Catering Officer

We’re looking for a motivated and ambitious Catering Officer to join our friendly team at Verwood Hub. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape and grow the café and bar across both Verwood Hub and Potterne Park, bringing fresh ideas to the menu and creating a programme of events that enhance the customer experience.

What’s in it for you
You’ll be part of a supportive and experienced team, with the chance to make your mark on a valued community venue. We’ll provide opportunities to build on your existing knowledge and develop new skills in a varied and rewarding role. Benefits include free parking, discounted gym membership, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

What you’ll be doing
You’ll lead on all aspects of our catering operations, ensuring consistently high standards of service, compliance and quality. You’ll oversee the day-to-day running of the café/bar at both sites, manage staff and stock, and ensure the offer remains fresh and engaging. You’ll also develop a creative functions programme and work closely with customers to understand and meet their needs.

About you
You’ll be a great fit for this role if you:

• have a recognised catering qualification
• bring experience working in a catering environment, ideally with supervisory or leadership responsibility
• understand industry standards and food safety regulations
• are confident developing menus and event/function ideas
• enjoy building positive relationships with customers and colleagues
• are proactive, creative, and comfortable working independently or as part of a team
• can work flexibly, including evenings and weekends on a rota basis

This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders.

See our policy on safeguarding children and young people.

See our adult safeguarding policy.

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We: 

• provide essential services that support over 380,000 residents 
• work in partnership to make a real difference 
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities 
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive 

You will: 

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset 
• have access to a range of benefits and support 
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression 

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. 

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. 

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. 

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. 

Find out more about how to apply.