About the job

Job summary

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Introduction 

Catering Services sits within the Customer Experience and Service Delivery team and aims to deliver the best quality service with an enthusiastic and professional team for the benefit of all our customers.  We are responsible for the efficient operation of the House of Commons catering facilities within the agreed financial framework.

Job description

The post holder will be responsible for assisting the Back of House Manager in all matters concerning food and beverage equipment and back of house areas. You will actively participate in the work of appropriate areas, overseeing and directly supervising Stewarding staff, facilities, operations and costs. The post holder will ensure that Catering policies and procedures are adhered and that the standards of Food Safety, Food Hygiene, Health & Safety, COSHH and Manual Handling are met all times. This role will deputise for the Assistant Back of House Manager in their absence.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Responsible for the correct storage and control of all Food and Beverage operating equipment.
• Oversees and directs Stewards, facilities and operations costs within the areas of responsibility
• Assists with the controlling of quality levels of product and equipment supply, operational costs (including Staffing, Equipment and Chemical). 

This role will be working 5 over 6 days, including early and late shifts across all kitchens of the House of Commons.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Level 1 Food Safety (or equivalent); Level 1 Health & Safety; Train the Trainer (or equivalent).
• Relevant experience of successfully supervising a diverse workforce, working in a high volume, high quality establishment.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills; both written and oral. With the ability to build effective relationships and work successfully within a team whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion.
• The ability to assist with the supervision of staff within a team often under high pressure and to deliver a high-quality service in line with the Directive objectives.
• Providing a focused service: excellent customer service skills, with the ability to respond quickly to customer needs.
• Good IT literacy, including experience of MS Office Products. Sound financial acumen.
• Must be able to undertake regular manual handling tasks as part of the daily work routine.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,790, House of Commons contributes £7,503 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

• CV – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

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.