The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.Job Category
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Residence and Support Staff)Job Subcategory
Cook/ChefJob Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
To provide a high-quality culinary experience at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Maputo as well as wider Residence support as needed. You will be responsible for developing menus and ordering for Events and other dinner, lunches, etc, cooking meals, buying quality food, keeping records of stocks of such as drinks and food items.
| Roles and responsibilities 1. Menu Planning and Development:Creating and updating menus that reflect seasonal ingredients, customer preferences, and culinary trends.Select and buy the necessary organic and sustainable ingredients for preparing meals.Ability to work with local ingredients and adapt menus to regional tastes and dietary restrictions.Familiarity with Mozambican or Southern African cuisine is a plus.Work with the Residence Manager to promote the use of British products at official functions.2.Food Preparation and Cooking:Preparing and cooking dishes to the highest standards, ensuring consistency and quality in every plate.Design menus suitable for formal functions, diplomatic receptions and day to day requirementsCater for diverse dietary needs and cultural preferences.3.Kitchen Management:Supervising outsourced kitchen staff, managing inventory, and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.Understanding of food hygiene standards and safe kitchen practices. 4.Cost Control:Managing food costs, minimizing waste, and optimizing the use of ingredients.Actively seek out and compare prices of food stock to ensure quality, and value for money.Skills in managing limited catering resources, and to work with temporary accommodation setups and limited kitchen equipment if required.Negotiate effectively with external vendors and contractors, to ensure that we get excellent value for money.5. Customer Interaction:occasionally interacting with customers to receive feedback and adjust the menu or service as needed.Clear communication with household staff or other team members, especially in multilingual environments.Readiness to manage catering for events or households with varying schedules and expectations.The successful candidate may be required to provide wider Residence support e.g. helping with set-up for major events.6. Health, Safety & Hygiene:Implement safe practices in food handling, storage, and preparation.Ensure the kitchen and storage areas meet the highest hygiene standards and sanitation regulation.Maintain cleanliness and organized kitchen and all utensils of the kitchen.Resources managed (staff and expenditure):The job holder will not have any direct staff management responsibilities but will coordinate with extra Chef during events that requires one. |
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
| Culinary Certification or Equivalent ExperienceProven experience as a Chef with at least 3 years of experience providing catering at a higher levelIT literacy (proficiency in MS Word, Outlook and Excel)Good oral communication, team-working and self-management skillsDelivering under pressure, on time and with high qualityExcellent kitchen management and food hygiene control, leadership skillsFluency in Portuguese and basic English is required |
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
| Proven experience in successfully catering for big events.Experience of working for a diplomatic mission or international organisationHigher National Diploma Professional Cookery |
Required behaviours
Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality ServiceApplication deadline
18 November 2025Grade
S1Type of Position
Fixed term, with possibility of renewalRegion
AfricaCountry/Territory
MozambiqueLocation (City)
MaputoType of Post
British High CommissionNumber of vacancies
1Salary
USD 862.92Type of Salary
monthlyStart Date
5 January 2026Additional information
- Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
- Please complete the application form in full. Failure to do so may result in a determination that you do not meet the requirements for the position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Maputo are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Mozambique.
- All applicants must be legally able to work in Mozambique with the correct visa/status or work permit.
- Base salary is subject to tax and other statutory deductions.
- Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
- Reference and security clearances checks will be conducted.
Any questions you may have about this position will be answered during the interview, should you be invited. - Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles - Check your application before you submit your application, as you will not be able to make any changes once submitted.
- The British High Commission will never ask you to pay a fee or money to apply for a position.
- Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months, the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
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