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Catering Assistant

11/24/2025

The Catering Assistant is responsible for the daily operation of the Catering Unit, including food preparation, cooking, and serving meals. They also maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the kitchen and dining areas while promoting meals to customers.

Working Hours

40 hours/week

Company Size

10,001+ employees

Language

English

Visa Sponsorship

About The Company

The Education Authority (EA) was created on 01 April 2015 as a new organisation responsible to the Department of Education (DE) for the delivery of education services to schools and youth centres across Northern Ireland. The work we do impacts the lives of tens of thousands of children, young people and their families every day. The services we provide are essential in supporting, encouraging and facilitating learning within our communities to develop generations of young people who are equipped to succeed in life and work in the modern world. As a public sector organisation, we must continue to deliver these vital services in a challenging environment of increasing financial pressure and under intense public scrutiny. EA is at the beginning of an exciting journey of organisational transformation and modernisation. Emerging from the five Education and Library Boards (ELBs) our aim is to build a new organisation which is focused on meeting the needs of all our young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.

About the Role

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Catering Assistant

REPORTS TO: Senior/Unit Catering Supervisor

RESPONSIBLE TO: Catering Manager through appropriate Area Catering Manager

JOB PURPOSE

To actively participate in the daily operation of the Catering Unit under the direction of the Senior/Unit Catering Supervisor.
Team participation is essential to provide an efficient hygienic service, to achieve customer satisfaction and to promote sales within the unit.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1.   Basic preparation of food and beverages, including the preparation of vegetables and snacks using appropriate equipment.
2.   Simple cooking, including the reconstitution of prepared food.
3.   Organising and controlling food service points.
4.   Transferring and serving meals and snacks including transported meals.
5.   Assisting with the promotion of meals to pupils, parents and principal.
6.   Maintaining regular contact with the central kitchen, if applicable, with regard to all aspects of service delivery.
7.   Preparing the dining area:
(a) Setting out dining room tables, chairs, benches and serving points as required by the meals service.
(b) Setting tables, laying out of cutlery, water jugs, etc.
8.   Completing general kitchen and dining room duties including washing up, clearing away equipment including tables, chairs and benches*.
9.   Cleaning the kitchen/servery, dining room and equipment including floors and walls*.
10.   Recording temperatures for control purposes as required.
11.   Securing premises as required.
12.   Completing duties as delegated in connection with service provision.
13.   Carry out all duties to comply with:
(a) Acts of Parliament, Statutory Instruments and Regulations and other legal requirements;
(b) Codes of Practice
14.   Carry out all duties in the working conditions normally inherent in the particular job.
15.   Complete all necessary administration.
16.   Carry out duties for jobs up to and including those in the same grade, provided such duties are within the competence of the employee.
17.   Promote and adhere to the Values/ethos of the School.

* Note:

Where part of the school premises are used for the dual purpose of consumption of food and educational purposes, non catering staff are responsible for the cleaning of the room.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.

To view the summary of terms and conditions for this post, click here.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

NOTES TO JOB APPLICANTS

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how, and to what extent you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria, where relevant.
You must demonstrate how you meet the criteria by the closing date for applications, unless the criteria state otherwise.
The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is outlined in the table below.
Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.
Please note that the Selection Panel reserves the right to shortlist only those applicants that it believes most strongly meet the criteria for the role.
In the event of an excessive number of applications, the Selection Panel also reserves the right to apply any desirable criteria as outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting, in which case these will be applied in the order listed. It is important therefore that you also clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet any desirable criteria.

SECTION 1 - ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

The following are essential criteria which will initially be measured at the shortlisting

stage and which may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage.

You should therefore make it clear on your application form how, and to what extent you meet

these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted.

Factor	Essential Criteria	Method of Assessment
Other	Willingness to undertake job related training	Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2 - ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

The following are additional essential criteria which will be measured during the
interview/selection stage in line with EA’s Game Changing People Model.

Factor

Essential Criteria

Method of Assessment

Skills/Abilities

In line with EA’s Game Changing People Model we will look for evidence of:

Effective communication skills to support team working, taking of instruction and engagement with customers.

Excellent interpersonal and team working skills

Effective organisational and planning skills and the ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines

Motivation towards providing excellent food and customer service for our children and young people

Interview

Values Orientation

Evidence of how your experience and approach to work reflect EA’s ethos and values. You will find information about our Values here.

Interview

SECTION 3 - DESIRABLE CRITERIA

Some or all of the desirable criteria may be applied by the Selection Panel in order to determine a manageable

pool of candidates. Desirable criteria will be applied in the order listed. You should make it clear on your

application form how, and to what extent you meet the desirable criteria, as failure to do so may result in you

not being shortlisted.

Factor	Desirable Criteria	Method of Assessment
Experience	Experience of working in a customer service or catering role	Shortlisting by Application Form

DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’.

In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage.

Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.

APPLICANT GUIDANCE NOTES

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here.

To learn about the many great benefits of joining the Education Authority, click here

The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Key Skills

Food PreparationCookingFood ServiceCustomer ServiceTeamworkCommunicationOrganizational SkillsPlanningCleaningHygieneInterpersonal SkillsTime ManagementSales PromotionRecord KeepingEquipment MaintenanceSafety Compliance