Date as postmark
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your interest in the post of Senior Catering Assistant at Belfairs Woodland Visitor Centre, Essex Wildlife Trust.
The successful applicant will work 37.5 hours per week, 7.5 hours per day, across Monday – Sunday. This role will require working as part of a rota and a minimum of alternate weekends is expected.
Please find enclosed with this letter a copy of the following information about the post and the Essex Wildlife Trust:
· A Job Description for the post of Catering Assistant
· Terms and Conditions of Employment
Essex Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity. It has more than 37,000 members, manages and protects over 8,200 acres of land on 87 nature reserves, 2 nature parks and runs 11 visitor centres. The aim of Essex Wildlife Trust is to Protect Wildlife for the Future and for the people of Essex. It is supported financially by members, local businesses and grant making organisations. It is one of the largest of the 47 county wildlife trusts that work together throughout the British Isles as The Wildlife Trusts.
The Belfairs Woodland Centre introduces visitors to the 1160-acre Living Landscape, a third of which is woodland, including a number of outstanding sites valuable for nature conservation. It is a crucial green lung surrounded by urban areas and provides a tremendous green space of great importance to local people of the Boroughs ofSouthendand Castle Point. Much of the woodland is officially ‘ancient woodland’; some is more than 1,000 years old, making it the earliest woodland recorded in Essex.
The main aim of this post is to support the Visitor Centre catering offer.
•Support the catering team to deliver a high-quality experience at our visitor centre. We want to provide our customers with a good value and great quality tearoom style menu of hot and cold refreshments.
They should be able to enjoy a simple and wholesome offer throughout the day.
•Ensure the highest standards of food hygiene and safety are maintained at all times.
•Assist with the integration of catering activities within the day to day running of the visitor centre including events (day and evenings).
•Supervising and support staff and volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the catering offer.
Please note this role will require regular weekend working as part of a rota, minimum of alternate weekends is expected. Flexibility to your working pattern is essential.
To apply for the post please return the application form, CV and a cover letter explaining why you think you are suited to the job to HR Department, Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, Colchester, Essex, CO5 7RZ or e-mail .
Your application must reach the above address by Tuesday 30th January 2018 at 9am.
Interviews will be held on Monday 19th February 2018.
Due to the high number of applicants we are not able to respond to your application unless you are selected for interview. If you have not heard from us by the interview date you have not been successful in getting an interview.
For further information please contact 01621 862960 or visit www.essexwt.org.uk
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Trust and I look forward to receiving your application.
Yours faithfully,
Abby Bumstead
Visitor Engagement Area Manager (North)
Essex Wildlife Trust Job Description and Person Specification
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Senior Catering Assistant
Location: Belfairs
Reports to: Site Manager
Responsible for: Catering casuals & Volunteers
Job Purpose: To support and help lead the catering team to deliver a high-quality experience in our tearoom. To ensure the effective integration of catering activities within the day to day running of the visitor centre including events (day and evening)
Responsibility Areas and Key Activities
Service Delivery
· Leading by example, ensure high standards of customer care by supporting, motivating and training new and existing colleagues and volunteers.
· Ensure all front of house areas are well presented, tidy and promote a quality catering experience.
· Support the day to day running of front and ensure we offer a smooth-running service for visitors.
· Maintain the catering offer and contribute ideas to this offer.
· Establish and maintain Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) records where required.
· To ensure the centre maximises opportunities to recruit new EWT members and increase levels of donations
Planning/organising
· Ensure the highest standards of hygiene for the front of house and kitchens at all times, completing daily cleaning schedules and records.
· Support and motivate the catering team, to maximise income and achieve the catering contribution.
· To ensure appropriate volunteer levels for the fluctuating needs of the business.
· Ensure all items of food are appropriately labelled and stored, both during and at the end of each day.
· Ensure all equipment is cleaned and maintained according to recommended guidelines.
· Working with catering team to minimise food wastage.
· To support volunteers and casual staff to ensure correct sales procedures are followed by volunteers.
· Maintain accurate and up to date records for food i.e. goods in and wastage.
· Ensure accurate completion of centre records in accordance with EWT centre procedures.
· To work with the centre team to provide a high-quality catering offer for special events.
Problem Solving/Innovation
· Analyse customers’ needs to define priorities.
· Respond and efficiently resolve problems as they arise.
· Resolve any casual staff and volunteer issues as they arise.
· Encourage, listen and respond to all visitor feedback.
People
· Support and motivate catering staff and volunteers through effective supervision using EWT procedures, to ensure the highest standards of health and hygiene are followed at all times.
· Ensure the safety of staff, volunteers and visitors by complying with all legal and EWT policies and procedures relating to hygiene, health and safety, fire and security.
· Interview potential volunteers for positions within the catering team
· Deal with customer enquiries or complaints in an efficient and professional manner.
Communication
· Work closely with line manager and the team to meet EWT aims and objectives, and obtain support and resources to achieve visitor centre targets.
· Promotion of good communication and team working with all staff and volunteers in the visitor centre.
· Attend team and staff meetings as required.
· Promote the work of Essex Wildlife Trust, through our Tearoom and by using social media.
To undertake any other duties which are commensurate with the role.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Specialist knowledge and experience:
· Experience of working in a busy catering environment.
· Experience of cooking homemade food in a catering environment.
· Experience of providing high standard of customer service.
· Experience or understanding of managing or supervising volunteers.
· Qualifications and working knowledge of food hygiene and safety legislation, (minimum expected is Food Hygiene Level 2)
· Experience of implementing processes and controls relevant to a busy food environment.
· Excellent administration skills, experience of costing up, and considering mark up on food offer
· Experience of working as part of a team and supporting colleagues in their day to day work.
· Numeracy skills to be able to check and reconcile statistics and financial information. Use EPOS till systems would be advantageous.
· Knowledge of /or interest in wildlife and an interest in working for a charity which is determined to protect wildlife for the future and for the people of Essex.
Essential skills and behaviours:
Team Working
· Makes a positive contribution to the team, supporting colleagues in their day-to-day work.
· Makes time to get to know individuals, listens to and builds understanding of their skills, interests and motivations, to work together more effectively.
Problem solving and analysis
· Identifies potential difficulties and their causes. Generates workable solutions and makes rational judgements.
· A level of numeracy sufficient to be able to check and reconcile statistics, financial information etc.
Professionalism
· Seeks out feedback from colleagues and managers, taking the learning and development points on board and modifying own practice.
· Ensures high standards are achieved and customer needs fulfilled.
Determination
· Demonstrates commitment to the organisation and task completion.
· Able to remain calm and self-controlled under pressure.
· Gets results and willingly tackles demanding tasks. Sets and exceeds challenging personal targets.
· Keeps track of own progress, completing work to deadlines or informing others when targets can’t be met and able to work independently using own initiative.
Persuasive communication
· Identifies the key points to communicate on any interaction, selecting the right channel for the message and audience.
· Produces written communication which is fluent, clear, concise and tailored to intended recipient(s). Speaks clearly, fluently and in a compelling manner to both individuals and groups.
Customer Focus
· Relates well to different types of customers, listens and gets on with them.
· Quickly builds rapport and easily establishes relationships with customers.
· Works with others to identify customer needs and issues to ensure services are fit for purpose.
· Informs and empowers customers
People Management
· Provides clarity when delegating work, setting boundaries and balancing the need for delivery
Planning
· Able to organise time effectively, create work schedules, prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
· Recognise priorities and deal with them effectively
· Sets achievable and realistic objectives when managing workload
Special conditions:
· Willingness to be flexible with working days.
· Work alternate weekends, as part of a rota, and weekends, evenings and bank holidays as required in order to fulfil your role.
· Support centre events as and when required.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
Name of Employer: Essex Wildlife Sales Ltd
Title of Post: Senior Catering Assistant
A detailed job description is available, but this does not form part of the terms of employment.
Responsible to: Site Manager
Place of Work: Belfairs Woodland Centre
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, normally 7.5 per day. Normal office hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, however, work will be required outside these hours, including work at evenings, regular weekend work as part of a rota, usually working every other weekend and Bank Holidays for which time may be taken off in lieu. Guidance and procedures on claiming time off in lieu are included in the Staff Handbook, located on SharePoint.
Itinerary: You must complete a staff itinerary in advance for each week for your Line Manager to read, this must show the days you are working, the hours you intend to work and indicate key jobs you are undertaking. This is held on Microsoft Outlook Calendar. Instructions are in the Staff Handbook.
Salary: Starting salary £19,000 per annum rising to £19,500 per annum upon successful completion of your probation. Salary is paid monthly in arrears. If for some reason it is clear that the Trust has over paid or under paid on one month it will adjust this by deduction or addition on the next month. Rates of pay are reviewed in November each year. Details of salary during Probationary period will be set out in your letter of appointment.
Travelling: When using your own vehicle on Trust business (excluding ordinary commuting) a mileage allowance may be payable (full details and current rates are available in the Staff Handbook). When you make a travel claim you will be asked to confirm that your private vehicle is appropriately insured, taxed and has an MOT (where applicable).
Travel at the beginning or end of the working day to/from your normal place of work is within your own time. It is not classed as working time and you are therefore not entitled to record time off in lieu for these journeys. If an employee travels from their place of work to another work-related location or temporary place of work, this is normally in work time. If an employee’s role requires them to travel from home to a temporary place of work at the start of the day it would be reasonable for an employee to spend the first 30 minutes of the journey in their own time. The same would apply at the end of the day if an employee travels from a temporary place of work to home in that it would be reasonable for 30 minutes of that journey to be in their own time. Full guidance can be found in the Staff Handbook on SharePoint. Specific exceptions to this can be agreed by your Line Manager for going on a particular visit or training outside of Essex, where the length of the journey is more than a normal journey time you would do within Essex.
Annual Leave: Our holiday year runs from 1st January to 31st December. For a complete holiday year full-time staff are entitled to 25 working days in addition to days in lieu of statutory bank holidays rising to 28 days after 3 years’ service.
Holidays must be taken in consultation with other staff and with the agreement of your Line Manager. If you commence work part way through the holiday year, you need to base your entitlement on the remaining complete months in that holiday year.
You will not normally be able to take more than 3 consecutive weeks as holiday and at least three working days must be taken between November 1st and March 1st. Annual leave must normally be taken in the calendar year it is due, but some days can be carried over with agreement of the Line Manager providing they are taken by 31st March of the following year.
If you leave your employment your holiday entitlement will need to be recalculated for the completed months that you have worked in that holiday year. Discuss any over taken holidays with your Line Manager.
Probationary Period: 6 months during which time the employer or the employee may terminate the employment upon one week's notice.
Length of Contract: Permanent.
Other Expenses: Other legitimate claims for expenses on Trust business can be made on the appropriate claim form providing these have been agreed in advance by the appropriate Budget Head.
Pension: The Trust or its subsidiaries will offer a pension contribution of 5% to a pension scheme approved by Essex Wildlife Trust and which meets the criteria for auto-enrolment, providing that the member of staff also contributes 3% into that same pension scheme.
Notice: After the probationary period, one month's notice of termination of employment is required by either side. The Employer is required to give one additional week of notice for each completed year of continuous employment exceeding 4 completed years to a maximum of 12 weeks’ notice. The Trust may direct a staff member to take any outstanding holiday during the period of notice.