Head Chef & Kitchen Leader – Aged Care Menu & HACCP

Yarram & District Health Service; Yarram; On-site; AUD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Meals benefit

Onsite gym

Onsite cafe

Supportive team

Professional development

Beautiful location

Job summary

Yarram & District Health Service in Yarram, VIC is seeking a Head Chef (Food Services Lead) to drive day-to-day food services. You will lead a high-standard kitchen, build menus for aged care residents, and report to the General Manager of Operations on staffing, budgets, and compliance.

The role requires Cert IV Commercial Cookery or equivalent, strong leadership, and experience in high-volume institutional catering, with a focus on HACCP and food safety.

Qualifications

• Cert IV Commercial Cookery or equivalent.
• Head Chef / Senior Chef leadership.
• High-volume institutional catering experience.
• Roster, supervision, coaching.
• Knowledge of food safety legislation and HACCP.
• Healthcare/aged care experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen team and maintain high standards of quality, hygiene, presentation and professionalism.
• Deliver meals that are consistent, well-cooked and thoughtfully presented, with residents' experience as the key measure.
• Build and deliver menus aligned to the approved Aged Care meal roster, incorporating resident preferences and feedback.
• Ensure meals meet dietary and texture needs where required, without compromising quality or presentation.
• Oversee food safety systems (cleaning schedules, temperature control, storage, allergens) and ensure incident reporting when required.
• Manage rosters, leave coverage, delegation, coaching and performance follow-up.
• Lead ordering and stock control, minimise waste, monitor cost pressures, and maintain strong supplier coordination with General Manager of Operations oversight.
• Provide regular updates to the General Manager of Operations and escalated risks promptly (food safety, equipment failure, supply disruption).
• Maintain accurate records and documentation for audits and operational governance.

Skills

Leadership

Team leadership

High-volume catering

Kitchen management

Food safety HACCP

Administration

Education

Cert IV Commercial Cookery

Job description

Yarram & District Health Service in Yarram, VIC is seeking a Head Chef (Food Services Lead) to drive day-to-day food services. You will lead a high-standard kitchen, build menus for aged care residents, and report to the General Manager of Operations on staffing, budgets, and compliance.

The role requires Cert IV Commercial Cookery or equivalent, strong leadership, and experience in high-volume institutional catering, with a focus on HACCP and food safety.