Head Chef

Westwood Lodge Care Home; Wigan; Sur place; GBP 30 000 - 38 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Paid Enhanced DBS

Uniform provided

Group life assurance cover

Wagestream - financial wellbeing

Nutritious meals during shifts

GP Online for dependants under 16

Discounts with 1,600+ partners

Employee Assistance Programme 24/7

Learning and development opportunities

Career progression opportunities

Long Service Awards

Résumé du poste

Westwood Lodge Care Home seeks a Head Chef to take full ownership of the kitchen, leading from the front to deliver nutritious and enjoyable meals for residents. You will drive menu planning, food preparation, stock control and budget management with a focus on high standards.

You will manage a team, ensure dietary needs are met, and maintain cost-efficient, quality operations in a 40-hour week, with a balanced, consistent shift pattern.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsabilités

• Lead kitchen operations, from menu planning to stock control and budgets.
• Deli ver nutritious, high-quality meals tailored to residents' dietary needs.
• Ensure meals meet presentation, nutrition and food safety standards.
• Develop and mentor the kitchen team to deliver high performance.

Connaissances

Leadership

Food safety

Menu planning

Stock management

Organisational skills

Dietary requirements knowledge

Formation

City & Guilds 706/1 and 706/2 or equivalent

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Description du poste

Catering and Hospitality - Westwood Lodge Care Home

Contract: Full Time

Shift Type: Days

Contracted hours: 40

About Westwood Lodge Care Home
Westwood Lodge Care Home is a 76 bed, purpose built care home located in a peaceful residential area of Wigan, Greater Manchester, providing nursing and palliative care. With comfortable living spaces, welcoming lounges and a large enclosed garden, the home offers a warm and supportive environment where Residents can feel truly at home. Our friendly and dedicated team works together to deliver high quality, person centred care, helping Residents feel valued, respected and supported every day.

Head Chef Contract

• Contracted to 40 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.
Role Overview
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.
What We Are Looking For

• 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

What We Offer

• Paid Enhanced DBS
• Uniform provided
• Group life assurance cover
• Wagestream - financial wellbeing support and flexible access to earned pay
• A nutritious meal during shifts of eight hours or more
• GP Online for you and your dependants under 16
• Access to more than 1,600 high-street and online discounts
• Free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7, 365 days a year
• Award-winning learning and development, with support to achieve recognised qualifications
• Clear opportunities for career development and progression
• Recognition initiatives and Long Service Awards

About Care Concern Group
Westwood Lodge is part of Care Concern Group, a family-owned, market-leading care provider with a strong and growing presence across the UK. We are committed to delivering high-quality care and creating supportive, rewarding workplaces where our colleagues can grow, develop and thrive.
Our five values Trust|Respect|Passion|Kindness|Inclusivity shape how we care, how we work and how we support one another.
If you want a role where your experience is valued, your character matters and your work has genuine purpose, we would love to hear from you.