View Vacancy - AUS (Canberra) - Residence Chef, AO

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Cook/Chef

Main purpose of job:

The British High Commissioners Residence is the site of representational entertainment for the British High Commission in Canberra.  The position  of the Residence Chef is central to the success of the image of the High Commission and provides an exciting opportunity to showcase  their kitchen, as well as their creative skills and culinary talent.

The successful candidate will work as a part of the residence team and is expected to provide a quality catering service for a large number of onsite events hosted by the British High Commissioner and others.  The position is also responsible for ordering provisions, checking suppliers' invoices, producing final quotes for each event, maintaining the kitchen and all its equipment to a high standard.  This includes developing menus and preparing for high standard of cuisine for High Commission events.

The chef will report to the Residence Manager and working closely with the Residence Butler, the Housekeeping staff and other third party services.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

This is an excellent opportunity for a forward-thinking Chef who would like to promote modern British food and culinary trends in line with the High Commissioner’s gastro diplomacy agenda:

  • Design and plan menus which showcase the best of British style from classic dishes to those inspired by British celebrity chefs and the multicultural influences on modern British cuisine
  • Produce high quality, sophisticated and innovative dishes for Residence events, including high level dinners, lunches, breakfasts and canapés for large scale events.
  • Undertake cost-effective shopping to minimise waste and take advantage of seasonal produce including sourcing market gardeners and local producers; procure kitchen equipment where necessary;
  • Manage stock of food and kitchen/catering supplies and maintain the kitchen space and facilities, ensuring high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and health and safety.
  • Design and deliver entertainment (dinner and drinks) packages to be hosted at the Residence for British companies or organisations for a fee to meet income generation targets for Westminster House
  • Establish/maintain a vegetable and herb garden;
  • Utilise seasonal produce from the Residence’s gardens to innovatively incorporate into menus
  • Print event menus and place cards
  • Keep abreast of food trends, new products and availability;
  • Co-ordinate and manage additional temporary kitchen staff as required (e.g. larger events);
  • The job holder may be required to provide wider Residence support e.g. helping with set up for major events
  • Application of Health & Safety and food hygiene standards, including for the kitchen maintenance and equipment maintenance.
  • Manage, filling and report all expenses, including credit card acquittal and maintenance of costing data.
  • Other duties as required as a member of a small Residence team.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

Casual staff and kitchen assistants on call off contracts brought in for events. In the Residence Manager’s absence (e.g. on leave) to keeping a watching brief over other Residence staff

  • Having at least two (2) years’ experience as Private Chef in Hotel or Restaurant, or Sous Chef in high-end establishments
  • Having good knowledge in Hygiene (food preparation and kitchen)

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required: Fluent 

  • Valid driving licence
Changing and Improving, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together
27 November 2022
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
38
Asia Pacific
Australia
Canberra
British High Commission
1
AUD
AUD 66,921
15 March 2023

This role advertised is a Full-Time, Fixed-Term of 24 months with possibility of renewal.

Salary is at AU$ 66,921 per annum (paid out monthly), plus 11% superannuation.

Appointment is subject to an AFP records check and UK security clearance.

The Australia network offers a wide range of learning and development opportunities, including job-specific training as necessary and broader learning linked to the FCO Diplomatic Academy. There are opportunities to job-shadow other staff, and the successful applicant will be encouraged to take part in broader British High Commission activities. The British High Commission is committed to providing all staff with learning and development (L&D) opportunities and we will work with you to develop your own L&D plan.

Working patterns:

This is a busy, full-time job. Whilst there are conditioned hours for this job, they can be worked flexibly and geared towards hospitality requirements e.g. on a day with a dinner, to start later given the evening function.   

The British High Commission is a dynamic, supportive environment and there may be opportunities to be involved in the wider work of the mission and/or to visit another Residence in our Asia Pacific network to compare notes and learn from seeing an established Residence kitchen in operation.

Your application must be submitted before 23:55 AEST-Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC/ GMT +10) on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”

Applications must include a current CV and kindly omit any personal information such as Name, Contact Details, Birthday and Gender.

Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.

Advertised start date is provisional and subject to completion of reference and security checks.

Kindly check your application centre or email regularly for any update on the status of your application.

Reminder: Notifications about interviews and the conduct of interview may be subject to change. Please note that given the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 candidates must be prepared to be interviewed via VTC.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.