Chef

Job Title: Chef

Responsible to: Head Chef

Salary: £22,481.44

Hours: 32 hours per week (4 days)

Contract: Permanent

Place of Work: The Bowes Museum

Closing date: 19th June

Interviews: w/c 22nd June

• We are very happy to discuss flexible working and ways for our team to manage their home and working lives.
• 25 days holidays in addition to Bank Holidays.
• 5% employers pension contribution.
• Discount in the museum’s café and our shop.
• Free staff parking.
• Employee Assistance Programme – providing a 24/7 free helpline.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Free entry for your immediate family to the museum.
• Some mutual free entry arrangements with other partnership attractions.
• Cycle to work scheme

Food and hospitality play an important part in how visitors experience the museum and its historic setting. The Catering Team supports the museum’s wider mission by offering thoughtfully prepared food and drink that complements the character, values, and sense of welcome of the site.

As a Chef, you will be a key member of the Catering Team, contributing to a food offer that is carefully considered, well crafted, and rooted in local quality. Your work will support the museum’s ambition to provide an outstanding visitor experience, ensuring that food service reflects the same consistent care, attention, and respect for standards that visitors encounter throughout the museum and grounds.

You will be responsible for producing and presenting high quality food from a locally curated menu, maintaining excellent standards of food safety, cleanliness, and allergen control. Working closely with the Head Chef and colleagues across catering and the wider museum, you will help ensure a calm, well-organised, and professional kitchen environment that consistently supports the visitor experience. Your work will place the visitor at the heart of everything we do, while supporting the delivery of key performance targets and contributing positively to the museum’s overall culture and reputation.

This role is based within the museum kitchens on the ground and second floors. Weekend and Bank Holiday working forms part of a shared rota, with occasional evening work to support events and private hires. Typical working hours are 8.00 am – 4.00 pm, offering a largely daytime and sociable working pattern.

We are looking for an enthusiastic all-rounder chef with a genuine passion for food and creating memorable dining experiences. You will be attentive to detail, organised in your approach, and motivated by providing a consistently high standard of work rather than fast-paced service alone.

You will enjoy working as part of a close knit team, bringing a calm, reliable, and collaborative presence to the kitchen. Although this is not a customer-facing role, your work will have a direct impact on how visitors remember their time at the museum, and it is therefore essential that you uphold and demonstrate the museum’s values and behaviours in everything you do.

We believe that diversity and equality within our workforce, programmes and approaches is crucial to our mission of being inclusive and relevant to our communities. We want everyone to feel welcome. We, therefore, particularly welcome applications from candidates under-represented at The Bowes Museum and within the heritage sector, including Global Majority candidates and/or candidates with disabilities.

Person Specification Criteria:

Essential (E), Desirable (D)

Experience working within a commercial kitchen setting and running service in a made to order environment. E

Good verbal communication skills. E

Awareness of and the ability to deliver excellent standards of food preparation and care. E

Ability to work under pressure and to manage time effectively. E

Able to work flexibly and as part of a team. E

Willingness to undertake training as and when required. E

The ability to work with minimal supervision, using initiative and making decisions. E

Able to maintain accurate records. E

Qualified to at least Level 2 in Food Safety. E

The ability to work weekends and Bank Holidays as part of a normal rota, occasional early morning and evening work is required. E

Knowledge of Local Area. D

Knowledge of the Bowes Museum collection. D