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This is an opportunity for the successful candidate to assist with cooking meals for the residents of our care home in Corringham, residents of our Extra Care facility in Grays and members of our Friendship Club in Grays

You will be required to cover absence at both sites when you are available. You will need to have previous experience of cooking for a large amount of people and being part of a great team in a busy kitchen.

The successful candidate will be flexible and able to work as part of a team and also to be able to work with a minimum amount of supervision and use their own initiative within established procedures and processes to deliver a high quality service to our Clients with a person centred approach in line with the Care Act and Current Legislation within Adult Social Care.

You will be required to attend mandatory training in areas that are relevant to the role. Shadowing will also be provided. You will encourage, motivate, and support Clients while ensuring their safety and welfare in their homes when providing them with their meals.

Core values include individuality, independence, choice, dignity, respect, rights, confidentiality and fulfilment, which guarantees Clients receive a high standard of service.

What We Are Looking For

The successful candidate will need to have a flexible approach to working hours and be able to travel borough wide. Candidates will need to have good values and continually promote, service user choice and control, fulfilment, respect, privacy, dignity, rights and independence.

The post holders will need to be kind, compassionate, caring, flexible and committed.

The successful candidate will need to have a professional attitude at all times and have knowledge around the understanding of Dementia, Challenging behaviours and Manual Handling – training also provided.

DBS Check: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for Adults is required at Enhanced plus barred list level

Benefits of Working with Us

At Thurrock Council, we value our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

Generous annual leave entitlement
Local Government Pension Scheme
Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
Ongoing training and professional development
Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
Staff discounts and local offers
A supportive and inclusive working environment

The Council supports the Covid-19 vaccination programme and encourages staff delivering front-line care services to take up the offer of double vaccination.

Important Dates

Closing Date (Internal & External): 16th August 2026

Interview Date: To Be Confirmed

Additional Information

If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact:

Kayleigh Arthurton

Karthurton@thurrock.gov.uk

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification, please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

Application Requirements

As part of the Safer Recruitment process, Gap Management is required from when leaving full-time education for all Safeguarding roles. Please complete the Gaps in Employment grid provided (refer to the example document for guidance) and upload it under Miscellaneous Documents as part of your application. Please provide a full history with explanations of any gaps and ensure you also upload a copy of your full CV.

If the Job Profile and Person Specification list any qualifications as essential, please also upload copies of those relevant qualifications.

Gaps in Employment Form

Gaps in Employment Example

About us

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.

For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council

Salary range

£13.76 per hour