Join Our Team at Busy Bees – One of the UK's Leading Nursery Groups

About the Role

Do you have a passion for cooking and enjoy preparing fresh, healthy and nutritious meals? As an Assistant Chef at Busy Bees, you will play an important role in our kitchen team, helping to provide delicious, balanced meals that support the health, wellbeing and development of young children.

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your enthusiasm for food into a warm and welcoming nursery environment. You will help ensure children receive nutritious meals every day while developing your catering skills and gaining valuable experience within the early years sector.

About Busy Bees

Busy Bees is one of the UK's largest and most established nursery groups, with almost 400 nurseries nationwide and additional settings overseas. We are passionate about giving every child the strongest possible start in life by providing high-quality childcare, education and support.

We are equally committed to creating a positive working environment for our employees. Our workplace culture has received award recognition, and we strive to ensure every team member feels appreciated, respected and supported throughout their journey with us.

Why Work at Busy Bees?

At Busy Bees, we believe in creating a supportive workplace where every employee can develop their skills and make a meaningful contribution. You will be part of a friendly team that works together to provide children with a happy, stimulating and enriching environment.

You will also become familiar with our exclusive Bee Curious curriculum, which encourages children to explore, discover and develop confidence through exciting learning experiences.

About Our Nursery – Busy Bees Bishop's Stortford St Michael's Mead

Busy Bees Day Nursery and Preschool at St Michael's Mead, Bishop's Stortford, is proud to have achieved a Good Ofsted rating and benefits from a well-established and experienced team.

Our attractive, purpose-built nursery is conveniently situated in the heart of the town and provides spacious rooms alongside large, individual outdoor gardens, giving children plenty of opportunities to learn, play and explore.

We also offer a range of fantastic benefits to our team, including free on-site parking and complimentary breakfast and lunch every day.

We understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, which is why we offer flexible working options to suit your lifestyle. Whether you are looking for full-time or part-time hours, or would prefer a four-day working week, we aim to accommodate your needs.

Busy Bees Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Ongoing professional development and career progression
• Our ‘Hive’ benefits and wellbeing hub, with discounts across a huge range of retailers
• Up to 28 days holiday per year (including bank holidays)
• Your birthday off – it’s our gift to you!
• 25% childcare discount
• Enhanced family leave and return to work bonus
• Menopause support through Peppy
• Financial support through Salary Finance
• Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Easy access to your workplace pension through Cushon
• Discounted Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

But wait, there’s more! You'll also enjoy access to our Benefits and Wellbeing platform, Hive - offering huge array huge of retail discounts helping your money to go further, along with a Wellbeing Hub featuring resources to support your physical and mental health. A Celebrating You section showcasing the ways we recognise and reward our valued team members. Plus, a dedicated Grow with Us area sharing the exciting development opportunities and training designed to support you to thrive and grow at Busy Bees.

Key Responsibilities:

• Prepare healthy, nutritious meals that meet dietary requirements for children.
• Support the Chef in overseeing kitchen operations and maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ensure kitchen inventory is well-maintained and assist with ordering and stock management.
• Support meal preparation and assist in the cleaning and maintenance of kitchen equipment.

• Ideally experience in leadership within early years settings.
• Strong mentoring and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to drive improvements and ensure compliance.