Kitchen Assistant

Brownsea Castle is our place by the sea, our island getaway across beautiful Poole Harbour offering an escape to our Partners with history and nature in abundance. Guests stay on the National Trust run island in the amazing Tudor castle, set amongst 17 acres of private grounds with stunning Italian gardens and a dedicated beach offering relaxation and beautiful nature walks.

If you are looking for a hotel with a difference, this could be it. With all of the island to explore or using any of the facilities on offer; a croquet lawn, children's play area, badminton, football, cricket, fishing, archery and frisbee golf you can guarantee that our guests will be hungry and looking to recharge with the fantastic food offering we give them.

We have our own private boat service from Salterns Marina to get Partners to and from work.

Please note: buses stop at 7pm and all staff are required to cover late night shifts beyond the bus times.

As a Kitchen Assistant you'll work in all areas of the kitchen including; as a kitchen porter, basic food preparation, helping to maintain the high standards of hospitality for all hotel guests to enjoy.

You'll be involved with the preparation of food for our hotel guests, managing stock and minimising wastage. This is a role where you will receive ongoing training and there is plenty of opportunity for you to progress throughout the kitchen and hospitality sector.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £3.75 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

Your working day will have lots of variety and typical responsibilities will include:

- Working as part of the kitchen brigade to maintain the kitchen standards of cleanliness in compliance with food safety regulations and guidelines.

- To assist in basic food preparation, take responsibility for deliveries, the completion of cleaning schedules and temperature checks for kitchen equipment.

- To add value to the efficient and profitable running of your department in order to achieve your business and personal objectives, along with those of your team and the hotel.

Essential skills/experience you'll need

- Good communication skills.

- The ability to work in a team or on your own.

- Ability to interpret and adhere to food safety Policy and health and safety regulations.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

- Experience in a kitchen or hospitality environment is welcomed but not essential. We'll make sure you have all the training you need to perform at your best, everyday. This includes training in Food Safety Level 2 which is normally completed in the first 3-month.

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.