Early Childhood Kitchen Assistant

About the role

A growing early childhood service in Bundoora is looking for a collaborative Kitchen Assistant to work alongside its Head Chef / Food Safety Supervisor. You will help prepare nutritious meals for the children and contribute fresh ideas to the kitchen team. The role suits someone with strong communication, genuine teamwork and a shared passion for food safety and quality in line with the Food Act 1984.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with the Food Act 1984 by following daily food safety, storage, preparation and documentation procedures under the guidance of the Head Chef / Food Safety Supervisor.
• Follow dietary requirements and allergy plans to safely prepare, label and serve modified meals and snacks for children with food allergies or intolerances.
• Set up and deliver meal trolleys to each room according to the daily schedule.
• Maintain high kitchen hygiene by cleaning and sanitising prep areas before and after use.
• Assist the Head Chef with food preparation, including cutting vegetables, making sandwiches and assembling snacks.
• Operate, clean and maintain dishwashing during the day and store clean crockery, cutlery and utensils properly.
• Take part in on-the-job training to master meal preparation and food ordering procedures.
• Cover and prepare children's meals when the Head Chef is absent, once fully trained.
• Carry out reasonable ad-hoc tasks as directed by management, the Food Safety Supervisor and Randstad (if applicable).
• Follow centre policies and procedures to keep the environment safe and compliant for children and staff.

Required profile

• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery or equivalent experience (highly encouraged but not mandatory).
• DoFoodSafely certification.
• Valid First Aid certification (HLTAID011 or HLTAID012).
• Mandatory Reporting Training and Foundations and Advanced Child Safety Training (both free online).
• Valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) or willingness to obtain one.
• One year of experience is listed; a Certificate III with proven experience in commercial hospitality or institutional kitchens is highly encouraged.