Key Operator - High Care Kitchen

This position is 40 hours per week on a 14:00 – 22:00 shift pattern. The High Care Kitchen department decants cooked fills from the low risk kitchen to directly supply the meals and sweets department. Produce, vegetables and fillings are blast chilled to CCP temperatures and held in the chiller for meals use and transportation to the pie site. The department has the following operations: vegetables are minced from chilled cooked and frozen varieties, mixed with dry/wet seasoning using a tumbler machine; fresh mashed potato is cooked for direct use to the meals department; ranges of soups and sauces are also prepared.

Responsibilities include organising and aiding the team to supply mashed potato, cooked fills and vegetables to three production areas – meals, sweets and the pie department – ensuring products are fit for use, on time, with minimal downtime and cost of devaluation of goods. The post holder works with operators to follow machine plans set by the kitchen TL. Hourly targets are set for the tumbler, Stephan and mash stations and must be met to achieve production to supply areas. These targets are KPIs within the kitchen area (e.g. 6 mixes per hour for any mixed vegetable, 600 kg of minced soft diet vegetable per hour on the Stephan machine).

Salary: £15.93 per hour + shift allowance + bonus + benefits.

Responsibilities:

• Carry out all tasks in the area.
• Organise operators to ensure full employment at all times, wearing suitable PPE.
• Work alongside operators when needed.
• Achieve KPI targets set by kitchen TL (e.g. mixes tumbled per hour).
• Inform TL and relative individuals of any supply problems promptly to aid production plans.
• Ensure all operatives and temporary staff adhere to procedures and job instructions (pump cleaning, scanning of material).
• Ensure every product in chilled storage is labelled, covered to reduce foreign bodies and maintain highest standard of produce.
• Ensure all stock is used in correct order (FIFO) – especially chilled items.
• Undertake stocktakes of chilled and frozen material; liaise with TL to reduce waste.
• Liaise with the meals team leaders regularly and report progress to kitchen TL and chefs (line performance vs planned time).
• Copy plans at end of night for tumbler mincing and cooking area preparation for next shift.
• Ensure all produce sent to production areas has correct weights and traceability documentation assigned (e.g. QAF95 paperwork for cooked fills, traceability tickets for chilled/frozen storage).
• Maintain area with only work‑in‑progress produce on the shop floor; control temperatures, CCPs and reduce micro‑bacterial growth.
• Competently use computers and SAP transactions within the system (order raw material directly from warehousing; check stock).
• Support TL in planning the area; check day/week advance plan to ensure KPIs are reached.
• Train staff as required (toolbox talks, on‑job training of new starters).
• Ensure all quality control paperwork is filled by you and operators correctly (e.g. QAF95 cooking traceability records).

Qualifications:

• GCSEs in English and Mathematics at grade C or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 2 qualification.
• Level 2 in Food Hygiene.
• Experience in cleaning in food premises.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer.
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays.
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year.
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme.
• Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 4%.
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary.
• Subsidised canteen.
• Free parking.
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas.
• Apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts.

This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the skilled worker route as it does not meet the minimum requirements set out under the UK Immigration Rules.