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- Tasks: Lead the kitchen team, create delicious meals, and ensure a top-notch dining experience.
- Company: Join Bupa, a leading health insurer dedicated to making health happen for everyone.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, free meals, 28 days holiday, and access to health support.
- Why this job: Be part of a caring community that values diversity and promotes a healthy work-life balance.
- Qualifications: Bring your culinary expertise and leadership skills, ideally with an NVQ Level 3 qualification.
- Other info: This role offers a £1,000 welcome bonus and opportunities for personal growth.
The predicted salary is between 32000 - 48000 £ per year.
Richmond Letcombe Regis, South Street, Oxfordshire, OX12 9RG
From £40k plus welcome bonus of £1,000. Permanent. Full time, 45 hours per week across 5 days. Shifts between 07:00-20:00 and alternative weekends - With no late nights, it offers an excellent work-life balance, allowing you to dedicate time to both your professional growth and personal life.
We make health happen. At Bupa, we provide support when it's needed most, and our Richmond Villages Letcome offer luxury retirement living, an aspirational lifestyle for our residents, and our top-tier accommodation is matched by superior service. We provide person-centred care that supports independence and respects individual choice, enabling our residents to lead their best lives.
As the Head Chef at Richmond Village, you will oversee our catering department, ensuring a premium service is provided throughout our restaurant, care home, serviced suites and apartments, spa meals, and any hosted events.
You’ll help us make health happen by:
- Providing high quality and nourishing meals to residents across the Village which comprises of the care home, catering for serviced suites, villagers who have booked a meal in the Restaurant/Spa or for a meal to be taken across to their apartments or for other specific events.
- Leading and advising kitchen staff on menu and food preparation.
- Taking responsibility for all food stuffs etc. in the kitchen, including budgeting, ordering, checking, storage, preparation, and disposal of waste food.
- Ensuring a welcoming, safe, and compliant environment for our residents to dine in.
- Working collaboratively with other department heads and function organisers for special events.
- Consistently delivering a high standard of food and service while working to a fixed budget.
Key Skills / Qualifications needed for this role:
As a culinary enthusiast, you will bring extensive experience in managing diverse teams within a professional kitchen environment, with a special focus on accommodating customers' dietary needs. Your leadership skills should inspire and guide your team, imparting your expertise in sophisticated cooking techniques, practices, and health and safety protocols, preferably backed by an NVQ Level 3 or an equivalent City & Guilds qualification. Through your structured and creative work ethic, you will set the standard, ensuring the delivery of an exceptional dining experience at every meal.
Benefits:
Our benefits are designed to make health happen for our people. Viva is our global wellbeing programme and includes all aspects of our health – from mental and physical, to financial, social and environmental wellbeing. We support flexible working and have a range of family friendly benefits.
Joining Bupa in this role you will receive the following benefits and more:
- My Healthcare - Free access to 24/7 support, advice, and treatment for a variety of health-related issues, including remote GP appointments, physiotherapy and mental health support.
- Annual allowance which you can redeem against a menu of Bupa healthcare products, all to the approximate value of £350.
- Wagestream - Have early access to up to 40% of your earned wages within minutes.
- 28 days holiday.
- We offer a sick pay scheme to our frontline teams, as an addition to statutory sick pay, to help provide some reassurance and financial support during longer absences.
- Long service - For every milestone at Bupa we will reward you with ecards, extra holidays and money!
- Free meal on every shift.
- Interest-free annual travel loan to enable the purchase of public transport annual season tickets.
- We offer a range of Bupa pension plans – find out more on our career site.
- Parental leave - We have schemes for adoption, birth parents and co parents - find out more on our career site.
- Menopause Plan - Specifically designed to empower women to seek advice, choose their treatment and take control of their health.
- Access to discounts at a wide variety of gyms and fitness facilities across the UK.
Why Bupa?
We’re a health insurer and provider. With no shareholders, our customers are our focus. Our people are all driven by the same purpose – helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We make health happen by being brave, caring and responsible in everything we do. We encourage all of our people to “Be you at Bupa”, we champion diversity, and we understand the importance of our people representing the communities and customers we serve. That’s why we especially encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Bupa is a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This means we aim to offer an interview/assessment to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the role. We’ll make sure you are treated fairly and offer reasonable adjustments as part of our recruitment process to anyone that needs them.
* Your welcome bonus will be paid to you in the next available pay run once you have completed four weeks’ service and will be subject to deductions for tax and NI.
*** Please note, this role is not at or above RQF Level 3 and is not included under the UK's Points Based Immigration System for sponsorship by an employer.
Time Type: Full time
Job Area: Care Home - Facilities & Home Support
Locations: Richmond Letcombe Regis Village
Head Chef employer: Bupa UK
Contact Detail:
Bupa UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head Chef
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with Bupa's values and mission. Understanding how they prioritise health and wellbeing will help you align your approach during interviews, showcasing how your culinary skills can contribute to their vision.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight your experience in managing diverse teams and accommodating dietary needs. Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully led a kitchen team and tailored menus to meet various requirements.
✨Tip Number 3
Research the local community and the residents at Richmond Letcombe Regis. Knowing their preferences and dietary restrictions can give you an edge in demonstrating your commitment to providing exceptional service.
✨Tip Number 4
Network with current or former employees of Bupa if possible. They can provide insights into the company culture and expectations, which can be invaluable when preparing for your interview.
We think you need these skills to ace Head Chef
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in managing kitchen teams and catering for diverse dietary needs. Emphasise any qualifications like NVQ Level 3 or City & Guilds that align with the job requirements.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for culinary arts and leadership. Mention specific examples of how you've successfully managed kitchen operations and delivered high-quality meals in previous roles.
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Highlight your ability to inspire and guide kitchen staff. Provide examples of how you've led teams in a professional kitchen environment, focusing on collaboration and maintaining high standards.
Demonstrate Understanding of Health and Safety: Include details about your knowledge of health and safety protocols in the kitchen. This is crucial for ensuring a safe dining environment for residents, so make it clear you prioritise compliance and safety.
How to prepare for a job interview at Bupa UK
✨Showcase Your Culinary Expertise
Be prepared to discuss your experience in managing a professional kitchen, especially your ability to accommodate dietary needs. Highlight specific examples of how you've led teams and improved service quality in previous roles.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
As a Head Chef, your leadership will be crucial. Share instances where you've successfully guided your team through challenges or implemented new cooking techniques. This will show your potential employer that you can inspire and manage a diverse team effectively.
✨Understand the Company’s Values
Familiarise yourself with Bupa's mission to make health happen. During the interview, express how your personal values align with theirs, particularly in providing high-quality care and service to residents.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in a kitchen environment. Think about past experiences where you had to manage budgets, food safety, or special events, and be ready to explain your thought process and outcomes.
