Talk Community Cooking in the Community Coordinator

Hours: 37

Salary: HC08 £36,363 - £40,777

Contract: Fixed Term

Contract end: 31/03/2029

Closing date: 15/11/2026

Interview date: 23/11/2026

Introduction

Help build a healthier, more sustainable Herefordshire through the power of food.

Are you passionate about nutrition, cooking and working with communities to make a real difference?

We're looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Cooking in the Community Coordinator to lead an exciting programme that helps people across Herefordshire develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to cook healthy, affordable meals while supporting wider food security and sustainability goals.

The Role

This is a unique opportunity to combine practical community delivery with strategic partnership working, helping to tackle food insecurity, improve health outcomes, reduce food waste and strengthen local food systems.

Coordinating and delivering community cooking programmes that supports residents to develop practical cooking skills, improve knowledge and confidence around healthy eating, and access affordable, nutritious food. The post holder will work with local communities and partner organisations to develop accessible cooking opportunities, build local capacity and contribute to wider food resilience, and health and wellbeing objectives.

Working collaboratively with voluntary and community organisations, health partners and other public sector services, the post holder will connect community cooking activity with wider health improvement and prevention programmes. The role will contribute to the objectives of the Crisis and Resilience Fund by strengthening food resilience, building community capacity and helping to reduce reliance on emergency food provision.

What will you be doing?

• Developing and delivering engaging community cooking workshops and food education sessions.
• Creating a Community Cooking Toolkit packed with healthy, nutritious and low-cost recipes and learning resources.
• Designing and delivering a Train the Trainer programme to build cooking and food education skills within communities.
• Working with residents of all ages to improve cooking confidence, healthy eating habits and food knowledge.
• Supporting and managing a Community Cooking Grant Scheme.
• Representing Talk Community on the Herefordshire Food Alliance.
• Supporting the delivery of the Herefordshire Food Strategy and wider food security priorities.
• Working with food banks, food shares, food larders, community supermarkets and local organisations to strengthen community food provision.
• Developing sustainable food projects and promoting approaches that reduce food waste.
• Strengthening links between community cooking programmes and activities and wider health improvement programmes
• Supporting the identification and mapping of food security risks and opportunities across the county.

About You

You'll be an experienced and enthusiastic food, nutrition or community development professional with a genuine passion for improving people's health and wellbeing.

You'll bring:

•           A nutrition qualification (Nutritionist, Dietitian or equivalent) or significant demonstrable experience in nutrition education and healthy eating programmes.

•           Experience of delivering cooking workshops and food education sessions.

•           Experience of working directly with communities and building trusted relationships.

•           Knowledge of healthy eating, nutrition and behaviour change.

•           An understanding of food insecurity, food poverty and sustainable food systems.

•           Experience of partnership working across community, voluntary, health or education sectors. 

•           Strong communication and presentation skills.

•           The ability to inspire and motivate people from diverse backgrounds.

•           Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities.

•           Access to transport and the ability to travel independently across the county.

•           Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends, to meet the needs of the role and communities across the county.

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £37,563- £42,123
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.

At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.

You will probably have heard a lot about how beautiful it is in terms of countryside and open spaces (and it is!) but there is so much more going on here, including world-class cultural assets like the Mappa Mundi, vibrant theatres and a thriving food and drink sector. One of Herefordshire’s biggest assets is the strong and diverse communities. Our Talk Community approach brings that together supporting people to help themselves, encouraging them to help their communities and identifying how communities can help individuals.

Our ambitious transformation programme aims to further build on this to offer an all-age approach. We’re excited about the potential of what we can achieve for the benefit of all residents of Herefordshire, stronger together and building brighter futures.

Don’t meet all parts of the job description?

Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected].

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

How to apply

To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.

For more information or to arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Philippa Ellis Talk Community Healthy Lifestyle Service Manager, [email protected]

Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too. Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!