Junior Chef

Clink Hostels; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free accommodation

Discounted stays for friends andfamily

50% off select Food and Beverage

€400 backpacker experience

Up to 20 hours of paid volunteering

Employee Referral Scheme

Employee Assistance Program

Fun social events

Job summary

Clink Noord, a design-led hostel known for events and community, is hiring a Junior Chef to fuel guests with great meals across breakfast, lunch and dinner. You’ll manage day-to-day kitchen ops, ensure HACCP compliance, minimise waste and work with F&B and front-of-house teams.

The role involves handling from solo travellers to groups of up to 80+ guests. You must have at least 1 year in a professional kitchen and a Food Safety qualification.

Qualifications

• 1+ year of professional kitchen experience.
• Food safety qualification required.
• Ability to manage kitchen operations and collaborate with F&B and front-of-house teams.

Responsibilities

• Deliver consistently great food across breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Manage prep, service and close-down; keep kitchen clean and on schedule.
• Cook for various scales from solo travellers to large groups.
• Maintain HACCP records and allergen labelling.
• Support events and group catering for hostel bookings.

Skills

Kitchen operations

Food safety

Waste minimisation

Team collaboration

Education

Food Safety qualification

Job description

This role is based at Clink Noord, a in a design-led, social youthhostel that’s known for events, community, and bringing people together from all over the world. We welcome international travellers year-round, and we’re big on the kind of hostel experience where strangers end up becoming friends.

Your profile

Your role as our Junior Chef is central to keeping our guests fuelled, happy and coming back for more. From nailing a great breakfast service to batch-cooking hearty meals for large group bookings, you'll bring creativity and consistency to everything that comes out of our kitchen.
You're actively managing kitchen operations, maintaining food safety compliance, minimising waste, and collaborating closely with our F&B and front-of-house teams. Your job is making sure travellers are well fed and that our kitchen runs smoothly — from a quiet weekday morning to a packed Saturday night.
What you'll actually be doing:

• Deliver consistently great food – prepare and serve quality dishes across breakfast, lunch and dinner service with speed, consistency and care, whether it's for a solo traveller or a group of 80
• Manage kitchen operations day-to-day – take ownership of prep, service and close-down, keeping the kitchen clean, organised and running to schedule
• Cook for all scales – adapt confidently between small café-style plates and large batch cooking for group bookings, school trips, tours and hostel events
• Ensure food safety & compliance – maintain HACCP records, ensure all food is handled, stored and served in line with Irish food hygiene regulations, and keep the kitchen audit-ready at all times
• Drive waste reduction – plan prep and portion sizes to minimise food waste, track usage, and implement smart stock rotation using FIFO principles
• Manage Stock & Ordering – monitor stock levels, flag shortages, assist with weekly ordering and work closely with suppliers to ensure quality ingredients arrive on time
• Maintain Allergen Awareness – ensure every dish is accurately labelled and that the team can clearly communicate allergen information to guests with dietary requirements
• Support Events and Group Catering – liaise with the reservations and events team to plan and execute catering for hostel events, private groups and large bookings

You are:

• A trained and experienced chef with at least 1 years' experience in a professional kitchen
• Fully up to date with food safety requirements — a Food Safety qualification is a must
• Calm and efficient under pressure, whether it's a quiet Tuesday or a 100-guest group dinner
• Comfortable cooking across a range of dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and common allergens
• Organised and proactive — you don't wait to be told when something needs doing
• A team player who communicates well with front-of-house, bar and management
• Passionate about good food and making the most of seasonal, budget-conscious ingredients
• Someone who takes pride in a clean, well-run kitchen
• Excited to work with a diverse team that celebrates individuality and different perspectives

Why us?

What you get:

• Free and discounted accommodation for you, discounted stays for friends and family
• 50% off select Food and Beverage
• €400 backpacker experience when you hit your 1-year anniversary
• Up to 20 hours of paid volunteering per year
• Employee Referral Scheme
• Employee Assistance Program
• Fun social events

Reality check
This is hospitality, and we're open 24/7. Your shifts may include early mornings, evenings and weekends. Kitchen work is physical — you'll be on your feet for long periods and working in a warm environment. That said, we'll make sure you have the support, equipment and team around you to do the job well.
We are an equal opportunities employer. We'll treat your application with respect and only contact you if you're invited to interview. GDPR applies - if we don't move forward, your data gets deleted within a month and won't be shared with anyone.
Why you'll love working at Clink
Clink is not your average hostel, and this isn't your average hospitality job. Our spaces have history. Our events have personality. And the people who work here? They're the same people who'd want to stay here.
You'll join a team who are genuinely invested in what happens here and who shows up. We celebrate individuality, support your growth, and give you a proper voice in how things work. Expect social events worth showing up to, and benefits that matter.

About us

At Clink Hostels, we love working with people who are passionate about the guest experience. Our team come from all walks of life and bring their unique experience and perspectives to make a genuine impact on the people who stay with us.

If you would like to be part of a journey whether it’s in your own career or one of our guests’ journeys, check out our open job listings.