Who we are

Wivenhoe House is a four star country house hotel on the outskirts of Colchester. The hotel has 40 bedrooms, conference and event facilities for up to 120 guests and a 100 seater brasserie restaurant. The Hotel is also home to the Edge Hotel School. The first hotel school of its kind in the UK, the Edge Hotel School, equips its Hotel Management and Events Management degree students with the professional and managerial skills, as well as the academic theory, to prepare them for their future career as leaders in the industry.

Why work for us?

• We offer competitive salaries
• We are committed to providing excellent training and development for all staff
• Generous holiday allowance of up to 36 days depending on grade
• Discount of 50% on overnight stays and food and 20% on beverages
• Free overnight stay for two people including dinner for every year of service
• Dry cleaning service for staff uniform
• Monthly employee recognition programme
• Employee discounts on retail items, sports centre and day nursery through the University of Essex

CURRENT VACANCIES

Sous Chef:

Wivenhoe House Hotel, a 4 star country house hotel is currently recruiting for a Sous Chef. Following an extensive, £11 million refurbishment, this is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Sous Chef to join our team in a busy and challenging environment which includes a 110 cover modern Brasserie and 120 cover banqueting facilities.

The Role and Duties

The successful candidate will be part of a large brigade of chefs working with students of the Edge Hotel School. If you are proactive, ambitious, have an eye for detail and a real passion for creating fresh, locally sourced dishes then we’d like you to join our team. The duties of the post include, but are not limited to:

• Preparation and production of high quality food at all times
• Deputising in the absence of the Head Chef and Senior Sous Chef
• Developing, planning and costing menus
• Production of kitchen staff and student rotas
• Procuring food and managing supplier relationships
• Working within agreed budgets and meeting budget targets
• Supervising and developing the team and students of EHS
• Work closely with the Front of House team to enhance product knowledge and increase the customer experience.
• Ensuring the highest level of food hygiene and health and safety standards in the kitchen at all times
• Complying with health and safety legislation
• Undertake any reasonable duties as directed by the Head Chef or his/ her nominee.

Qualifications and Skills required

Candidates will have experience working as a Chef at a similar level within a 4 or 5 star hotel or within a quality establishment. You will hold a relevant NVQ level 3 qualification or equivalent and a minimum of an intermediate level food handler certificate.

You will be a good team leader with supervisory skills and be able to coach and develop your team and student practitioners. You will have a working knowledge of budgets and COSHH and health and safety. The ability to organise and prioritise is essential as is a clear understanding of planning rotas and ability to manage team performance.

You will also have experience of planning and costing menus, managing a costing centre and developing new menus and dishes. The ability to deliver a consistent standard of cuisine and presentation and guide the brigade into producing these high standards is essential.

This role is shift based on 48 hours per week (worked 5 over 7) and includes late finishes and weekend work.

A full range of staff benefits is also offered.

Closing Date for Applications: 10 November 2019

Applications must include full CV and covering letter detailing why you are applying for the role and relevant experience. Applications without full detail or made after this date may not be considered.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £31,507.00 /year

Kitchen Porter(s):

Wivenhoe House, a 4 star country house hotel is currently recruiting for a Kitchen Porter. Following an extensive, £11 million refurbishment, this is an exciting opportunity to join our team in a busy and challenging environment which includes a 110 cover modern Brasserie and 120 cover banqueting facilities. The successful candidates will be part of a large brigade of chefs working with students of the Edge Hotel School. You will be responsible for general kitchen duties, cleaning catering areas, crockery and equipment, accepting deliveries. The successful candidate will ideally have previous portering and cleaning experience and must have a flexible approach to work.

The role includes manual handling and lifting heavy items. This role is shift based on a notional 40 hours per week (worked 5 over 7) and includes some late finishes and weekend work.

Duties of the Post:

• Operating dishwasher, and hand washing small equipment, crockery and other items
• Cleaning catering areas and equipment
• Manual duties including lifting heavy goods, and disposing of rubbish
• Accepting, checking and storing of deliveries
• Complying with health and safety legislation and requirements
• Maintain the standards expected at Wivenhoe House
• Coaching and mentoring students from Edge Hotel School to ensure they get the most out of their time in the hotel
• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Head of Department or his/her nominee

Experience/Skills Required:

• Have a level of English and Maths sufficient to understand written instructions and accept/check in deliveries
• Food handlers basic certificate
• Previous catering experience preferably within high quality restaurants
• Previous experience of portering and cleaning work
• Ability to organise and prioritise
• Attention to detail
• Flexible approach to work
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Ability to effectively respond to instructions and liaise with the Chefs in the kitchen
• Passion for excellence in customer service
• Be able to undertake the manual aspects of the post, some of which will require physical effort
• Meets the food handlers health clearance requirements
• Ability to meet the requirements of UK ‘right to work’ legislation
• Closing Date: 3 November 2019
• Job Type; Full Time/Permanent
• Salary £17,131 per annum plus a full range of staff benefits
• This role is shift based on a notional 40 hours per week (worked 5 over 7) and includes some late finishes and weekend work.
• Please apply with full CV and covering letter. Applications without full detail may not be considered.

(Please note that although this post has a closing date of 3 November 2019, we reserve the right to close the post for applications and withdraw it from the website at any time).

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £17,131.00 /year