Job Description

About the team we are recruiting to

The POD sits within Adult Social Care at Coventry City Council. Our core work aims to restore the personal agency and right of citizens that meet the eligibility criteria for secondary mental health services - we achieve this through social brokerage and advocacy.

'What THE POD do is innovative, radical and socially engaged' - NHS England

All of our work asserts the importance of cultivating authentic and critical connections with the City, its creatives, entrepreneurs, academics, industry leaders, change makers, quiet activists and the underheard.


The award winning Pod Cafe, and our citywide social activism programmes Food Union and Time Union, exist because we believe that recovery and regeneration are totally intertwined - the city is its people.


We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

'[The Pod] challenges national assumptions around what and how social care can deliver'

What is the job role?

This is an exciting time to join the award-winning POD Cafe team as we move into year 8 of being based in our wonderful heritage building. The Cafe Coordinators are involved in all aspects of the cafe operations, they devise menus that optimise the use of produce from the allotment, prepare all the ingredients, make the dishes, liaise with the Food Union Coordinators, develop the recipes, serve the customers, clean down the kitchen and manage all aspects of health and safety. They also run our social media campaigns, co-curate events to include our supper clubs, or song and soil events at the allotment, and work with a range of partners to extend our reach.


We are the only 100% plants based (vegan) cafe in the City and it's not unusual for us to have around 50 customers a day - the cafe has a real buzz. A big part of their job is to create an authentic and deep-rooted connection with our customers who represent all walks of life, students, retired professionals, activists, academics, survivors, artists, entrepreneurs.

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

This is a casual position to cover annual leave and other periods of absence and also to support us in delivering some of our events with partners, and at the Food Union site - there are no guaranteed hours.

Who are we looking for?

Do you love making wholesome plant-based meals, are you great at cooking with fresh ingredients, are you interested in growing food, do you believe in the power of food to connect people and communities? if the answer is yes, this job might be for you. We are looking for someone who:

has experience working in a busy kitchen and is aware of Health and Safety legislation as it relates to catering and hospitality (Food Safety Act 1990) Has the confidence and skills to prepare wholesome plant-based (vegan) dishes using fresh locally sourced ingredients (up to 50 customers a day) that reflect the diversity of the city. Is able to carry out costing exercises to inform day-to-day operational activity, business plans, and our social account. has experience working collaboratively with other organisations/stakeholders and community members and is skilled at engaging customers. Is flexible and ready to work across any of our kitchen or garden sites where the preparation of food underpins the engagement activity. Can promote/market the service in a variety of innovative ways to sustain the current income level and generate new custom and or external funds, this may include partnership events in evenings and/or weekends.

You can find out more about The Pod Cafe and our wider work here: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/pod-1/pod or our Instagram page @the_pod_cafe


Contact the manager of The Pod: Christine Eade: christine.eade@coventry.gov.uk if you require further information.


If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

- As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

Members of the Armed Forces and veterans Are currently in care or have previously been in care If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.


Interview date(s): Monday 17th November 2025


About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.



At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.


To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.


If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies


Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles.


Our Values are:

Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent. Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best. Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one. Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve. Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents. * Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.