Prison Catering: Caterer

General Information

Salary

£33,746 - £35,533

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

Barnard Castle

Region

North East

Closing Date

19-Dec-2025

Business Unit

Deerbolt

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

AO

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

12545

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

This is not your average catering job. It is a great chance to put your catering qualifications and skills into practice and make an impact far beyond the kitchen.

As part of the prison's catering team, you'll be working in a professional industrial kitchen environment, with a good salary, pension and Civil Service benefits including apprenticeship opportunities 'earn while you learn'. Unlike traditional restaurant jobs, you won't have to work late into the evening.

You'll oversee the work of offenders to prepare and cook quality, nutritional meals for the entire prison. Plus, you'll play your part in helping them turn their lives around - supporting them to learn new skills and work towards gaining qualifications to increase their chances of employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending when they leave prison.

Hours and salary

You will work a 37-hour week and shift patterns are in place which include hours outside of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, weekends and public holidays. You will receive a 20% unsocial hours payment in addition to your basic pay, subject to working these hours.

All roles can be open to part-time and job share arrangements subject to the business need/operational requirement. However, you will still be required to undertake the full range of shifts. As a new recruit, you will start on the minimum salary.

Band 3 salary minimum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £33,746

Band 3 salary maximum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £35,533

Qualifications and experience

• Level 2 certificate in food production within hospitality and catering or equivalent
• Food hygiene certificate at Level 2

In addition, you must be:

• Familiar with all current health, safety and hygiene related regulations for working in a kitchen
• Able to demonstrate competency within an industrial kitchen environment
• Able to speak with confidence in English

Please note refresher training in food safety (HACCP) should be completed at three year intervals.

Tips for applying

You will need to provide an anonymised CV and answer questions which outline your past experience.

You will also need to answer specific 'behavioural' questions. We will ask you how you would react in your job.

Behaviours:

• Developing self and others
• Managing a quality service
• Communicating and influencing
• Making effective decisions
• Working together

Additional Information

Successful applicants need to be 18 at the point they take up post as an exception under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements w business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, w they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

Annual Leave

• The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

• You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. T is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

• The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wver managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

• After two months' service, you'll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

• T are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

• All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

• All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

• All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To Transformative Business Services Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-);
  To the Civil Service Commission (details available- )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wver it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.

For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit:

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-

Please quote the job reference 12545

HMPPS:

If you require any assistance please call Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-

Please quote the job reference 12545

Allowance

See above section "Hours and Salary"

Job Description Attachment

• Band-3-SD-Catering-JD-216- (Job Description Attachment)

Select new file
Application form stage assessments

Behaviours

Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Working Together

Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History

Technical

Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Work experience 1.

Work experience 2.

Specific qualification requirements

Essential qualifications:
• Level 2 certificate in Food Production within Hospitality and Catering or equivalent
• Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2
•Vocational Qualification at Level 3 or be willing to work towards gaining this qualification within an agreed timescale. *Please upload all qualifications on one file.*

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Interviews are expected to commence December/January

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

Working Together

Making Effective Decisions

Developing Self and Others

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed .

Technical

Work experience 1.

Work experience 2.

Level of security checks required

DBS Standard

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. W plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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