About the job

Job summary

We are looking for 2 Chef de Parties to join our Catering & Retail Services (CRS) Office at House of Lords. This is a position where you will lead a team and manage every aspect of service delivery in one of our outlets being a cafeteria, formal dining, private dining, and banqueting services.

You will manage a busy, pressured, and demanding environment whilst demonstrating tight financial controls supporting the Department’s commitment to reduce costs, improve commercial viability and to promote a proficient and responsive hospitality service maintaining the highest levels of customer service.

As a member of the kitchen operational management team, you will have an essential role in achieving CRS strategic objectives and developing ambitions for the future on behalf of the Administration, the House and patrons.

This is an opportunity to work in a unique venue on-site at Parliament! This is an exciting opportunity to deliver high levels of creativity, production, and service. Your passion will shine through the dishes you help create and feel comfortable to work in a fast-paced professional environment.

Job description

You’ll be accountable to:

• Ensure that legal and company requirements are adhered to in respect of Hygiene, Health & Safety, Employment Law, and Food Safety Law for all staff, visitors and customers.
• Ensure that all dishes are presented to the highest standard in terms of colour, content, balance, freshness and flavour seasonality.
• Ensure that cooking and presentation of food is to a constant high standard according to specifications.
• Have good time keeping and punctual as outlined on rota’s, and to work to daily rota set by Line manager.
• Continually strive to offer new food trends and ideas to the client with the overall purpose of developing exciting menus and ensuring that the unit is continually offering new products.
• Ensure area of responsibility is kept clean and tidy at all times.
• Take on customer and client feedback to further develop The Houses of Lords standards and reflect market changes.
• Be available to work on functions which may take place outside normal working hours.
• To have an excellent knowledge of H.A.C.C.P and C.O.S.H.H.

Person specification

What we’re looking for:

• Experience working in fine dining establishments.
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills, both written and oral, with the ability to build effective relationships and work successfully within a team.
  
• Whilst proven experience and ability are more important than technical qualifications, you will have formal chef qualifications up to level 2 (or equivalent) in Professional Cookery. You will also be fully qualified in all essential health and safety legislation including food safety to level 2 as a minimum requirement.

Benefits

Details of our employee benefits can be found at https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/lords/lordshro/employee-benefits/

What you’ll get in return:

• 30 days annual leave (increasing to 35 after one years’ service).
• Chef uniform for work.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Discounts from well-known brands and retailers.
• On the job training and support.
• External learning and training Courses.
• Parliamentary health and wellbeing programme.
• The opportunity to witness history in the making!

Things you need to know

Selection process details

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please contact HLRecruitment@parliament.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.