What’s the job?

We are looking for an energetic, self motivated person to work our bar kitchen. You will work as part of a close team to feed the hungry students in the Union’s eating outlets, providing outstanding customer service and making sure your kitchen is the cleanest in Edinburgh.

The cook will be repsonsible for making sure our kitchen runs smoothly. This will include taking the lead over busy service periods (lunch / dinner) cooking food to order as our students purchase in our outlets, thinking ahead and preparing what you need in advance to make service as slick as possible. From time to time you will also need to cook simple meals for large groups which is served buffet-style. 

This role would also require you to place orders with our suppliers and making sure we don't run out of anything (seriously, you wouldn't want to see what happens if we were to run out of halloumi fries!). We'd also expect you to be able to follow current legislation around food safety including everything and anything to do with allergens.

This is a full-time job during University term-time, so we think it is unlikely that it would be suitabled for current students studying at Heriot-Watt. Shifts will be five, eight-hour shifts spread across the week, with 1 hour of unpaid breaks per day. The role will work 39 weeks of the year between September and May, with fixed time off over the Winter and Spring vacations. Flexibility is essential as some early starts and later finishes may be required. Flexibility is expected depending on what we have going on.

Who are we?

We are Heriot-Watt University Student Union. We’re based at Riccarton and our main goal is to make sure that Heriot-Watt students have THE BEST TIME whilst studying here. As well as the kitchen, we have a bar, café, nightclub and shop, plus we work with Students to make their time at Heriot-Watt the best it can be.

You’ll join a friendly, hardworking and professional team and have a real opportunity to make a difference to the food our students eat.

What do you get?

• You will be paid £16,607 per year (this salary has already been pro-rated to reflect the term-time nature of the role), depending on your experience
• 28 days* paid holiday per year, increasing by a day for every year you work with us, up to 33 days*
• An extra 9 fixed days* off per year (we close completely between Christmas and New Year and give you Good Friday and Easter Monday off too)
• Our organisational culture discourages excessive hours being worked each week, and we try to assist our team to manage their time effectively
• We give 25% staff discount in all our outlets (some exceptions apply)
• We offer a company pension
• You’ll work with a range of different people, from our permanent staff to our casual student team
• Plus, you’ll get that warm fuzzy feeling inside that you’re helping the students of HW get even more out of studying on campus

* these figures are full-time equivalent, so will be pro-rated for this role to reflect the term-time only nature of the position.

Is this job for you?

If you answer yes to these questions, then apply now!

• Can you make a big pot of freshly made soup? Who doesn't love some hearty, freshly made soup?
• Can you prepare enough macaroni cheese to feed 40 people? We often cater for on-campus Sports Club matches
• Are you able to cook food to order? This might be frying and plating a burger, or cooking some pasta and sauce
• Do you work well under pressure? (imagine a busy lunchtime with 20 orders all dropping within 5 minutes of each other!)
• Can you train and share knowledge with others? We employ a lot of our students who love to learn from experts like you
• Do you love the industry you a part of? You've got to love food to take on this job!
• Can you keep up to code regarding food hygience requirements? We're talking temperature checks, stock rotation, allergen management etc.

This is a full-time job, so we don't think it would be suitable for a current student studying at Heriot-Watt.

If you’re not yet sure and want to have an informal chat about the job please contact Ewan Ferguson, Bar & Catering Manager on E.Ferguson@hw.ac.uk.

Sounds great, what next?

If you think this sounds like the job for you then please click "Apply Now" below to complete our online Application Form.

Downloads

Click here to download the full Job Description