Centre Cook/Nutritionist - Educare Albert Street

Great food helps create happy, healthy tamariki.

At Educare Albert Street in Pukekohe, we're looking for a caring, organised, and enthusiastic Centre Cook who takes pride in creating nutritious, delicious kai that children love.

You'll play an important role in supporting the wellbeing of our tamariki, preparing fresh and nutritious meals throughout the day while creating a kitchen environment that is clean, organised and welcoming.

This is a permanent part-time position of 25 hours per week, working five 5-hour days from Monday to Friday.

If you enjoy cooking for groups, take pride in your food and understand the importance of good nutrition for young children, we'd love to hear from you.

The Opportunity:

As Centre Cook, you'll take ownership of the day-to-day running of the kitchen, preparing morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for our tamariki.

You'll create nutritious and appealing menus, cater for individual dietary requirements and ensure meals are prepared and served safely, hygienically and on time.

You'll also work closely with our teaching team to understand the needs of our tamariki and ensure our food service supports a positive experience for children and whānau.

What You'll Be Doing:

Prepare and serve nutritious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for tamariki.

Plan and prepare child-friendly meals and baking that are nutritious, varied and delicious.

Manage dietary requirements, including allergies, intolerances and cultural preferences.

Order and purchase groceries while working within an allocated budget.

Maintain accurate kitchen and food-related records and paperwork.

Keep the kitchen clean, organised and compliant with Educare's policies and food safety requirements.

Follow strict hygiene and safe food handling practices.

Clean eating areas after meals and maintain a safe food environment.

Work collaboratively with the teaching team to support the nutritional needs of tamariki.

About You:

You're someone who enjoys creating food that makes people happy and takes pride in getting the details right. You're organised, practical and able to confidently manage a busy kitchen while keeping a calm, positive and can-do approach.

You'll bring:

Previous kitchen or cooking experience, ideally in an ECE, school, rest home or similar group setting.

A genuine passion for preparing nutritious and enjoyable food for children.

Strong time-management and organisational skills.

Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

An understanding of food hygiene and safety requirements.

An understanding of, or willingness to learn about, ECE food and nutrition guidelines.

Confidence catering for allergies, intolerances and cultural dietary requirements.

A positive, reliable and proactive approach.

Food Safety certification is an advantage, but not essential.

Most importantly, you'll care about the food you prepare and understand the important role good nutrition plays in helping tamariki learn, grow and thrive.

Why Join Educare?

At Educare, we believe great centres are built by great people. We value the contribution every member of our team makes and are committed to creating a supportive, collaborative environment where people can do their best work.

As part of our team, you'll enjoy:

50% childcare fees for your own children at an Educare centre.

Ongoing professional development and opportunities to learn.

A supportive and collaborative team environment.

An organisation with strong values and a people-first culture.

Wellbeing initiatives to support you both professionally and personally.

Branded uniforms provided.

Join Our Team

If you're passionate about preparing nutritious kai and would love to play an important role in the wellbeing of our tamariki at Educare Albert Street, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now by submitting your CV and a cover letter telling us why this role is right for you.

Educare completes Worker Safety Checks on all employees, including a Police Check.

Applicants must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand. Overseas applicants will not be considered, and visa sponsorship is not available.