Casual Cafe Co-ordinator

Our Values

It’s great to know that you are interested in working with us at Coventry City Council. As a prospective employee, it is important that everyone who works for us is committed to our One Coventry values and shares our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation. 

Our Values are:

About the team we are recruiting to

Adult Social Care is part of the People Directorate within Coventry City Council.  We have a simple vision and strategy that defines what we are trying to achieve, our purpose and our approach which underpin the principles of Adult Social Care, and we continue to work in support of this.

In a simple sense all our work, at whatever level should continue to support the strategy of: ‘Providing support, in the least intrusive manner possible, based on the assets, resources and abilities that are available to people’.

Adult Social Care encompasses a wide range of vital services covering;

• Social Work Services - we work with individuals who have care and support needs, and with their carers be they older or younger adults
• Occupational Therapy and Equipment Services - we aim to enhance people’s ability to live safely and independently in their home
• Internally Provided Services – we provide direct support to people enabling those in most need to live independent and fulfilled lives
• Business Systems and Continuous Improvement - we provide a range of services including Financial Assessments, provider payment processing and Business Systems administration. The Business Systems team provide support to Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Education Services.

This is an exciting time to join us as we work to put adults and their carers at the heart of everything we do. Specifically, if you are social workers, occupational therapists or social care professionals who are committed to achieving the best outcomes for adults and their carers we will help you make a difference through manageable caseloads, high-quality professional support, supervision and guidance and excellent learning and development opportunities

What is the job role?

Do you love making wholesome plant-based meals, are you great at cooking with fresh ingredients, are you interested in growing food, do you believe in the power of food to connect people and communities?

The Pod Café situated in a beautiful historic building on Far Gosford St, Coventry, has been cited by Guardian readers as being in the top 10 vegan cafes in the UK, we believe we achieved this accolade because we offer freshly prepared, 100% plant based meals made with local produce sourced from our Food Union allotments and Coventry Retail market and because we demonstrate a deep rooted connection with and commitment to the city.  

The Pod Café team in collaboration with the Pod’s citywide Food Union and Time Union program sees us innovatively address food poverty and social isolation, building an ethos of collectivity, food equality, food celebration, and union. 

The successful candidate will:  

• co- lead and oversee the co-ordination of all café operations, from preparing meals to running social media campaigns.  
• develop our ‘soil to table’ ethos through active involvement at our Food Union allotment and emergent kitchen garden sites
• research the local food offer to ensure the ever-evolving café menu is diverse, high quality, original and competitive
• Maintain a customer focussed and efficient café, leading on health and safety.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we move into year 4 of being based in our wonderful heritage building and have a unique opportunity to strengthen our commitment to the city through the delivery of our City of Culture Green Futures programme and other partnership initiatives.    

This post is offered on a casual basis.

Who are we looking for?

You will be expected to:

1. With focus on our ‘Soil to Table’ ethos to prepare from raw ingredients a selection of dishes for up to 50 customers a day that are low cost, wholesome, authentic, flavoursome, that are plant based (vegan) and use fresh and locally sourced ingredients and reflect the cultural diversity of this city.
2. To promote/market the service in a variety of innovative ways to sustain current income level and generate new custom and or external funds, this may include partnership events at evenings and/or weekends
3. Maintain a customer focussed and efficient café taking the lead on health and safety across the kitchen, café and at the Food Union sites when there are events to always ensure compliance with Food Safety Act 1990
4. Be flexible and ready to work across any of our kitchen or garden sites where the preparation of food underpins the engagement activity.

You can find out more about The Pod Café and our wider work here: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/238/the_pod 

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Contact the manager of The Pod:  Christine Eade: christine.eade@coventry.gov.uk if you require further information. 

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

About Coventry

Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!

There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and is the UK City of Culture 2021 ! We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons. You can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city as we build towards this momentous year. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.

We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.

As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.

Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;

• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
• Pay progression through multiple increments
• Outstanding local government pension scheme
• Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
• Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
• Vibrant employee networks