We’re looking for an Early Years Kitchen Assistant to join our Bright Horizons Wooldale Day Nursery and Preschool. Our nursery in the village of Wootton in Northampton. The nursery is proudly Ofsted rated 'Good' and offers great transport links with it being just off of the A45 and close to Junction 15 on the M1. Regular bus routes operate nearby and the nursery offers on‑site parking.

Benefits

• Childcare discount of 40% for first child
• Enhanced parental leave
• 20 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and paid Christmas closure.
• Ability to also purchase additional leave*
• Pension
• Financial and wellbeing benefits including 24/7 virtual GP appointments, early access to wages, and more
• Professional development programme access for every stage of your career, including access to a careers coach *Subject to T&Cs

Role

As an Early Years Kitchen Assistant, you will support the Chef in the preparation and cooking of age-appropriate food for all the children in the nursery, with minimum wastage, and in keeping the kitchen a clean and safe environment. In the absence of the Chef, you will take responsibility for the running of the kitchen, and ensuring all dietary requirements are catered for and clearly communicated to teams.

Requirements

• Previous experience within a cooking role, in a domestic or commercial property
• Passion for nutrition, and inspiring others in healthy eating
• Ability to demonstrate a sound knowledge of managing different dietary requirements, particularly food allergies
• Food Safety CIEH L2 or above (or equivalent) – this must be passed on day 1 in post
• Sound knowledge of COSHH
• Great communication skills, with colleagues, children, and parents
• Ability to work under pressure

Bright Horizons is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to safer recruitment practice and pre‑employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, which will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all ages and backgrounds to apply. We will consider reasonable adjustments required by applicants. Please note, due to our sector all roles are subject to an Enhanced DBS.

At Bright Horizons, our culture is built on our commitment to Keeping Everyone Safe and providing world-class care and education, delivered by a world-class workforce. We believe our people’s potential is endless and with this in mind, we aspire to create an environment where our colleagues can thrive and accomplish the things they thought impossible. Bright Horizons has been recognised as a Great Place to Work by our employees and the Great Place to Work Institute for the last 13 years. We care passionately about what we do, and our HEART values and principles help us support one another in our work each day. These are quite literally at the HEART of our organisation’s ethos and culture as it helps us to provide a working environment that supports professionalism, growth and diversity.

We are passionate about our people’s ongoing learning and development. Our learning and leading with HEART framework supports each Bright Horizons colleague on the first steps of their leadership journey, whether that includes our 'World-Class Welcome' induction or our extensive ongoing training programme. Either way we want you to feel valued and invested in!

Celebrating in the accomplishments of our people is an essential part of our culture. We believe in the power of “thank you” and throughout the year, in ways big and small, formal and informal, we show our appreciation for employees at all levels. We have many ways to acknowledge and celebrate our people, including our very popular “employee appreciation month”. This is a chance for everyone to share their gratitude to one another, across the whole company. Whether it is a “thank you” placed on our website, a chocolate pizza, team lunch or an ice cream van visit, it is our way of showing each other we care and appreciate everything we do. Each year, we have our annual 'Awards of Excellence' events; whether you are an award winner or cheering on a fellow team member, these formal award occasions are opportunities to come together and celebrate one another.

By creating this account you acknowledge that Bright Horizons will collect, store and process any of your personal data provided in respect of your application and employment in accordance with our Employee Privacy Notice. https://www.brighthorizons.co.uk/statutory-information/privacy-notice-employees.