Head Chef

Job summary

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. You’ll ensure every dish supports our Residents’ health and wellbeing, considering individual dietary needs, cultural preferences, and nutritional requirements.

With hygiene and safety always front of mind, you’ll take responsibility for managing 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 also play a vital role in shaping mealtimes into enjoyable, ambient dining experiences. After all, great food in a welcoming environment can make a real difference to our Residents’ quality of life.

We’re looking for someone with:

• 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 work.

About HC-One

At HC-One, kindness is more than a word. It is a belief that caring for people means caring about what matters most to them so we can support them to lead their best possible life.

To be able to provide the kindest possible care there are 5 values or qualities that everyone who is part of the HC-One team shows up with, supports and coaches in each other every single day. We call these 5 qualities Kindness the HC-One Way: We are curious and ask questions, look for clues and seek to understand. We are compassionate and try to walk in the shoes of others. We're creative yet practical, using our imagination to make things happen. We are courageous in how we support residents to live the life they want, and we can always be counted on.

We champion inclusivity, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and can be themselves. Our diverse and inclusive workforce allows us to learn from each other and better represent the communities we serve.

Our dedicated, professional colleagues strive to always deliver outstanding care – and we care about our talented teams too, supporting them in their professional and personal growth. We are committed to developing people that work for us through robust career pathways, CPD and post graduate programmes. Throughout your career, HC-One will invest in you with great opportunities to progress into regional and national roles.