Job Description
Position Details
Campus Services
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £25,618 to £27,126
Grade: 3
Full Time (Annualised hours)
Permanent
Closing date: 14th July 2025
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
Background
The Business and Operations department offers a variety of food and beverage outlets to staff, students and visitors across campus and student accommodation including but not limited to coffee shops, take-aways, bars, restaurants, food stalls and kiosks. We also provide hospitality services for meetings, conferences and events held on campus. You will be responsible for preparing, producing and presenting food within these operations.
Role Summary
You will be required to work within all areas of campus kitchens within the Business and Operations department, preparing, producing and presenting food to a high standard. The role also requires stock control, stock ordering and cleaning. In order to flexibly utilise resource you may be requested to work elsewhere in the department or wider University.
Main Duties
- You will use your food preparation skills and techniques to produce and present food to a high standard. Whilst working to instruction you will have the ability and opportunity to choose the best methods to ensure the delivery of products.
- You will be responsible for opening and closing work areas as required.
- Ensure equipment failures and potential hazards are promptly reported to the Chef de Partie.
- Ensure standards on stock rotation are followed, making sure food products are used prior to the best before date utilising the first in first out method.
- Maintain a high standard of hygiene and health and safety as required.
- Ensure portion control maintained, following recipes and adhering to standard operating procedures.
- Ensure all working areas are cleaned and sanitised at the beginning and end of each shift.
- Ensure a high standard of personal appearance is maintained, including the wearing of the correct protective clothing as laid down in the codes of practice.
- To conform to all health & safety codes of practice and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, ensuring that they are adhered to at all times.
- Supervise agency, casual staff and kitchen porters, ensuring they are able to carry out their duties in a correct manner and the time scales required.
- Attend all team briefs and departmental meetings as required.
- To actively be involved in an annual personal development review with the Team leader, and be expected to undertake any training and development identified to enable you to carry out your work, contributing to B&O business objectives.
- Treats everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity.
- To carry out any other reasonable request (other than that stated on the job description) from any senior member of staff.
Operational requirements:
- Annualised Hours - operational windows will vary by business unit/activity, and hours are as required, based on a 36 hour week 7/365 operation (BH and Closure days) on a rota basis, includes weekend and evening work activities to align with Campus Services and University.
- To undertake works activities across all UoB campuses as requested that are commensurate with the grade and role activities to support the Division and wider UoB activities.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
- NVQ in Food Preparation - level 2, or equivalent City and Guilds qualification essential.
- Sufficient proven experience of working within a food preparation environment and in a similar position to this post that will enable you to carry out the duties to the expected standards.
- A current level 2 Food Safety Certificate is required.
- Demonstrate a sufficient level of literacy and numeracy. This can be evidenced by achieving Mathematics and English GCSE (or equivalent level 1 qualifications) or able to demonstrate relevant experience such that the tasks detailed in the job description can be carried out effectively.
- Knowledge of the following is desirable: Health and Safety at Work Act, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) hygiene and allergen recording systems, COSHH and a relevant Manual Handling course.
- The ability to demonstrate communication and computer skills are essential, as this will be required for assisting in ordering of stocks, delivery and stocktaking of products and in association with other HACCP tasks.
- You should have the ability to work on an individual basis and within a team.
- It is essential that you are aged 18 or over as Health and Safety regulations states that in order to operate machinery you must be at least this age.
- Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect own area (e.g. Dietary requirements/dress code).
Dimensions
This role is primarily concerned with the production of food products to the highest standards.
Planning and Organising
Although you will be working to instruction you will have the opportunity to interpret those instructions and have some scope in determining how to use resources to ensure a quality product is delivered on time to the customer.
Problem Solving and decision making
You will be able to resolve most issues that arise through applying your food preparation skills and techniques. You will also deal with any day to day issues arising with any staff you may supervise.
Internal and External relationships
This role will mainly be based in the kitchen with the need for professional working relations and communications.
Informal enquiries to Stewart Turner, email:
[email protected]View our staff values and behaviours here
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website . 
