Head Chef

As a Head Chef at HC‑One, kindness is at the heart of everything you do. It’s a quality that touches every part of life in our Dementia, Nursing, Residential, and Specialist care homes. Everyone who works here understands that our Residents are individuals, each with their own life stories – and by joining HC‑One you’ll have the opportunity to give something meaningful back to them through your care and commitment.

As Head Chef you’ll inspire your kitchen team to deliver high‑quality, nutritious meals that our Residents will genuinely enjoy, ensuring every dish supports their health and wellbeing while considering individual dietary needs, cultural preferences, and nutritional requirements. With hygiene and safety always front of mind you’ll manage the kitchen efficiently – overseeing stock, budgets, orders, and compliance with food safety standards such as HACCP. You’ll work closely with central teams to maintain nutritional excellence while running a smooth, well‑organised kitchen operation. You’ll play a vital role in shaping mealtimes into enjoyable, ambient dining experiences; great food in a welcoming environment can make a real difference to our Residents’ quality of life.

Qualifications

• An S/NVQ2 in Catering & Hospitality or Professional Cookery
• A minimum Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate
• A good understanding of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Beyond qualifications we value your energy, leadership and ability to motivate others. You’ll be organised, able to plan ahead, and take pride in delivering excellent service every day. Most importantly you’ll be kind, considerate and committed to making our care homes a great place to live – and to work.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and it is important that you recognise signs indicating possible abuse, harm or neglect and know what to do if there are concerns. All colleagues attend safeguarding training appropriate to their role and undertake additional training in associated areas. You also have the ability to seek appropriate advice, report concerns and, if action is not taken, to escalate them.

Kindness the HC‑One Way

• We are curious – asking questions, seeking to understand.
• We are compassionate – walking in the shoes of others.
• We are creative – finding practical ways to make things happen.
• We are courageous – supporting residents to live the life they choose.
• We are dependable – people can always count on us.

About HC‑One

At HC‑One kindness is more than a word – it’s a way of life. We believe that caring for people means caring about what matters most to them, so we can support them to live their best possible lives. We champion inclusivity, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to be themselves. Our diverse workforce helps us learn from one another and better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds into our HC‑One family and prioritise inclusive working practices across everything we do.

We are enhancing the way we support residents through digital care planning, a technology that helps streamline care, improve outcomes and make daily tasks more efficient. As we grow our digital capabilities we’re looking for team members who are comfortable with technology – or open to learning. You’ll be supported every step of the way. We care about our colleagues and are committed to supporting your personal and professional development. From the moment you receive a job offer we aim for the quickest possible turnaround to get you started, with full support every step of the way. With clear career pathways, continuous professional development and postgraduate programmes HC‑One will invest in your growth – opening up opportunities at regional and national levels.

Please note: We are only able to consider applications from individuals who already have the full right to work in the UK. Unfortunately we cannot offer sponsorship or accept applications from those on a time‑limited visa. Applications that do not meet this criteria will not be progressed.

Rewards & Benefits

• You will enjoy access to a huge variety of benefits and services to support your physical and psychological well‑being and throughout your career as a Head Chef we will invest in you.
• Higher than average pay rates
• Paid Enhanced DBS / PVG
• Free uniform
• Company pension scheme
• 28 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
• Life assurance cover for all colleagues
• Award‑winning learning and development and support to achieve qualifications
• GP online – a service providing around‑the‑clock GP consultation via an interactive app – available to you and your children under 16
• An opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues as part of an outstanding and committed team
• Colleague discounts – access to over 1,600 high‑street discounts including carefully selected discount partners
• Wellbeing – free of charge access to an independent and confidential Employee Assistance Programme. This gives colleagues and their families access to 24/7 365 support for a whole range of issues including physical, mental and financial issues
• First‑rate working environment in a purpose‑built luxury home
• Free onsite car parking and close to local transport links
• Refer a friend scheme

We want you to have an amazing experience working at HC‑One, starting with our commitment to providing the quickest possible turnaround from the point of making you a job offer to you starting with us on day one. We are passionate about ensuring that our current and future colleagues can be their true selves, and that our workforce represents the communities we serve. We prioritise inclusive working practices and invite applicants from all backgrounds into our HC‑One family.