Driver & General Assistant

Salary: £26,093 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 24 September 2026

The Role

Ready to be at the heart of University events? We’re looking for an energetic and reliable General Assistant Driver to join our fast-paced Event Catering team.

You’ll be on the move delivering, setting up and collecting food, beverages and equipment that help bring events to life across campus.

A clean, valid UK driving licence is essential for this post. While Event Catering will be your main base, you’ll also jump in to support other catering units when needed, making this a varied, hands-on role where no two days are the same.

This is a permanent, full time position (37 hours per week.) Normal days of work are Monday to Friday, but you will be required to work weekends or evenings depending on business need, plus overtime is required during events such as Open Days.

For informal enquires about this role, please email catering.staff@ncl.ac.uk in the first instance.

Key Accountabilities

• To prepare, serve, sell and deliver quality food and beverages to meet the demand of customers ensuring items are replenished and portion control is exercised in line with Service Policy and Procedure.
• To clean and maintain designated interior and/or exterior catering areas and associated equipment, fixtures and fittings within them to pre-determined cleaning schedules and frequencies in order to ensure a high standard of hygiene at all times.
• To follow Statutory Food Hygiene, Health and Safety and Liquor Licensing Legislation, and University and Accommodation & Hospitality Services’ Policies and Procedures when undertaking tasks in order to ensure a clean, safe and secure environment for customers.
• To identify and report any defects, damage or hazards in the workplace e.g. to fixtures and fittings and equipment to ensure corrective action is carried out promptly and taking immediate action where possible to warn others and/or remove hazards e.g. cordon off area, place warning sign or immediately mopping up a spillage.
• Where required, assist with receipt of incoming stock, issue and control, using predetermined checklists, pricing and product rotation in order to ensure an efficient service and minimal wastage.
• To deal with any customer queries or complaints to ensure continued customer satisfaction, referring more complex matters to line manager.
• To support the Service’s commitment to training and development by participating fully in training courses designed to improve personal skill levels and knowledge.

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of working in hospitality and catering environment
• Literate and numerate
• Clean, valid UK driving licence

Desirable

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and Manual Handling Training
• Barista Training
• Knowledge of Health and Safety

Attributes and Behaviour

• Customer focussed approach
• Ability to communicate clearly
• Must be a good team worker and equally able to work alone
• Flexible and adaptable approach
• Standards orientated
• Ability to prioritise workload and remain calm under pressure
• Positive approach to personal and skill development
• Able to work in other locations as required
• Working in a customer orientated service environment
• Reliable and dependable
• Smart appearance

Qualifications

Desirable

• Food Safety for Caterers Level 2 Certificate
• British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICS) –Food Premises Cleaning Certificate

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 29079