Kitchen Assistant in Nottingham

In your role as a Kitchen Assistant at HC-One, you’ll value one thing above all: kindness. It’s the thread that runs through everything we do in our Dementia, Nursing, Residential, and Specialist care homes. Every person who works with us understands that our Residents are individuals with their own life experiences, families, and stories. By joining HC-One, you’ll have the chance to make a meaningful difference every day — giving something back to those who have given so much throughout their lives.

This is a full-time position of 33 hours per week.

• Assisting with meal preparation under the direction of the Chef or Cook
• Serving meals with warmth and respect in a timely and friendly manner
• Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the kitchen, including equipment and surfaces
• Monitoring and recording food storage temperatures (fridges, freezers, etc.)
• Supporting stock rotation and ensuring ingredients are properly stored
• Showing new team members how to safely use kitchen equipment
• Washing up and ensuring the kitchen remains spotless — even after a busy lunch rush

Everything you do will reflect your care for the Residents, always keeping their comfort and dignity front of mind.

• Some kitchen experience and a real passion for helping others
• NVQ2 in Catering or Food Preparation or willingness to work towards it
• Strong organisational skills, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to follow recipes and record information accurately
• Patience, respect, and genuine kindness in interactions with Residents and co-workers
• Safeguarding awareness and the ability to recognise signs of abuse, harm or neglect; willingness to attend safeguarding training and undertake additional training
• Right to work in the UK (no sponsorship or time-limited visa). Applications from those without this right will not be progressed.

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.

To provide the kindest possible care, everyone at HC-One brings and nurtures five key qualities—what we call 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.
• And we are dependable—people can always count on us.

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 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.

We’ll provide full training, so it’s a great opportunity to learn something new. In return, you will enjoy access to a huge variety of benefits and services to support your physical and psychological well-being. Throughout your career as a Kitchen Assistant we will invest in you and you will enjoy additional support and benefits including:

• Hourly rate is subject to experience and qualifications
• Paid Enhanced DBS/PVG
• Free uniform
• During a shift of eight hours or more a nutritious meal will be available
• Company pension scheme
• 28 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
• Group life assurance cover
• Wagestream - financial wellbeing and flexible access to pay as you need it
• 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 1600 high street discounts including carefully selected discount partners
• Wellbeing - free of charge access to an independent and confidential Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 support)
• Excellent recognition schemes such as ‘Kindness in Care’ and Long Service Awards
• An attractive refer a friend scheme of up to £1000 per referral, depending on the role