Chef

As a Chef, you will be working as part of our dynamic kitchen team, playing a key role in preparing and delivering high-quality, nutritious meals for our young people and colleagues. Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home provides a safe, supportive and nurturing environment where young people receive excellent care and education, while developing valuable vocational and life skills for the future.

What you will be doing:

• You will prepare and serve meals to both young people and staff, ensuring menus are varied, balanced and nutritionally appropriate.
• Liaising with contractors and suppliers, you will order provisions, monitor stock levels and maintain accurate records.
• Working collaboratively with the kitchen team, you will undertake routine cleaning tasks, ensuring high standards of hygiene, health and safety are maintained.
• You will report any concerns regarding the eating habits of young people to the Facilities Manager.

What we need from you:

• We are looking for someone who holds an NVQ Level 2 or equivalent in catering/food preparation, or is willing to work towards this qualification.
• You will have experience of working in a kitchen or similar environment, with a good understanding of health and safety requirements, food hygiene legislation and the preparation of specialist diets.
• It is essential that you have experience of cooking for large groups, along with the ability to manage workloads and deliver high-quality meals within set timescales.
• It would be advantageous to hold a Food Hygiene Certificate.

What you need to know:

• This role offers a flexible working pattern, including shifts, weekends and bank holidays.
• Annual leave must be taken in conjunction with the operational needs of the secure service.
• The salary is plus a secure home allowance of £2,903.04 per annum, pro‑rated to hours worked.
• Young people can present physically threatening behaviour, and the environment can become tense and anxiety provoking.
• For everyone’s safety, surveillance cameras are in use in most areas of the building.
• Vinney Green operates a full non‑smoking environment, and there is no provision to facilitate smoking anywhere on site.
• Staff’s personal belongings are required to be left in a provided locker on entry into the building and we may require you to undertake a further physical fitness check.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.

Interviews will be carried out week commencing 6th July 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different:

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work.
• We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long‑term difference in their work.
• What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the training.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, ensuring all our staff are given the right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.