Purchasing Porter

House of Commons

The House of Commons a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including: 

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year). 
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. 
• Access to training and development. 
• Flexible working. 
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan. 

Introduction 

Catering Services aims to deliver the best quality service with an enthusiastic and professional team for the benefit of all our customers. We are responsible for the efficient operation of the House of Commons catering facilities within the agreed financial framework.

The Purchasing and Stores team are responsible for overseeing food safety and legal due diligence processes for all catering goods arriving throughout the Parliamentary Estate. Key functions include goods receiving, goods transportation, and storage and issue of catering supplies, as well as administrative processes such as management of the supply chain, order administration, and invoice processing among other things.

The Role 

The Purchasing Porter role is a flexible support role, assisting the Purchasing and Stores team with all duties as required in line with the Catering Department's Food Safety Management System (FSMS). Duties are likely to include the unloading and checking-in of all goods against invoices and purchase orders, probing and recording of fresh and frozen food temperatures, decanting and storage of goods, and preparation, issuing, and transportation of stock. The post holder will need to be flexible in their approach and will likely be required to carry out additional departmental duties to support colleagues and meet the ever-changing needs of the business.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• To assist with any and all duties necessary to carry out the purchasing and stores function; primarily the role is likely to include the unloading, checking, decanting, and storage of foodstuffs and non-perishable goods as part of the goods receiving process in line with safe food handling and due diligence guidelines.
• To assist supervisors in the checking-in of deliveries according to freshness, specification, and the prescribed quantities, ensuring that discrepancies are promptly reported.
• In line with our FSMS, ensures that goods are decanted appropriately into the correct designated boxes ready for storage and distribution to outlets referring to pick lists.
• Completes all necessary temperature checks, logs and goods receipt logs as directed on a daily basis.
• Assists with the picking, issuing and transportation of goods as part of the stores process and making-up of venue-ready orders.

Skills and Experience 

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Good knowledge of a wide range of food and beverage products including a good understanding of acceptable quality standards and an awareness of specifications.
• Have a good understanding of safe and hygienic practices for the receipt, handling and storage of all goods in particular rules relating to allergens and contamination, to ensure that products are managed in a safe way.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, able to maintain professional integrity at all times when speaking with colleagues and suppliers.
• Ability to integrate with colleagues and foster a positive working environment whilst embedding the principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Able to support and guide others working in their respective area.
• Ability to undertake regular manual handling tasks on a regular daily basis in what is a physically demanding role.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• CV & Supporting Statement – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your anonymous CV and covering letter with a 500 word limit. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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