£32,312 - £34,092 per annum (based on experience)

37 hours per week Mon to Fri

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

HCL are leading contract caterers with a focus on school feeding. We have a commitment to deliver high-quality, nutritious, and engaging food experiences for children and staff across our primary schools, secondary schools, and commercial sites. As a Training Chef at HCL, you will play a vital role in our training and mobilisation programme, as we delight our customers in Hertfordshire and expand our portfolio across London and the South of England. Your role will be central in promoting HCL with a focus on public sector procurement of school feeding services.

You will develop and implement training courses for cook and chef managers to meet the needs of the business, including Food Safety and Allergy management processes. You will support across all sectors in maintaining HCL high expectation of standards, and support the Executive Chef and Standard Team in creating, developing, and delivering professional and practical hands-on training in all sectors, including new business ventures.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Mobilisation Support: The priority of this role is to support the Standards Team with mobilisation and chef/cook training activities including menu compliance/introduction, cooking process and counter set ups within new and current kitchens to ensure food production methods are adhered to, margins are achieved and purchasing compliance is in place to ensure success of the HCL food values and financial deliverables.

Quality Testing: Work with Food development team to product test in schools, conduct training refreshers to the culinary teams where needed, understand service flow challenges and feedback recipe corrections or improvements required.

Identify and Address Gaps: Identify skill and knowledge gaps with cook and chef managers. Create and deliver training courses and resources to embed knowledge and skills gaps across all sectors in existing and new contracts.

Follow Quality Processes: Adhere and train standards inline with HCL Quality Audit (QA) processes and audit checklists. Monitor and review standards across the business, ensuring compliance with statutory food, allergen, What Good Looks Like (WGLL) food/nutrient standards, budgets, menu specifications, budget and quality control.

Create and Deliver Workshops: Develop and conduct practical and theory-based skills workshops. Expand HCL&©s training catalogue, including online, face-to-face, one-on-one, and group sessions. Impart and implement knowledge on internal HR systems, electronic tablets, LMS, and managerial skills.

Ensure Standards Compliance: Train, refresh, audit, and monitor all HCL food standards, policies, and procedures to ensure excellent service provision and continuous improvement in HCL facilities. Deliver comprehensive reports and data to support HR and operational training demands, identifying skills gaps and implementing training plans to support.

Food Team Support: Provide occasional support to other members of the Food Team in preparing for tender presentations, trade events or hospitality bookings.

This list should not be regarded as exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this role and department.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience:

• Working flexibly within a team, supporting the wider team, and promoting a positive development culture in new contracts and existing business.
• Successfully mobilising, training and managing a new contract, building client relationships and adhering to HCL exemplary standards and best practice.
• Writing detailed and comprehensive reports documenting observations, training delivered, and recommendations to ensure a full circle of compliance.
• Experience and knowledge of delivering accredited food hygiene and allergy qualifications (Highfield accredited Trainer and Member).
• Experience of effective on the job training/coaching style that drives performance and encourages development.

• Confident and competent in training standards and compliance cross sector and multi-site settings (new business) or existing.

Qualifications

• Level 3 Food safety.
• Level 4 Advanced Food Safety.
• Level 3 Health and Safety.
• Level 3 MHFA (preferable).
• Level 3 Allergy Management.
• Level 3 Delivering Training Award.
• Level 3 Project Management.
• Level 3 Effective Auditing & Inspection.
• Highfield accredited trainer and member.

Skills:

• Communication Skills: Strong ability to influence and deliver key points with confidence and conviction.
• Organisational Skills: Effective at prioritising workload within demanding time scales; resilient under pressure.
• Mobility: Access to own vehicle and willingness to travel across Hertfordshire and surrounding counties.
• Relationship Building: Ability to develop and maintain relationships with colleagues, teams, school staff and Head Teachers/Business Managers.

• Professionalism: Role model behaviour and adherence to the highest professional and ethical standards.
• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively to develop and deliver training, ensuring consistency of standards.

Knowledge:

• Technical Knowledge:Understanding of HACCP, COSHH, and Food Safety Management System, Allergy process and all aspects of HCL SOP&©s.
• Quality and Safety:Knowledge of Quality Audit, Kitchen/Service Checks, and good Health & Safety practices.
• Sector Knowledge:Essential knowledge and experience of all sectors.

IT Skills:

• IT Skills: Proficient in Word, PowerPoint, E-mail, Excel, Power BI, Cypad desktop and contract management app.

LMS: Technical understanding and proven experience of working on LMS systems

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

HCL is committed to openness and equality of opportunity in every activity, from the way we employ staff to the way we deliver services. It is a central responsibility of managers and employees of the company to ensure that every individual that we encounter is treated with dignity and respect.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

It will be the duty of every employee while at work to take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.