Head Chef

Care Concern Group; Lawton Heath End; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid DBS

Employer pension

Uniform provided

5.6 weeks annual leave

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Pottersway Care Home, part of Care Concern Group, is seeking a Head Chef to lead the kitchen and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals aligned with dietary needs. You will drive menu planning, kitchen operations, stock control, and budget management while ensuring food safety and consistent presentation.

The role emphasises strong leadership, team development and a focus on work-life balance, with a 38-hour week and benefits including DBS payment, pension, uniform, and paid leave.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or managing a kitchen.
• Strong leadership and organisational skills.
• Good understanding of dietary requirements and food safety.
• Proactive, reliable and quality-focused approach.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the kitchen and lead from the front to deliver high quality meals.
• Plan menus and manage food preparation, stock control, ordering and budgets.
• Ensure meals meet individual dietary needs while maintaining nutrition and presentation standards.
• Maintain food safety compliance and drive team performance and development.
• Foster a well-organised, motivated kitchen team and promote career progression.

Skills

Leadership

Organisational skills

Dietary requirements knowledge

Food safety

Reliability/quality focus

Education

City & Guilds 706/1 and 706/2 or equivalent, or working towards

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Job description

As Head Chef, you will take full ownership of the kitchen, leading from the front to deliver high quality, nutritious and enjoyable meals that are central to daily life. This is a role where your leadership and standards will shape the entire dining experience, creating meals that residents look forward to every day. You will drive all aspects of kitchen operations, from menu planning and food preparation to stock control, compliance and team performance. Working with fresh ingredients, you will ensure meals are tailored to individual dietary needs while maintaining consistently high standards of presentation, nutrition and food safety. With a strong focus on efficiency and cost control, you will manage stock, ordering and budgets effectively, minimising waste while ensuring quality is never compromised. Leading and developing your team, you will build a well organised, motivated and high performing kitchen. This role offers a rare opportunity to combine strong leadership, quality food and a better work life balance. The successful candidate will be required to work alternate weekends.

• City & Guilds 706/1 and 706/2 or equivalent, or working towards
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
• Proven experience leading or managing a kitchen
• Strong leadership and organisational skills
• Good understanding of dietary requirements and food safety
• A proactive, reliable and quality focused approach Pottersway Care Home is part of Care Concern Group, a family owned, market leading care provider with a strong and growing presence across the United Kingdom. We are committed to delivering high quality care and developing supportive, rewarding workplaces where our teams can thrive.
• Our five core values Trust|Respect|Passion|Kindness|Inclusivity are at the heart of everything we do, shaping the care we deliver and the environments we create. If you share these values and want to build or develop your career in care, we would love to hear from you.
• £17.50 per hour
• Contracted to 38 hours per week
• Paid DBS, pension, uniform provided
• 5.6 weeks annual leave (based on a full time contract)
• No late evenings or split shifts, offering a consistent working pattern and genuine work life balance, alongside ongoing training, development and clear opportunities for career progression within a well structured and supportive environment.