Work with us to change the food system

4 days p/w. £26,624.00 (ie £33,920.00 pro-rata). 

 

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate, organised and experienced chef to join our social enterprise by leading our catering work and supporting our mission to transform our people’s lives through food.

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Lead Catering Chef to oversee and drive our catering operations. This role combines creative menu development, kitchen leadership, and operational management with a strong commitment to sustainability and community values.

The details

4 days per week 
Some evening and weekend work is required.
The candidate will need the ability to shift/add days and work weekends for events with advance notice. For example, in the summer, there are more Saturdays for weddings.

 

Our catering operation not only helps fund our social enterprise but also serves as a learning experience for the people we teach and ensures we are spreading the joy of food to events across the city. 

 

We’re only a small organisation, and so the candidate has to slot into the wider organisation and be able to be a strong team player as well as an independent worker. They will need to help maintain and keep clean the kitchen, and there will be times when they may need to teach classes or help out with our wider community work. 

You will be responsible for prepping and planning for our catering work and leading the team at events. We tend not to operate off fixed menus to reduce food waste and make the most of seasonal produce, so you will need to enjoy being creative and thinking on your feet. Sometimes you will be making rolls and finger food for office lunches, sometimes you will be doing a wedding, and sometimes you will be doing a supper club/collaboration with another restaurant. 

Essential skills required: 

• • Experience working in a professional kitchen 
  • Excellent at delivering events 
  • Excellent scheduling and time management skills to manage workload 

• Experience delivering training to a kitchen workforce 

• Experience in leading and managing other staff at events 
• Experience working independently and as part of a team
• Ability to create dishes and menus 

 

Our team

You would be joining a dedicated, friendly, supportive team that works hard but believes in a healthy work/life balance. Any overtime hours will be replaced with TOIL or paid. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to projects and the organisation’s overall work but you’ll also need to chip in and us all work together to do what needs to be done to help the organisation succeed.

How to apply

We ask you to please send a cover letter explaining why you meet the criteria for the job and are passionate about the issue, along with your CV to kirsty.haigh@edinburghfoodsocial.org  

If you are shortlisted, then we will ask you to come in for half a day. This will consist of a short chat/interview and then you will be asked to cook for 3 hours so we can gain an understanding of your skills in the kitchen. For this latter section, you are welcome to invoice us and be paid £40.50 as we will be putting you to work.  

Deadline to apply is 10/05/2026 

3-year role, 4 days p/w, £ 26,624.00 (ie £33,920.00 pro-rata)

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate, organised and experienced chef to join our growing social enterprise and support our mission to transform our local food culture and people’s lives through food education and meals for people in food poverty. 

About you and the Lead Chef Trainer role

This role will form an integral part of an ambitious programme to transform the food culture in Craigmillar and build community through food. 

We’re in particular going to be doing lots of work with young people to try and keep them out of crime and show them their potential. We’ll be hosting cookery projects ending in community meals, putting on food at the local football pitch on Friday night, projects with the local high school, community events and 1-1 work training young people to become Chefs. 

We are looking for a dedicated and experienced Chef Trainer to become part of our team to help lead another Chef trainer and our volunteers to help us achieve our mission. It is integral that this person has very strong people skills and is able to work with people from all different backgrounds with no prejudice or judgment. 

Alongside our Head, you will plan and deliver our programme to a whole host of different individuals and organisations. Some will be short 1-day courses, some 6-month schemes. 

The role is more than just cooking and teaching. You will also need to do all the necessary reporting – recording information from classes, gathering feedback and helping pull together funding reports. 

We’re only a small organisation, and so the candidate has to slot into the wider organisation and be able to be a strong team player as well as an independent worker. They will need to help maintain and keep the kitchen clean and organised, and you will also need to help with the catering, and there will be times you have to help with catering for weddings and bigger events. 

The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we urge you to apply anyway. 

There will have to be flexibility around working hours, and some early morning, evening and weekend work is required. For example, you will be required to work a Friday night roughly every month. 

Key Lead Community Chef Trainer responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Deliver in-person training sessions to individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds
• Maintain, update and develop relevant training materials to keep our programme up to date. 
• Identify areas to develop new programmes that complement our organisational strategy
• Develop additional training resources, where necessary, to support the delivery of project objectives 
• Gather feedback to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme
• Along with the Head, plan and schedule the delivery of programmes, working with internal and external parties
• Manage partner and community relationships to ensure the smooth delivery of training programmes
• Develop recipe kits
• Cook for and lead a team to cook for community dinners and pop-up events  
• Some flexibility with working times and days to work evenings and weekends for events. 
• Oversee the Community Chef Trainer job and ensure the programme is being appropriately delivered 
• Manage volunteers in the kitchen and at events 

Skills & experience

• • Excellent verbal communication skills 
  • Experience working in a catering or kitchen environment
  • Able to create user-friendly and engaging recipes
  • Great people skills to build rapport with learners and strike a balance between being supportive and challenging 
  • Excellent presentation and facilitation skills to deliver engaging training sessions, and experience in doing this 
  • Excellent scheduling and time management skills to manage workload 

• Experience delivering training to a kitchen workforce or adult learners 

• Experience working with/teaching children and young people
• An understanding of hospitality, especially how to deliver quality food and service 

• An understanding of economic or nutritional deprivation and the challenges these pose for people 
• Culinary training 
• Experience in leading and managing other staff

Any overtime hours will be replaced with TOIL or paid. 

PVG 

Anyone hired will have to be allowed to work with children and vulnerable adults. The job is dependent on this always being the case. 

Lead Community Chef Trainer application process

We ask you to please send a cover letter explaining why you meet the criteria for the job and are passionate about the issue, along with your CV to kirsty.haigh@edinburghfoodsocial.org  

If you are shortlisted, then we will ask you to come in for half a day. This will consist of a short chat/interview, and you will be asked to do a short cookery class for staff. This portion will last 2 hours. You will then cook with some of the team so we can gain an understanding of your skills in the kitchen. This section will last 2 hours, and you will be paid for this as we are putting you to work.  

The deadline for applications is 18/04/26

Volunteering with Edinburgh Food Social is a chance to give something back to your community, build new skills, and be part of our lovely, supportive team. We’ve been incredibly lucky to work with amazing volunteers who play a huge role in making EFS what it is today.

There are lots of ways to get involved, from supporting cookery classes and helping prepare community meals, to taking photos, making videos, creating content, supporting events, or helping us secure funding so we can continue and grow our vital work.

We’d love you to join us. If you’re interested in volunteering, please complete our volunteer recruitment form and email it to hello@edinburghfoodsocial.org.

Chair

We’re looking for a new Chair of the Board. We would love to hear from you if you’d like to play an instrumental part in our organisation and you have the following experience –

• Previous experience of being on another Board

• Sound knowledge of financial reporting and governance

• Experience of funding

• Good track record of managing significant budgets and reviewing financial plans

• Good network of contacts in Edinburgh

• Knowledge of at least one of the hospitality and food or third-sector

• Strategic thinker with clear vision

• Strong public speaker

• Approachable nature with strong ethical values and inspiring leadership

The role of the Chair involves:

• Leading the board and ensuring the right balance of skills required

• Leading the recruitment of suitable new board members

• Following up with other board members on items or actions outstanding

• Encouraging dialogue and participation from board members

• Developing an ethical culture in line with the values of the organisation.

• Promoting good governance and financial planning

• Overseeing the legal requirements and annual financial reporting of the organisation

• Ensuring Companies House information is up to date

• Working with the accountant, bookkeeper and treasurer to ensure accurate financial documentation is produced

• Ensuring effective insurance and liability cover is in place

• Helping to develop budgets and forecasts to enable the smooth financial running of the organisation

• Overseeing funding and ensuring critical costs are covered

• Ensuring clarity of financial reporting and P&L

• Providing supervision and support to the COO

• Check-ins and offer a sounding board/support with any issues

• Offering training and development where needed

• Acting as a figurehead or spokesperson where required

• Attending meetings of a political or high-profile nature

• Speaking at public events where required

• Developing a network of contacts and partnership organisations with COO

If you’re interested in applying for the position of Chair, then please feel free to reach out to discuss this.  Edinburgh Food Social – Board Member Recruitment Form.

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Safeguarding Officer

The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for overseeing the safeguarding of the organisation and being the contact should any issues arise. The role ensures that robust safeguarding policies, procedures, and practices are in place, that risks are effectively managed, and that the organisation meets its legal and ethical responsibilities to protect children, young people and any vulnerable adults we work with.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the Safeguarding Lead for the organisation
  Provide safeguarding leadership and challenge at board level.

• Ensure safeguarding policies are reviewed regularly and approved by the board.

• Monitor organisational compliance with safeguarding legislation, guidance, and best practice.

• Ensure safeguarding is embedded into organisational strategy, planning, and risk management.

• Monitor the safeguarding inbox and deal with any questions or issues

• Put new staff and volunteers through Disclosure checks

• Escalate concerns to the Chair or relevant authorities where necessary.

• Ensure appropriate training and support are provided to staff and volunteers.

• Promote a culture where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

• Keep up to date with changes in safeguarding legislation and guidance.

• Encourage continuous learning and improvement following safeguarding incidents or reviews.

Person Specification

Essential

• Strong commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

• Experience in governance, leadership, or strategic decision-making.

• Ability to provide constructive challenge and oversight.

• Willingness to undertake safeguarding training.

• Integrity, sound judgement, and respect for confidentiality.

• Alignment with the organisation’s values and mission.

Desirable

• Professional experience in safeguarding, education, health, social work, youth work, or related fields.

• Previous trustee or board experience.

• Knowledge of relevant safeguarding legislation (e.g. Children (Scotland) Act, GIRFEC).

• Experience of risk management or policy development.

If you’re interested in applying for the position, then please complete this Board Member Recruitment Form. and email it to chair@edinburghfoodsocial.org

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General Board members 

Board members are responsible for the overall strategic direction of the organisation. They ensure that our organisation is achieving as much as it can and that it is operating to the highest standards. Our Board is made up of people with expertise in a whole range of things who bring this knowledge and their contacts to help with the oversight of the organisation.

We are looking to recruit some general Board members to join our team. The commitment is about 1-2 days per month with Board members expected to attend meetings and follow-up on their action points outside of these meetings.

In return, you get to be part of helping us help people across the city and creating the most effective organisation to ensure that everyone can access good food and knows what to do with it.

We are particularly keen to hear from those with experience of fundraising, social enterprise, impact reporting and business planning.

We would love to hear from you if you’d like to play an instrumental part in our organisation. Please submit an application using the form below.

Edinburgh Food Social – Board Member Recruitment Form

We have plenty of catering jobs and community food events and we need Chefs to help us pull them all off.

We are looking for people who can work the occasional day here and there and don’t mind being added to a list of people when we ask when we need extra help for a job. 

We’ve got breakfasts, weddings, canape parties and dinners at community festivals…. 

As much as we want to spend as much money on those most in need as we can we also appreciate that Chefs deserve to be paid for their work too. So, if you’re not in a position to volunteer but still have the capacity to help out with events then please get in touch and we can pay you as a freelance Chef.

Our freelance Chef rate will be from £14.20p/h depending on experience. 

If you’re interested then please email hello@edinburghfoodsocial.org and provide:
– A copy of your hygiene qualifications  

– A reference (or two if you are looking for freelance work) 

– A brief cover letter with information on your cooking experience (or a CV if you’d prefer) 

– Info on any restrictions you have on days/times you could help etc. 

We are also looking for people to staff front of house at our events.

If you like working with people and have the capacity to volunteer or work as a freelance member of waitstaff for us then you can join our pool of people we contact when we have events coming up. Freelance wait staff are paid £12.60p/h. 

We are always trying to make people smile with great food and drinks. Help us improve people’s special days by providing the best front of house experience.

We’re particularly looking for people with their own transport however, this is not essential.

If you’re interested then please get in touch with catering@edinburghfoodsocial.org and:
– Let us know any and all relevant experience 

– Clarify if you’re looking to volunteer or be freelance 

– Info on any restrictions you have on days/times you could help etc.