Prison Catering: Caterer - HMP Highpoint

Ministry of Justice; Newmarket; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Ministry of Justice in Newmarket (East of England) operates a professional industrial kitchen within a prison setting. You will oversee offenders to prepare nutritious meals while supporting their skill development and qualifications to reduce reoffending after release.

The role offers a 37-hour week with shifts outside 7am–7pm, plus 20% unsocial hours pay, hybrid working, and a Band 3 salary (£34,928–£36,778) with strong Civil Service benefits.

Qualifications

• Level 2 certificate in Food Production within Hospitality and Catering or equivalent.
• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2.
• Familiar with health, safety and hygiene regulations in a kitchen.
• Able to speak with confidence in English.
• Refresher training in food safety (HACCP) every three years.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the work of offenders to prepare and cook nutritious meals for the prison.
• Contribute to helping offenders learn new skills and gain qualifications to improve employment prospects.

Skills

Catering experience

English communication

Health & safety awareness

Education

Level 2 Food Production certificate

Food Hygiene Level 2

Vocational Qualification Level 3

Job description

Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

Newmarket

Region

East of England

Closing Date

18-Sep-2026

Business Unit

Highpoint

Post Type

Permanent

AO

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

21840

Descriptions & requirements

This is not your average catering job. It is a great chance to put your catering qualificationsand skills into practice and make an impact far beyond the kitchen.

As part of the prison’s catering team, you’ll be working in a professional industrial kitchen environment, with a good salary, pension and Civil Service benefits including apprenticeship opportunities ‘earn while you learn’. Unlike traditional restaurant jobs, you won’t have to work late into the evening.

You’ll oversee the work of offenders to prepare and cook quality, nutritional meals for the entire prison. Plus, you’ll play your part in helping them turn their lives around - supporting them to learn new skills and work towards gaining qualifications to increase their chances of employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending when they leave prison.

Hours and salary

You will work a 37-hour week and shift patterns are in place which include hours outside of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, weekends and public holidays. You will receive a 20% unsocial hours payment in addition to your basic pay, subject to working these hours.

All roles can be open to part-time and job share arrangements subject to the business need/operational requirement. However, you will still be required to undertake the full range of shifts. As a new recruit, you will start on the minimum salary.

Band 3 salary minimum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £34,928

Band 3 salary maximum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £36,778

Qualifications and experience

• Level 2 certificate in food production within hospitality and catering or equivalent
• Food hygiene certificate at Level 2

In addition, you must be:

• Familiar with all current health, safety and hygiene related regulations for working in a kitchen
• Able to demonstrate competency within an industrial kitchen environment
• Ableto speak with confidence in English

Please note refresher training in food safety (HACCP) should be completed at three year intervals.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to aMoJoffice location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance withthe HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service(HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here )

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

2026-07-08 Band 3 national inc unsocial hours allowance v1.0.docx(Job Description Supporting Documents)

Band-3-SD-Catering-JD-216-v8.0.pdf(Job Description Attachment)

250

Working Together

Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History

Technical

Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Work experience 1.

Work experience 2.

Essential qualifications

• Level 2 certificate in Food Production within Hospitality and Catering or equivalent
• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2
• Vocational Qualification at Level 3 or be willing to work towards gaining this qualification within an agreed timescale.

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Interviews are expected to commence September/October.

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here .

Level of security checks required

DBS Standard

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.