Food Warehouse Assistant

Thank you for your interest in the post of Food Warehouse Assistant. Please ensure you have submitted all the relevant documents and steps in order for you application to be considered.

Purpose of the Role:

The HLP Surplus Food Hub has been supporting communities through food in partnership with Lambeth Council since the pandemic. Working as part of a small, busy team you will receive daily deliveries of food from our surplus food partners and wholesale suppliers. Based at our small warehouse, you will help redistribute the food to over 35 community groups serving almost 2000 households weekly across the borough, in partnership with Lambeth Council.

You will interact daily with a range of community groups and HLP’s volunteer teams, understanding specific food needs and requirements and updating information as appropriate. Food will be redistributed either by collection from our Hub or delivering to their sites with our Hub vehicles. You will be fit and healthy and ready for manual lifting of boxes, crates and sacks of food of up to 25kg with assistance from trolleys, pallet trucks and an electric pallet stacker (training will be provided).

You will work closely with the Food Distribution Supervisor helping to record food in and out and adapting to a busy changing schedule as requests come in. The hub team includes a small, diverse group of regular and changing volunteers.

Main Responsibilities:

• Receiving deliveries from surplus food partners and other suppliers

• Ensuring food and products are stacked or stored safely per food safety guidelines

• Preparing orders for distribution to community groups

• Recording food in and orders out as required

• Adhering to health and safety standards, especially in manual handling

• Delivering orders by Healthy Living Platform’s delivery vehicles

• Maintaining the delivery vehicle in good condition and reporting any problems immediately

• Carrying out other reasonable tasks as requested by management

• Undertaking reasonable travel and work beyond hours on occasion with notice

Essential Skills:

• Clean driving license and willingness to drive our vehicles (electric milk float, electric ZipCar hire van, or cargo bike)

• Able and willing to handle heavy crates, boxes, sacks up to 25kg

• Ability to follow a map, learn routes, follow highway code, and drive safely

• Willingness to drive a cargo bike or electric milk float or van

• Team player, prepared to work in harmony with colleagues and share tasks, problem solving, being agile.

• Respect for others within a diverse team and client group

• Commitment to equality, diversity, and anti-discriminatory practice

• Self-motivated, can work with minimal supervision.

Desired Skills:

• Good communication skills (spoken and written)

• Experience working with people from diverse communities and vulnerable groups

• Empathy for the client group in accordance with HLP values

• Interest in the role food plays in community cohesion and health

• Understanding of food safety compliance

Job Details:

Hours: 19.5 hours/week. 3 short shifts Tuesday - Friday (8:45 – 13:00) and 1 long shift Wednesday (8;45 – 16:00).

Contract: Fixed term 6-months, with potential for extension.

Pay: London Living Wage £13.85/hour

Healthy Living Platform can provide an induction and training around Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, Food Hygiene

Conditions & Benefits:

• Holiday entitlement: 25 days per year plus UK Bank Holidays, both pro rata.

• Automatic enrolment into workplace pension scheme

• Equal Opportunities Employer welcoming applications from all backgrounds

About Healthy Living Platform:

Healthy Living Platform is a Lambeth-based charity that brings communities together through food. We focus on connecting people through food across neighbourhoods.

We do this by:

•  Creating proactive partnerships centred around food

• Working collaboratively and respectfully

• Developing and delivering community food-based activities promoting physical and mental health benefits

• Engaging directly with people and communities

• Understanding barriers to accessing healthy food

Projects:

• · Surplus Food Hub: Supports around 2000 households weekly through redistributing surplus food.

• Community Pantries: Low-cost food shops operating 5 times a week, supporting up to 250 households weekly.

• Community Kitchen: Offers cooking opportunities, space for community groups, local food businesses, education, and training.

• Education and Training: short courses to increase healthy food knowledge and skills across the community.

How to Apply:

Please send the following to contactus@healthylivingplatform.org:

• Your up to date CV

• Either a cover letter or short 1-minute video explaining why you’d be great for the role

• Completed equalities monitoring form

• Applications will be accepted on a first-come basis and interviews arranged accordingly. Successful candidates will need to provide 2 professional references and apply for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Check – organised and paid for by Healthy Living Platform.