View Vacancy - SIN - 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 (Residence and Support Staff)
Cook/Chef

Main purpose of job:

The British High Commission’s promotion of modern British food and drink provides an exciting opportunity for the Residence Chef to showcase their kitchen, as well as their creative skills and culinary talent. In the past our Chefs have worked on the ‘GREAT’ campaign, preparing menus and food for high level events as well as routine business entertaining. We are exploring collaborations with well-known British chefs for future events.  

The Residence Chef is expected to provide a quality catering service for a large number of onsite business events hosted by the British High Commissioner to Singapore, Deputy Head of Mission and other sections. 

The successful candidate will work as part of a larger residence team, which also encompasses event logistics, stewarding and housekeeping. The Residence Chef will be a key figure for promoting British and British-Asian fusion food and drink through innovative cooking, use of culinary trends and ingredients in conjunction with High Commission campaigns. 

This is an excellent opportunity for an up and coming, forward-thinking Chef who would like to promote modern British food and culinary trends. 

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

  • Lead and manage the kitchen operation for the residence and a large number of official events at the High Commission’s other representational properties and at the High Commission. These range from (in)formal breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, to cocktail receptions, buffet parties, seminars, workshops and afternoon teas as well as special events.
  • Create innovative menus for events and entertaining, using British food and products where feasible, whilst applying culinary trends to prepare food in line with the objectives of each event or occasion and working within budget.
  • Develop a ‘house style’ of cooking which both showcases the best of British while drawing on local culinary influences.
  • Knowledge of special dietary restrictions and an ability to come up with creative alternatives.
  • Manage stock of food and kitchen/catering supplies and maintain the kitchen space and facilities, ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness, hygiene and health and safety.
  • Source sustainable and environmentally friendly and cruelty free produce.
  • Negotiate effectively with external vendors and contractors, to ensure value for money
  • Build a network of contacts inside and outside the High Commission. Seek opportunities to collaborate within the food industry in Singapore, linking and working with produce providers in the UK and Singapore, keeping abreast of British culinary trends, preparation and presentation.
  • Provide wider Residence and High Commission support when required e.g. helping with set-up for major events, catering for staff events and supporting broader corporate activity within the Mission.
  • Administrative duties including writing emails, writing and costing menus, attending meetings, managing working hours, maintaining and reporting budgets.
  • Support promotional/media activities outside the day-to-day role to contribute to the promotion of British food and drink as part of the High Commission’s communications activity (Desirable)
  • Member of the High Commission’s Health and Safety Committee and the Events Committee.

What we are looking for in the successful candidate:

  • A strong desire to deliver a professional, effective and creative customer-focused F&B service
  • A confident self-starter, with proven energy and initiative in overcoming obstacles, the ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities with minimal supervision
  • Demonstrating an eagerness to learn and develop
  • Possessing good interpersonal skills; demonstrated by the ability to build team relationships effectively
  • Being able to stay calm and deliver under pressure
  • The successful candidate will be given appropriate training and guidance on the job/deliverables expected.

Essential on arrival:

  • At least 2 years’ experience in working as a licensed/professional chef in an international setting (e.g. hotel or catering services)
  • Experience of preparing fine dining cuisine and event catering
  • An innovative approach to cooking, identifying and using British trends and products
  • A good knowledge of budgets and reporting processes
  • Valid driving licence

Desirable:

  • Experience of working in a hotel, restaurant, catering industry
  • Experience of working with high-profile clients
  • Experience of delivering cookery demonstrations, working with other chefs
  • Existing knowledge of British produce and producers.  
Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together
14 February 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Fixed Term
44
24 months
Asia Pacific
Singapore
Singapore
British High Commission
1
SGD
3922-4215, subject to experience
10 April 2023

We offer a competitive package, which includes basic salary of SGD 3,922-4,215, subject to experience per month and a generous annual wage supplement (as part of total guaranteed remuneration) of an additional 2 months’ salary paid out in December each year, Central Provident Fund (CPF) payment in lieu for non-Permanent Resident foreign nationals, 23-days annual leave entitlement and a health insurance plan. The basic salary is non-negotiable.

We have a generous leave offer including: 23 days annual leave, increasing to 25 after 5 years' service, with the option to carry over up to 10 days into the subsequent leave year; 13 public holidays; generous maternity and paternity leave; and childcare leave. We encourage volunteerism and offer up to 3 days paid volunteer leave.

We offer medical insurance to support staff with the high costs of healthcare in Singapore and periodic reimbursement for the cost of eye tests and replacement eye wear.

Learning and development opportunities:

We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.

The BHC has an active Learning & Development Committee which works hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. There is a wide range of options available for personal development including training courses, coaching and mentoring, job-shadowing, presentations and learning sets. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the International Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all available opportunities.

All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed in order to pass probation.

Working Patterns:

Normal working hours are 44 per week:  This role requires flexibility to sometimes work outside of conditioned hours, e.g. during Ministerial visits and High Commissioner events. Overtime pay will be provided in some circumstances.

Other information:

In addition to the duties which this job normally entails, you may from time to time be required to undertake additional or other duties as necessary to meet the needs of the High Commission, including playing a part in the corporate life of the mission and supporting any crisis response.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain a local work permit which we will sponsor.

Staff recruited locally by the British High Commission are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Singapore employment law. 

Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews.

The British High Commission is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation. Our values of Collaboration, Opportunity, Respect and Excellence (CORE) are our guiding principles. We aspire to live our values consistently in order to make the British High Commission a great place to work where staff feel valued, supported and inspired to be their best.

Staff recruited locally by the British High Commission are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Singapore employment law. Applicants should be aware that Singapore government  has mandated that from 1 January 2022 only employees who are fully vaccinated can return to the workplace and from 14 February 2022, workers will need to have taken a booster dose to maintain their fully vaccinated status beyond 270 days from the last dose in their primary vaccination series.

Please note that all successful candidates will be expected to serve a minimum of 6 months in their new role before being eligible to apply for further positions within the British High Commission.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline."

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
 
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender, and nationality.

The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.

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.