Kitchen Co-ordinator Vacancy 2019

For the current cafe co-ordinator position please click here

We are currently recruiting a part-time paid  kitchen co-ordinator to support and train our kitchen volunteers for 28 hours per week average contracted hours.

This is a busy, vibrant role supporting, training and co-ordinating our volunteer crew and preparing high quality vegan food in our kitchen.

How to apply

Deadline for applications is strictly …….. and interviews will take place on ……….. during the daytime.

Apply here (please do read the description below first!)

The start date for this post is as soon as possible after interview, although we will consider a later start date of up to 3-4 weeks for the right candidate.

Overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed kitchen co-ordinator to join our friendly, lively team providing the catering part of The Art House.

With a love of vegetarian and vegan food, you will be somebody who is able to work collectively and use initiative.  A friendly persona and clear communicator, you will be somebody who is genuinely passionate about The Art House’s mission.

The Art House catering team are in the process of transitioning to a workers co-operative, so we are looking for somebody who is excited by this idea and wished to become a part of it as it evolves.

Position description

You’ll be supporting volunteers in the kitchen, making sure our high standards of hygiene and safety, customer service and food excellence are adhered to. We are also running a funded project to train volunteers in vegan cooking and this will be part of the role.

You will also be training volunteers both on the job and helping to manage the volunteer rota as well as work collectively with the paid team to manage your own working hours in line with our group-run model.  Experience of working in the voluntary sector, especially in co-operatives or a collective is preferable. The role involves a lot of independent working and collective decision making and is perfect for somebody who will enjoy shaping The Art House and how we work.

This is an ideal role for somebody who wishes to gain more management experience in a challenging environment and experience new, collective ways of working. If you are somebody who requires a high level of supervision or rigid structure, this role is not for you.

About us

We are a 100% not-for-profit, community run cafe, arts venue and creative hub in Southampton’s Cultural Quarter.  We have a cafe over two floors which is open over lunchtimes and evenings, with a view to opening longer hours in the future.  We serve gorgeous, organic, mostly vegan food and have a busy programme of events every week.

The Art House is more than a cafe – it is a community, a place where people can feel part of a greater social movement for positive change.

We are a little place with very big ideas and we are looking for somebody who is as passionate about our mission and willing to work hard to achieve it, as we all are. Although we are a lovely place to work, this is not an easy role – we are pioneering new ways of working and this can sometimes be very challenging to everyone who works here. Ideally, you will be ready to do some serious personal and professional growth if you are joining us.

You need to have

• A big love of food, cooking and eating, especially vegetarian/vegan food!
• Availability for 28 average hours per week, worked on a rotating basis to include weekends and evenings, with additional hours to cover holidays and sickness. Most shifts in the kitchen are in the daytime.
• Willingness and ability to learn new systems, be flexible and adaptable and, in time, contribute your own ideas and systems.
• An organised, reliable and structured approach to work.
• A sociable, confident personality the ability to work very well with many different kinds of people.
• The ability to work unsupervised, deal with issues as they come up and to know when to ask for help.
• Fast reactions and the ability to remain calm when it gets busy and random (it will!)
• Experience of cooking for larger numbers of people.
• The role involves fairly early morning starts, standing up for extended periods of time, carrying equipment and walking up and down two flights of stairs during the course of a shift and working in a semi-open kitchen which can be quite noisy when the cafe is busy.  We will discuss at interview stage any reasonable adjustments needed to enable the successful candidate to manage the physical and mental demands of the role.

You will need to be

• 18 years or over
• Supportive of vegan and veggie lifestyles, with a strong understanding of these diets – even if you are not vegan or veggie yourself.
• Hugely excited by our mission and values, these should be in alignment with your own purpose in life!
• Interested in people, outgoing and friendly.
• Very reliable with a proven work ethic.
• Serious about working in a safe way, respecting the trust our customers put in our crew to prepare food safely.
• Able to delegate effectively.
• A great communicator, both verbally, on the phone and email and social media.
• Able to hold a space, keep an eye on many things at a time and deal with problems and the day-to-day challenges of the role cheerfully and calmly.
• Able to work within systems and take guidance and suggestions on board in a mature way.
• Willing to engage with the bigger picture of how we run – we have no strictly-set roles here, everyone commits and contributes.
• We encourage you to express your personal style, but be presentable in manner and appearance.
• Available for a long term position which includes evening and weekend work.

You will need to like

• Using email and social media – this is how we communicate at The Art House!
• Solving problems and coming up with new ideas.
• Working in a small business environment with volunteers and lots of changes.

We are looking for somebody who

• Understands their limitations and is willing to learn, develop and grow.
• Has an understanding of different lifestyles, diets and allergies.
• Has a passion for either the arts, the environment or community – preferably all of these.
• Loves preparing good food. Will go beyond what is usually expected of a catering role.  Working for The Art House is a calling!
• Is open to working in new ways, including learning how to co-ordinate in a collective, co-operative way and able to work with volunteers from all walks of life.

It would also be great if you had

• Experience of working in the nonprofit or voluntary sector.
• Some experience of the hospitality industry, this can be either paid or unpaid experience.

We are an equal opportunities employer who proactively work to have as much diversity as possible in our paid crew, to reflect the diversity of our volunteers and customers.

Practical details –

Hours:  Currently the hours are estimated to be 28 average per week worked evenings, with the possibility of additional hours covering for colleagues. 

Hours are mostly worked Tuesday – Saturday, including evenings and weekends and with flexibility both given and expected. 

£8.35 per hour plus meals on shift and staff discount.

The role involves working with our team of volunteers, usually unsupervised.  You will be opening the building quite often and working on your own at times including at night.

Training new volunteers, ordering, menu planning and basic admin, collective rota management for the paid crew and record keeping duties will be included in the role.

We are near public transport links and cycle routes.

Pay is monthly, in arrears. Overtime is paid on the next payroll date following the end of the month when overtime is worked.

Holiday entitlement is 6 weeks per year, 2 weeks at a time maximum.

How to apply:

Apply here

You will also need to upload a copy of your current CV

Questions?  Please get in touch (please don’t use the comments section to ask questions, or come into the cafe, or telephone – thanks!)