Staff Mess Assistant

Reach for Remarkable

Location: HMP Millsike, Full Sutton, York, YO41 1FZ
Salary: £13.75 per hour
Contract type: Permanent, full-time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday–Friday
Shift times: 08:00–16:00 (½ hour break unpaid)

Looking for a hospitality role that gives you your evenings back?
Aramark UK is recruiting a dedicated Staff Mess Assistant to join our friendly team at HMP Millsike. This role offers rare, family-friendly daytime hours while still enabling you to grow your career in a leading global catering organisation.

As a Staff Mess Assistant, you’ll play a key part in the smooth running of the staff mess, motivating your team, delivering great service, and supporting with supervisory and day-to-day operational duties.

At Aramark, we believe in creating a healthy work–life balance while offering fantastic opportunities for learning and progression. You’ll be joining a company known for world-class catering across Defence, Judicial, Education and private-sector clients — and a team packed with incredible culinary talent.

Why join us?

• Family-friendly schedule: Monday–Friday — your evenings are yours
• Free meals and parking
• Blue Light Discount Card (after probation)
• Employee Assistance Programme & Mental Health Champions
• Access to our Employee Benefits app with access to an online GP, and hundreds of discounts, including supermarkets and leisure
• Life assurance, pension contributions, generous holidays (with the option to buy more)
• Career development, apprenticeship schemes, and great internal progression opportunities.

What you’ll do:

You’ll be at the heart of the operation, helping to create a welcoming, efficient, and customer-focused environment. Your role includes:

• Motivating the team to deliver excellent service
• Supervising Enhanced Prisoners as they help prepare and cook food
• Using kitchen appliances confidently, including ovens, fryers, grills, and broilers
• Making drinks, serving food, and engaging warmly with staff customers
• Operating the till, handling cash and spotting upsell opportunities
• Ensuring cleaning schedules are followed and high standards are maintained
• Supporting with training new starters and sharing menu knowledge

What you’ll need to succeed:

Due to the nature of the environment, you must:

• Have lived in the UK for the last 5 years
• Have the legal right to work in the UK
• Be able to pass full security vetting and DBS checks

You’ll also bring:

• Confidence in supervising or guiding a small team
• A positive, can-do attitude
• Previous experience is helpful, but full training is provided

If this role appeals to you, then apply now and show us the value you will bring.

About Aramark UK

At Aramark UK, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and empowered to thrive. As a proud Disability Confident and Forces Friendly employer, we actively encourage applications from individuals of all abilities and are dedicated to supporting employees with disabilities throughout their career journey.

We ensure our recruitment process is accessible, and reasonable adjustments are available at every stage, from application to interview and employment. If you require any accommodations or have any questions, please reach out to our recruitment team – careers@aramark.co.uk.

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

If you are applying for this role and you already work for Aramark, you must notify your line manager before submitting your application.

Job reference: 662834.