British Embassy Oslo

Main purpose of job:

The Residence Chef is a key post in the British Embassy Oslo, you will be ensuring the smooth operation of the Ambassador’s Residence through assisting with event planning and preparations; and maintaining expense records and accounts. You will be planning menus for a wide range of embassy events, preparing high quality food which showcases the best of modern British and Norwegian food culture. 

What will you be expected to achieve?

• Devise menus and cater for all official events as appropriate at the Ambassador’s Residence & Embassy, creating innovative and modern menus, and applying culinary trends to prepare food in line with the objectives and budget of each event or occasion.

• Organise the purchase of food supplies from local suppliers - planning ahead, buying supplies according to season and availability, and actively comparing prices of food and drinks stock to ensure quality and value for money.

• Apply knowledge of special dietary restrictions and come up with creative alternatives.

• Build organisation and functionality in the kitchen operation and work areas.

• Ensure kitchen hygiene and sanitation, and follow kitchen safety standards, on a daily basis.

• Ensure a good record of menus, guest lists and expenditure is maintained.

• Keep clear and timely accounts.

Events coordination:

• Organise menus, catering, setup, equipment and supplies for all official functions at the Ambassador’s Residence, breakfast, lunch, dinner to larger receptions including the annual King’s Birthday Party;

• Work in partnership with the Embassy staff, who are responsible for guest lists, programmes, protocol and communications at all official events;

• Advise Embassy staff in delivering events, including by agreeing extra temporary staff for larger events.

Team Collaboration:

• Participate as required in cross-Embassy activities, including communications, crisis and business continuity activity.

Perform additional tasks as directed by the Ambassador or Embassy management.

As part of the responsibilities associated with this role, candidates are expected to actively contribute to the Social Committee and provide support during times of organizational or community crisis.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

Essential on arrival:

• Good collaboration skills, professionalism in kitchen management, knowledge of housekeeping and catering.

• Fluency in English and/or Norwegian

Experience in:

• Catering in hotels, quality restaurants, diplomatic residence or equivalent with a proven track record for at least 3 years;

• Housekeeping and organising official functions;

• Leading a small team;

• Maintaining accounts.

Skills- ability to:

• Create a collaborative caring, supportive team;

• Work with minimal supervision;

• Focus on quality service for an official representational needs;

• Manage flexible working environment.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

Desirable:

• Knowledge of wine and spirits.

Required behaviours  

Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline  23 November 2025

Type of Position  Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week  35 hours/week

Location (City)  Oslo

Number of vacancies  1

Basic Salary  NOK 488,040 (gross) - yearly

Additional monthly disturbance allowance.

Start Date  January 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment  

This is a full-time and permanent contract position, 5 working days (currently 35 hours net) per week. The annual basic salary is NOK 488,040 (gross).

The job holder must be prepared to work flexibly based on requirements of official events and the Ambassador’s schedule. General working pattern of Monday to Friday, with some evening work required required for evening events, and occasional weekend work.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance.

Embassy in Norway is a rewarding and exciting place to work, offering:

• Scope for personal and professional development: Excellent networks and opportunities for support, including mentoring, coaching and job shadowing;

• Strong offer for learning and development, including dedicated L&D days;

• An equal, diverse and engaged workplace;

• Work-life balance.

Equal employment

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. We particularly encourage applications from candidates with protected characteristics. DBT Europe Network want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, regardless of their background.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check, security clearance and 6 months probationary period.

The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for the Norway in order to apply.

Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy Oslo are subject to terms and conditions of service in accordance with Norwegian employment law

Visa/work permit requirements: candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Norway and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. The British Embassy does not sponsor work permits.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

The start date mentioned in the advert is just an expected start date. The appointment can start earlier or later depending on several factors.

Additional information  

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the FCDO will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.

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. 

The British Embassy in Oslo, part of the British Government’s Nordic Baltic Network, is part of the UK’s overseas network of diplomatic missions, representing British political, security, economic and consular interests.