Chef & Nutrition Coach in Bedford

Location: Bedford. This service does not have full step free access.

Salary: £26,000 (full time equivalent)

Shift Pattern: 22.5 hours per week, Monday to Sunday. Shifts flexible around meal preparation 5 days per week including weekends. Hours may vary dependent on service and resident requirements.

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Chef & Nutrition Coach to join our brand new service opening in April 2026! As a Chef & Nutrition Coach in the service, you will improve residents' dietary habits, optimise health, personalise meals, and create dishes for our diverse and marginalised residents as they seek recovery. You will need to understand ordering and budgeting as well as have a strong understanding of food safety. A solid understanding of meal planning, dietary needs, and allergy control is essential, but your most important quality will be that you are a people person who is willing to engage with our residents as you tailor healthy and delicious meals to satisfy their needs and wants.

This service is an 11 bed, community-based mental health crisis and step down service offering short stay, trauma-informed support. The team will support our residents who are at risk of admission but can be supported outside of mental health hospital settings, by providing tailored support to help them overcome their personal barriers and achieve their goals, to live more fulfilled lives and independent living.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Planning, preparing and cooking food then serving this to residents.
• Plan and deliver purposeful workshops and activities for residents to participate in to develop life skills.
• Plan and prepare food for cooking on days when off duty.
• Ensure the kitchen is kept equipped with food supplies, equipment and tools.
• Maintain the kitchen and communal areas to ensure they are always kept clean and tidy.
• Ensure food and beverages are readily available for residents.
• Take ownership of self-development to stay aligned with industry and role specific requirements within the role.
• Budget Management: Work within the provided budget to ensure cost effectiveness.

About You

We are looking for someone who has a passion for cooking, food and nutrition, partnered with a desire to make a real difference to people's lives. We are looking for someone with a hands-on approach to their work, able to take ownership and use your own initiative to solve challenges and support residents with understanding the importance of nutrition and diet in their daily lives. You will understand the marginalisation that people with multiple, complex needs face within society, and be driven to help our residents to overcome personal barriers.

What we are looking for:

• Someone who can plan and cook healthy, tasty and tailored food.
• A good understanding of food costs and basic budgeting.
• Ability and willingness to show flexibility of working patterns, responding to the needs of the service and residents.
• A good understanding of Food Safety and Health and Safety Regulations.
• Someone who can share and teach basic cooking skills to interested residents.
• Experience of working with people of complex backgrounds, ideally those who have faced challenges with their mental health.

Please refer to the JDPS attached for more details on the vacancy and our requirements/key criteria.

What we Offer:

• 25 days (Full time Equivalent) annual leave, increasing with the length of service.
• Employer Pension Contribution.
• Eligibility to register with Blue Light Discount Card.
• Access to discounted tickets for music events, shows, sports and more.
• Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing at work.
• Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling.
• Life Assurance Scheme.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Annual Staff Awards.
• EDI Ambassador programme.

About Social Interest Group (SIG)

SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings, probation settings, and hospitals. We do so across London, Brighton, Bedfordshire, Luton, Kent and Liverpool. Our goal is to transform lives through empowering change. We believe good care and support improves lives with the vision to create healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.

Additional Information

Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages. Please note that as part of our process, we complete an enhanced DBS check; some roles may require further vetting. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us on the details below.

For Recruitment related enquiries, or if you need support with making your application for example due to learning needs or a disability, please email recruitment@socialinterestgroup.org.uk or call our central office on 020 3668 9270 to request a call back. Please note that this will take you through to our Central Administration team, who will then communicate your enquiry with us and we will arrange to call you back.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship; please ensure you have full right to work in the UK prior to applying to our positions. Additional information on our company policies including Gender Pay, Equality and Diversity, Company Benefits and our Candidate Privacy Policy can be found on our website.

Closing Date: 1st March 2026