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Leicester HR & People

Prison Catering: Caterer - HMP Leicester (Ref: 23995)JobsGoPublic

Leicester Full time £34,928 - £36,778 a year
Posted 7 November 2026 Closing date 20 November 2026
Checked 20 hours ago · still listed on the employer's site Closes in 7 days · 20 Nov 2026
Leicester Rail Station (0.4 miles, direct) Leicester North (Great Central Railway) (2.7 miles, direct) Charles Street (0.6 miles, direct)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

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 - £34,928

Band 3 salary maximum inclusive of 20% unsocial hours allowance - £36,778

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

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Qualifications

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.*

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

Working Together

Making Effective Decisions

Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Work experience 1.

Work experience 2.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,928, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £10,118 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Access to learning and development

A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance

A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity

A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Annual Leave

Public Holidays

Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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. Where 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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team

Email : [email protected]

Telephone : 0345 241 5358

Recruitment team

Email : [email protected]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL ([email protected]) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/23995?entityId=23995

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