Early Years Kitchen Assistant

Imperial College London is seeking an Early Years Kitchen Assistant to support the smooth running of the kitchen within our Early Years Education Centre at the South Kensington Campus.

This is a full-time, Monday to Friday role, predominantly working 09:15–17:15. You will help maintain high standards of cleanliness, food hygiene and kitchen safety, supporting the Head Chef and Assistant Chef with food preparation and daily kitchen operations in a busy Early Years setting.

What you would be doing

You will help keep the kitchen and associated areas clean, safe and well organised, ensuring equipment, utensils, crockery and food preparation areas are maintained to a high standard. This will include washing up, supporting opening and closing checks, handling kitchen waste appropriately, and following cleaning schedules and food hygiene procedures.

You will also support the kitchen team with safe food service and basic food preparation, including transporting food, receiving and storing deliveries, and helping to ensure allergens and cross-contamination risks are managed carefully. You will communicate effectively with the Chef and wider team to support a safe, efficient and high-quality service for the Early Years Education Centre.

What we are looking for

• A responsible attitude towards health and safety, food hygiene and safe working practices
• A Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate, or the ability to gain this within one month
• Allergen training, or the ability to complete this within one month
• A good understanding of allergens and health and safety in a food environment
• An understanding of nutritional requirements for children under five
• The ability to work well as part of a team and follow instructions carefully
• Good organisational and time management skills
• The ability to remain calm in a busy kitchen environment
• A good standard of written and spoken English
• Excellent personal hygiene and a professional approach to working in an Early Years setting

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days' annual leave and generous pension schemes).
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing

Further information

As this role is based in a nursery environment and involves working around young children, the successful candidate will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

If you require any further details on the role please contact: Liz-Anne Des Vignes, Depurty EYEC Manager by email on l.desvignes@imperial.ac.uk

Closing Date: Midnight on Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us atsupport.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top-ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages .

Proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from the Armed Forces community.

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.