Catering Assistant

Location: County Durham,DH8 6QY

Contract type: Permanent, Full time

Working Hours: 40 hours per week across 7 days, 8.30am – 6.30pm (rolling 4 week shift pattern)

Salary: £25,466.64 per annum + Excellent Benefits 

The purpose of this role is to ensure all catering deliveries are efficiently checked, organised, and stored, while maintaining clean, safe, and hygienic catering areas. You will support stock management, assist the Chef with daily food preparation, and contribute to the smooth running of all kitchen operations.

What You’ll Do:

As a key member of our catering team, you will:

Support the Chef with daily food preparation and kitchen operations

Receive, check, and organise catering deliveries

Rotate stock and maintain accurate records

Ensure all catering and storage areas are clean, tidy, and hygienic

Assist with stock management, stock takes, and basic administration

Follow all health, safety, security, and hygiene procedures

Complete incident, security, and operational paperwork as required

Promote equality, professionalism, and a positive working environment

What We’re Looking For:

Skills & Knowledge:
• Basic computer literacy (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving and supervisory abilities
• Understanding of risk and conflict management

Qualifications:
• City & Guilds 706/1&2 (or equivalent NVQ/SVQ) in Food Preparation & Production
• Food Safety Level 2 or 3
• Awareness of HACCP and allergen control

Experience:
• Large-scale catering experience (e.g., Armed Forces, hospitals, or similar)
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines

What we offer

• Salary Band 8
• Pension – 6%
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
• A Serco benefits portal offering a wide range of discounts for major high street brands in Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
• A safe and supportive culture
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion

Choose Serco for the opportunity to work with a company that prioritizes the betterment of people's lives and the provision of quality accommodation for those in need.

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone. By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.  At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview. For help with your application please contact j&icareersUK@serco.com. 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on j&icareersUK@serco.com to discuss.