Cook/Chef | 360 Early Education Macquarie Park

Chef/Cook (360 Early Education Macquarie Park)

Qualified Chef (Certificate III in Commercial Cookery) |Part-time

Be the celebrity chef our children and families rave about.

The first five years shape a lifetime; and what children eat in those years might shape their attitudes towards food for good. At 360 Early Education, our kitchen sits at the heart of our service. It’s where we set children up with a genuine love of good, nourishing food. Families will often stop for a chat, and you will get to know each child as you actively participate in meal service in our purpose built dining spaces. We’re looking for a qualified Chef who takes that as seriously as we do.

Our commitment to child safety

The safety, rights and wellbeing of every child in our care is our paramount priority; above all else.

360 Early Education is a Child Safe Organisation. We implement the Child Safe Standards under the NSW Child Safe Scheme and expect every member of our team, including our kitchen team, to actively uphold them. We have zero tolerance for child endangerment or abuse. All team members are required to read, sign and uphold our Child Safe Code of Conduct as a condition of employment.

If this commitment resonates with how you already think and work, you might be a great fit for our team.

About this role

360 Early Education is looking for a qualified Chef to take ownership of our service kitchen. This is a genuine menu-design role, not a reheat-and-serve one. You’ll plan and cook fresh, wholesome meals daily for our children, manage a busy commercial kitchen, and be the person families trust to nourish their child while they’re in our care.

You’ll own the menu, and we’ll back its quality publicly. We expect our menus to stand up to independent scrutiny, so you’ll need to be open to having your recipes and menu cycle assessed by a recognised authority such as Nutrition Australia or a qualified dietitian. For the right person, that’s a point of professional pride of knowing the food you put out is genuinely excellent.

Our menus promote diversity and high quality ingredients with a focus on freshness and seasonality. You will have a budget that supports this.

Who we are

We’re a family-owned, community-connected early education provider that has exceeded the

National Quality Standard for 13 consecutive years, putting us in the top 5% of private Long Day Care providers nationally.

What makes 360 different isn’t a policy. It’s how we think about early childhood, and food is part of that:

• Our THRIVE Program develops executive function, self-regulation and social skills from birth, grounded in research, driven by relationships
• Children eat fresh, made-from-scratch meals every day, mealtimes are part of the learning environment, not separate from it
• Our children go to bush school, swim school, and the Australian Museum, and work with visiting artists, scientists and performers through our Creative Arts and STEM programs. You might be cooking gourmet meals, or packing sandwiches for a trip to the zoo.
• Every kitchen is a purpose-built commercial space. You’ll have the equipment and the budget to cook properly
• We have university and sector partnerships that bring new ideas through the door regularly

“360 genuinely cares about the wellbeing of children, their families and their employees. One thing is for certain — you will always learn.” — Remi Sallonsonet, Room Leader

What you’ll actually do

As our Chef, you run the kitchen and own the food. Day to day, you’ll:

Menu design and cooking

• Design, write and rotate the service menu: fresh, seasonal, varied and genuinely appealing to young children, including fussy eaters
• Ensure menus align with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Get Up & Grow: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for Early Childhood, providing the recommended share of children’s daily nutritional needs while in care
• Be open to having your menu cycle and recipes independently assessed by Nutrition Australia or a qualified dietitian, and to refining them based on that feedback
• Cook all meals and snacks fresh on-site each day, plating to a high standard
• Display the current menu for families and communicate any changes clearly

Dietary needs, allergens and safety

• Manage and accommodate allergies, intolerances, anaphylaxis and cultural or religious dietary requirements: maintaining accurate, up-to-date records for every child
• Prepare and plate meals for children with anaphylaxis personally, in line with our policy and best practice
• Maintain the service’s HACCP-based food safety program and comply with the FSANZ Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2A), including temperature control, labelling and record-keeping
• Keep the kitchen impeccably clean, hygienic and audit-ready at all times

Running the kitchen

• Order stock, manage the food budget, and minimise waste without cutting corners on quality
• Maintain equipment and report any maintenance or safety issues promptly
• Partner with educators and families on nutrition: sharing what’s on the menu and why it matters

Child safety: part of your role too

• Uphold child-safe practice as an active part of daily life. You’re a visible, trusted adult in a children’s service, not just “back of house”
• Model appropriate, respectful behaviour towards and around children at all times
• Understand and follow your reporting obligations, and raise any concern about a child’s safety or wellbeing without hesitation
• Help maintain a culturally responsive, safe and welcoming environment for all children and families, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

What we’re looking for

Qualifications

• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (or a recognised trade chef qualification)
• Current Food Safety Supervisor certificate (or willingness to obtain before commencing) — required under the Food Standards Code for our service
• Working knowledge of childcare nutrition guidelines (Australian Dietary Guidelines and Get Up & Grow), or genuine willingness to learn them
• Demonstrated experience managing allergens and special dietary requirements safely
• Current, or willing to obtain, First Aid and Child Protection training
• A friendly, warm disposition is a must have! It helps if you love a chat, because you will be someone families want to get to know.

The person we’re hoping for

• A capable, organised cook who can run a kitchen single-handed and still take pride in every plate
• Someone who sees feeding young children as a craft worth doing well — and who welcomes, rather than fears, having their menus reviewed by an expert
• Warm and reliable. Children and teams thrive on consistency, and so does a good kitchen
• Someone who takes child safety personally, not procedurally
• Creative with food, calm under pressure, and meticulous about hygiene and allergens

Why join us

Pay and conditions

• Employed under the Children’s Services Award 2010 and paid above award, with the Federal Government’s Worker Retention Payment applied to eligible roles
• Pay progression as your experience and responsibility grow

What makes life better here

• A purpose-built commercial kitchen and a realistic food budget
• Leave over Christmas and New Year
• Subsidised childcare for your own children within 360 services
• Generous professional development opportunities, including access to the 360 Learning Platform (Ed App) from day one
• The satisfaction of food that’s actually eaten and loved, and a menu you can be proud to have independently assessed
• A network of other qualified chefs working in our sister centres. Share recipes, develop processes to improve practice – you’re not alone!

Your career, actively supported

• A structured induction so you start with confidence, not guesswork
• Support to gain or maintain your Food Safety Supervisor certification and other relevant training
• Opportunities to shape nutrition practice across our growing network of services

Pre-employment screening

Because children’s safety is our paramount priority, all successful applicants will be required to complete the following before commencing:

• Working With Children Check (NSW) or Working With Vulnerable People registration (ACT), verified before your first day. You must notify 360 immediately in writing if your check status changes at any time
• National Police Check — as a broader screening measure complementing the WWCC, required for all child-related roles
• Prohibited persons register check via the NQA ITS
• Qualification and certification verification — your trade qualification and Food Safety Supervisor certificate will be independently checked
• Two structured verbal reference checks conducted directly with your previous supervisors or colleagues
• Signed Declaration of Disciplinary and Investigative History and acknowledgement of your Child Safe Code of Conduct obligations
• Mandatory national child safety training, to be completed during induction. All ECEC workers are required to complete the foundation modules by 27 August 2026

Please also note that personal devices are not permitted while working directly with children at any 360 service.

Section 174AA obligation: Under the Education and Care Services National Law (NSW), all staff — including kitchen staff — are legally required to notify their approved provider in writing within 72 hours of receiving a negative notice, or within 24 hours of becoming aware of any change to their Working With Children Check status — whichever is earlier.

Ready to apply?

If you’re a qualified Chef who wants to cook food that genuinely matters — with good hours, a proper kitchen, and a team that takes nutrition as seriously as you do — we’d love to hear from you.

Apply via: www.360earlyeducation.com.au/careers or through Seek

Questions? Reach out to Anna Collett at macquariepark@360earlyeducation.com.au

We review applications as they arrive and move quickly for the right person.

360 Early Education is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. We particularly welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.