Chef - Aged Care/Retirement - Uniting - Irwin Hall NSW

Cater Care; Newcastle; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekend penalty rates

Purpose-Driven Work

Modern Facilities

Job summary

Cater Care is seeking an accomplished Chef to lead the aged care kitchen at Irwin Hall NSW. You will elevate resident dining, crafting meals that meet IDDSI standards while supervising weekend services in a supportive team environment.

Join a community-focused catering provider delivering high-quality meals, with emphasis on dignity, nutrition, and presentation for residents and staff alike.

Qualifications

• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery or equivalent qualification.
• Experience in high-volume, fast-paced kitchen environments, preferably in aged care, healthcare, hospitality, or corporate catering.
• Commitment to resident satisfaction with empathy, patience and flexibility in dietary needs.
• Ability to autonomously manage weekend kitchen operations.

Responsibilities

• Kitchen Leadership: overseeing daily meal services to ensure smooth operations.
• Inclusive Culinary Services: preparing standard menus alongside texture-modified diets and dietary requirements.
• Quality Assurance: ensuring dishes meet taste, nutrition, temperature and presentation standards.
• Safety & Compliance: upholding kitchen hygiene, sanitation and food-safety documentation.
• Team Collaboration: working with the kitchen team to maintain a supportive and organized environment.

Skills

Culinary Experience

Resident-Focused Care

Autonomous Leader

Kitchen Leadership

Education

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Job description

Chef - Aged Care/Retirement - Uniting - Irwin Hall NSW

Roster: Saturday & Sunday 6:30 am to 3:00 pm

About the Role

We are seeking an accomplished, compassionate Chef who goes beyond following recipes to elevate the resident dining experience. In this key culinary leadership role, you will combine high-standard culinary craftsmanship with resident-focused care, bringing expertise in the IDDSI standard to deliver delicious, nutritious, and beautifully crafted meals within a vibrant, community-oriented environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Kitchen Leadership: Overseeing and directing daily meal services to ensure smooth, efficient operations.
• Inclusive Culinary Services: Preparing standard menus alongside specialized texture-modified diets and dietary requirements with dignity, precision, and care.
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring every dish meets rigorous standards for taste, nutritional value, temperature, and visual presentation before service.
• Safety & Compliance: Upholding strict kitchen hygiene, sanitation, and food safety documentation standards.
• Team Collaboration: Partnering with a dedicated kitchen team to maintain a supportive, organized, and effective working environment.

Who You Are

• Trade Qualified Professional: Possess a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (or equivalent standard qualification).
• Culinary Experience: Proven experience in high-volume, fast-paced kitchen environments. Experience in aged care, healthcare, hospitality, or corporate catering is highly regarded.
• Resident-Focused Care: A genuine commitment to resident satisfaction, displaying empathy, patience, and flexibility in catering to individual dietary preferences and needs.
• Autonomous & Dependable Leader: Demonstrated capability to manage weekend kitchen operations independently, maintaining high standards of food quality and service consistency.

Why Join Us?

• Competitive Pay: Weekend penalty rates apply.
• Purpose-Driven Work: See the immediate impact of your skills on the well-being of our residents.
• Modern Facilities: Work in a clean, well-equipped, and supportive environment.

Who we are:

Cater Care is a leading, 100% Australian owned contract catering service provider, operating across multiple sectors (Aged care, Education, Retirement, Retail and Remote services).

Through our values of Care, Pride and Community, we pride ourselves on diversity, work/life balance, providing excellent career opportunities to our employees. We encourage First Nations people to consider a career with us.

Please note:

As a result of revised standards around health & well-being in the aged care industry, all applicants must have a current year flu vaccination and undertake a National Criminal History Check.

Be careful - Don’t provide your bank or credit card details when applying for jobs. Don't transfer any money or complete suspicious online surveys. If you see something suspicious, report this job ad .