Administration/Support Roles/Maintenance/Housekeeping/Catering

The Chaseley Trust is dedicated to supporting individuals with diverse neurological impairments at our stunning seafront location in Eastbourne.

We are looking for dedicated and passionate people to join our team who want to make a difference to the lives of the residents they work with by empowering their independence and dignity.

We offer comprehensive training, support and a clear route to progression.

Head Chef

Lead and manage the catering department in delivering high‑quality, nutritious, and well‑presented meals for residents, staff, and visitors. Responsible for ensuring all catering operations comply with food safety, health and safety, and regulatory standards. Provide strong leadership, inspire a positive kitchen culture, and ensure that the catering service is cost‑effective, person‑centred, and responsive to the individual needs and preferences of residents.

Main Duties:

Regulation and Legislation

• Ensure all food safety documentation and records are completed accurately and up to date.
• Ensure the catering service meets regulatory and organisational requirements, including CQC expectations, infection control, and health and safety policies.
• Maintain all staff mandatory training, including food safety, COSHH, and infection control.
• Undertake internal audits and implement any corrective actions promptly.

Operational Standards

• Ensure that the catering department has a 4‑week rota in place, ensuring leave and sickness is covered.
• Create nutritious, well‑balanced 4‑week cycle menus, which reflect the Trust’s standard of using fresh, quality and seasonal produce and are within the budget set for the care facility.
• Consult Residents and Clinical Staff when developing menus ensuring that all dietary requirements are catered for within a food forum.
• Review menus quarterly, in line with seasonal changes.
• Prepare, cook and present meals attractively. Ensure that the majority of the menu is home cooked with minimal use of convenience foods.
• Ensure that home baked biscuits and cakes are provided daily, with healthy options.
• Ensure that modified meals and snacks are provided in line with operational procedures and IDDSI guidelines.
• Ensure dining rooms and tray service is in line with operational standards.
• Provide a breakfast service to our Residents in line with their requests.
• Serve food to Residents in dining rooms at lunch and supper times ensuring a rotation of catering staff between communities of the care facility.
• Maintain an accurate and up to date folder and chart of Residents likes and dislikes, ensuring all catering staff are aware of our Residents’ needs. Fortify meals for those nutritionally at risk.
• Ensure that a high standard of cleanliness is maintained in the main and satellite kitchens, monitor these areas and audit. Providing feedback to the teams on findings and improvements to be made.
• Ensure that stock levels within the catering department are adequate, rotated, used effectively and secured at all times. Avoid unnecessary wastage and deterioration of food.
• Ensure equipment is used appropriately. Report defects and withdraw from use immediately.
• To provide high quality catering for external companies booking events at the Trust, including parties, celebration events etc.

Leadership and Management

• Lead the catering team to deliver a safe, efficient, and resident‑focused catering service.
• Plan staff rotas to ensure full coverage, managing leave and sickness effectively while minimising agency use.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and appraise catering staff to maintain high performance and motivation.
• Promote a culture of respect, creativity, and continuous improvement within the kitchen team.
• Work collaboratively with clinical, care, and facilities teams to ensure nutritional needs and dietary requirements are fully met.
• Attend occasional SMT meeting when invited to discuss catering plans and objectives.

Resident Engagement and Quality

• Engage with residents daily to gather feedback on meals and make improvements as needed.
• Attend resident meetings and food forums to promote choice, satisfaction, and inclusion in menu planning.
• Support residents with specific dietary needs to ensure meals are fortified or adapted as required.
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive dining experience that enhances residents’ wellbeing and quality of life.

Financial and Administrative Responsibilities

• Manage the catering budget efficiently, ensuring all purchases deliver value for money.
• Order all food and catering supplies through approved suppliers and maintain accurate financial records.
• Provide finance with copies of all expenditure, invoices, and receipts promptly.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost‑effectiveness without compromising quality.
• Ensure waste is kept to a minimum and recorded daily.
• To ensure staffing costs are in line with the budget and no unnecessary costs are incurred from agency use and unplanned overtime.
• Shift flexibility within our rolling rota.
• Free 24/7 employee counselling support.
• Westfield Heath medical insurance after 6-month probationary period.
• Westfield Health cash‑back scheme after 6-month probationary period.
• Free life insurance.
• Free on‑site parking.
• Uniform top provided, but you must provide black trousers and black suitable shoes.

Working Conditions

• Part time or full time of 40 hours per week.
• Open to 3/4/5 days per week over 7‑day week.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, including hands‑on support during staff shortages or special events.
• Attend evening or weekend functions as required to support the home’s activities and hospitality.
• The post holder must be willing and able to work regular weekends as part of the rota.

Kitchen Assistant

Reporting to the Chef Manager the Kitchen Assistant is responsible for supporting the catering team to provide high quality of food service within the home.

Main Duties:

• Support the Chef Manager to ensure the catering services are of the highest standard and quality.
• Ensure that all regulatory and statutory requirements are met and company policies and procedures are adhered to.
• Cleaning and sterilising countertops, kitchen walls, stoves, ovens, grills and sinks.
• Cleaning the entire kitchen after supper to ensure it is ready for the next day.
• Maintaining the food storage areas like freezers and refrigerators.
• Washing dirty dishes, pots, cutting boards and pans or loading dishes into the dishwasher.
• Removing kitchen waste from waste containers and disposing of them properly.
• Cleaning and maintaining cooking equipment like cookers, pots and food mixers.
• Ensure that all crockery, cutlery and glasses/beakers/mugs are clean, well maintained and stored correctly in the dining room.
• Ensure that the cleaning schedules are maintained according to company policies and procedures.
• Receiving deliveries and organising them in the kitchen.
• Supporting the Chef in basic food preparation like cutting ingredients, peeling and washing food items.
• Providing assistance to Prep Cooks and other kitchen staff, as needed.
• Clean, check and replenish, if required, juice dispensers for lunch and supper.
• Prepare fresh tea and coffee and replenish milk for the dining room for lunch and supper.

Health and Safety

• Ensure Health & Safety within the services team, residents and visitors meet the requirements of the Food Safety Manual and Health and Safety Manual.
• Attend all Health and Safety, food hygiene and COSSH training updates as required by the company to ensure that safe practices are adhered to at all times.
• Have a good working knowledge of safe storage and use of chemicals.
• Ensure regulations and compliance are met and adhered to.
• Ensure equipment and environment is safe within the kitchen and home.
• You will be required for this role to potentially lift heavy objects using the correct methods of manual handling.

HR Administrator

The successful candidate will support the efficient and responsive HR service to prospective and existing employees of the Chaseley Trust. They will be the first point of contact for the HR Department and, as such, will be expected to maintain high standards of courtesy, discretion, and confidentiality at all times. They will be the administrative lead on all aspects of HR work with responsibility for Recruitment and Selection, Pre‑Employment Clearances and Onboarding of all new employees across the group, alongside other HR and payroll administrative duties.

Main Duties:

Recruitment and Onboarding

• Providing administrative support for all aspects of recruitment including maintaining accurate and updated Job Descriptions to support the high level of recruitment activities across the Trust, posting vacancies online and supporting managers with interviews.
• Providing administrative support for all pre‑employment clearances, in accordance with established procedures to ensure compliance with CQC requirements, including DBS/Right to Work in UK/Professional Registration and Qualifications Checks.
• Responsible for the verification of identification documents of new employees and for processing their DBS clearances.
• Draft and send conditional offer letters of employment to successful candidates and all other documentation.
• Organising Departmental Induction for new employees, including ID, uniforms, access to IT Systems.
• Support new employees to access email, policy platforms and mandatory e‑learning.
• Provide Payroll and Rota with relevant information.
• To lead on the day to day administration for employee’s uniforms, to include but not limited to ordering, stock control, financial administration, seeking support as required from the wider team.

Human Resource Administration

• Carry out general administration tasks for the HR Department and payroll, as required.
• Schedule meetings and send out invites to relevant parties.
• Provide administrative support at meetings as required by taking and producing minutes to the highest standards and ensuring they provide a true reflection of the meeting.
• Support HR colleagues and managers in the provision of employee training and development as requested.
• Respond to reference requests for current or ex‑employees and volunteers.
• Ensure all HR Systems are up to date, and copies of all documents are filed electronically.
• Issue Annual Employee Declaration and log all responses.
• Ensure DBS reminders are sent to employees to instruct them to complete their 3 yearly DBS updates, in accordance with The Chaseley Trust procedures.
• Maintain up to date DBS records for employees to ensure The Chaseley Trust maintains its CQC compliance.
• Ensure records of Right to Work checks are up to date to ensure continued compliance.
• To provide a proactive and professional HR customer service to managers and staff in person, via email or other written correspondence and over the phone.
• Ensure that employee data is captured in a timely, accurate, and consistent manner and that integrity is maintained through regular audit reporting.
• Record all absences to maintain an accurate history and calculate the Bradford Factor.
• Issue and chase‑up Return to Work in UK paperwork following all sickness‑related absences.
• To manage multiple mailboxes, ensuring emails are responded to in a professional and timely manner, and be an active member of the HR team phone line.
• Maintain an accurate record of staff changes and leavers.
• Produce organisation charts and flow charts showing responsibilities as required.

Probation and Appraisals

• Support managers in ensuring that all probationary clearances are completed within the time specified.
• Ensure that all returned probationary clearances and appraisals are electronically record onto the relevant HR System.
• Notify the Head of HR of any employee who has not had their annual appraisal completed and support in completing.
• Support line managers and supervisors to ensure that supervisions are completed and timely and are updated on the matrix.

HR Systems

• Be the primary contact for queries on the HR system for employees queries and training provisions.
• Always ensure accuracy and data protection compliance on the above systems and records.
• Ensure that all new employees’ details are recorded on the HR Systems as required.
• Ensure that all new employees’ personnel files are stored electronically and maintained in accordance with procedures to meet regulatory requirements.
• To support periodic auditing of records and employee information.
• To identify continuous improvement opportunities.

Education and Training Responsibilities

• To support the administrative processes for induction, training and development.
• Monitor completion of e‑learning and other mandatory training and chase non‑compliance.
• Provide weekly and monthly reports on training compliance and other statistical analysis.
• To support the development and delivery of training.

General

• To assist with completing Reception duties where appropriate.
• To work flexibly within the team, assisting with phone enquiries, general filing and typing of correspondence on a daily basis.
• Maintain all confidential information appropriately.
• Handle requests effectively with advice and assistance within the scope of the role or referring them to colleagues appropriately.
• To participate in team meetings and other activities involving all staff within the Human Resources Department.
• To contribute actively to quality improvements and the development of the Human Resources customer service experience.
• To provide mutual support to other staff in the department for project work as required during busy periods.
• Promote the business of the Chaseley Trust in a professional manner ensuring an open and welcoming approach is adopted and that good customer care is exercised at all times.
• To abide by all policies and procedures.
• Complete all mandatory training.
• Participate in Performance & Development Reviews and Supervision meetings.
• Any other duties as required by management.

Benefits include:-

• 5.6 weeks annual leave per year to include bank holidays.
• Westfield Heath medical insurance after 6‑month probationary period.
• Westfield Health cash‑back scheme after 6‑month probationary period.
• Free life insurance.
• Free on‑site parking.
• Comprehensive induction and training programme.
• Free 24/7 Employee advise and counselling.
• Subsidised staff meals.
• Free meal days and the occasional treat.

Hours of work:

• 37.5 hours per week. Monday – Friday 8.30am‑4.30pm (to include an unpaid 30 minute break).

Safeguarding

Chaseley Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, employees and volunteers. All offers of employment with the trust are subject to pre‑employment checks which will include References, Health, Right to Work in UK, a satisfactory Enhanced DBS. By making your application, you are consenting to Chaseley Trust processing and retaining your personal information for the purposes of the application. You have the right to withdraw your consent and ask for your data to be deleted at any time, however it will then not be possible for Chaseley Trust to process your application any further.

Final Statement

Applicants must be over 18 and will be required to apply and pay for an enhanced DBS Check. Applicants must have the Right to Work in the UK as visa sponsorship is not available. We would love to hear from you if you have relevant experience and think this job sounds right for you.