16/01/2026
🚨 JOB ALERT 🚨
FULL TIME CHEF
30 - 40 HOURS A WEEK
ABOVE MINIMUM WAGE
Okehampton youth hostel is based on Dartmoor just 30 miles from Exeter. Our kitchen caters for school groups on a set servery menu plus an al-a-carte menu for families.
We are looking for an enthusiastic & hardworking individual to be responsible for the daily catering of our guests. This position would be ideal for a capable & committed chef who enjoys job variety in a busy working environment, while effectively delivering great customer service to ensure a positive experience.
What you’ll be doing:
This is a full time position consisting of 5 days on & 2 days off. Shifts will be between 12.00-21.00, Monday - Friday. Occasional weekends.
• Prepare, cook, plate & serve fresh food taking responsibility for leading the preparation & delivery to agreed YHA standards.
• Engage with guests to ensure all dietary requirements are met.
• Have responsibility for the achievement of targets, maximising profit & minimising waste.
• Have management responsibility for team members within kitchen service.
• Support the hostel to achieve its KPI's & deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Manage kitchen ordering
• Manage health & safety recording for the kitchen.
• Drive all sales opportunities promoting catering within the hostel to generate revenue.
• Comply with Food Hygiene standards & regulations as directed.
• Support good practice for all Food Hygiene and health and safety standards / regulations by ensuring all standards are complied with & all kitchen checks are completed accurately & on time.
• Proactively review customer feedback seeking opportunities to improve the overall customer experience.
• Positively support the manager, contribute to new ideas & areas for improvement to the overall product & service within the hostel, including exploring business development opportunities to generate revenue within the F&B function.
What you’ll get in return:
• Wage will exceed min wage.
• Free accommodation on site if required (no deduction made for bills).
• Holiday pay.
• The opportunity to work in an amazingly unique site.
• YHA Membership.
• Uniform and training provided.
• This will be a fantastic opportunity for the right person to develop skills in catering management.
• Opportunity to take part in free adventure activities & bike hire on days off.
What we’re looking for:
• Previous experience of working within the hospitality industry & a commercial kitchen.
• Demonstrate previous experience of running a dinner service.
• Thrives under pressure & is able to adapt to busy working demands.
• Good self-motivation & organizational skills.
• Experience of working in a customer focused role.
• Able to establish customer needs, building rapports & giving cheerful helpful service.
• Works cooperatively with others & able to manage a small team.
• Current working knowledge of health & safety/food hygiene procedures.
• Suitable candidates will be expected to have a flexible attitude to work to suit our business' varied workload & working times.
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate.
If you're interested, please send your CV in to us! - [email protected]
or apply here through Indeed: https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=a15249f7e51a79a3&from=shareddesktop_copy
YHA is a charity. We work with 500,000 children & young people a year through stays in our 150 hostels; adventure in our activity centres & through our leading work in volunteering, traineeships, apprenticeships & youth employment. We have a thriving schools programme & work with partners to support access for those children & families who have challenging lives.
Our people share a set of values & a common purpose: to improve the health, wellbeing & life chances of all, but especially young people with challenging lives.
Our ‘HEART’ values help guide our behaviours & we want to see people who are:
HELPFUL- Hospitality experience is great but not essential, but we do want people who are proactive, flexible & willing to learn
EFFICIENT – Hardworking with an eye for detail to ensure our guests receive the best possible standards during their stay
AUTHENTIC – Straightforward, honest & passionate about building rapport with new people
RESPECTFUL- Genuinely interested in people, empathetic & professional
TEAM SPIRITED- responsible & enjoy working in a team environment, but can also work alone
Please note: In order to become an employee at YHA you must be able to produce evidence of your Right to Work in the UK & a satisfactory DBS check must be completed before a start date can be confirmed. YHA is committed to safeguarding & ensuring the welfare of children, young people & vulnerable adults & expects all employees & volunteers to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees or volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment & a DBS check will be carried out for all successful applicants.
Benefits:
• Discounted/free food.
• Free accommodation if required.
• Opportunities to join in with adventure activities.
• Free bike hire.
Job Type: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 6 months
Pay: £13.00-£15.00 per hour
Experience: Cooking: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: On-site in person.
