Head Chef

HC-One Ltd.; York; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

HC-One Ltd. is seeking a Head Chef who will lead the kitchen team in delivering nutritious meals that enhance the quality of life for residents. The role requires strong leadership, hygiene management, and a commitment to supporting individual dietary needs. The successful candidate will be focused on promoting kindness and creating enjoyable dining experiences, while managing kitchen budgets and complying with food safety standards.

Benefits

Paid Enhanced DBS/PVG

Free uniform

Free nutritious meal during shifts over 8 hours

Company pension scheme

28 days annual leave, including bank holidays

Group life assurance cover

Wagestream for financial wellbeing

Learning and development opportunities

24/7 access to GP online service

Employee Assistance Programme

Colleague discounts

Recognition schemes

Refer a friend scheme up to £1000

Qualifications

• S/NVQ2 in Catering & Hospitality or Professional Cookery required.
• Minimum Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate is essential.
• Understanding of HACCP is valuable.

Responsibilities

• Inspire kitchen team to deliver high-quality meals.
• Manage kitchen operations, budgets, and compliance.
• Ensure meals meet dietary and nutritional needs.

Skills

Leadership

Kitchen Management

Hygiene Awareness

Nutritional Understanding

Education

S/NVQ2 in Catering & Hospitality

Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate

Tools

HACCP

Job description

About The Role

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 qualitiesKindness the HC-One Way:We arecuriousand ask questions, look for clues and seek to understand. We arecompassionateand try to walk in the shoes of others. We'recreativeyet practical, using our imagination to make things happen. We arecourageousin how we support residents to live the life they want, and we can always becounted 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.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and therefore it is important that you are able to recognise the signs which may indicate possible abuse, harm or neglect in its different forms and know what to do if there are any concerns. All colleagues are required to attend safeguarding training appropriate to their role and to undertake additional training in associated areas. You also have the ability to seek appropriate advice and report concerns, including escalation if action is not taken.

Rewards & Benefits

You will enjoy access to a huge variety of benefits and services to support your physical and psychological well-being and throughout your career as a Head Chef we will invest in you and you will enjoy additional support and benefits including:

• Hourly rate is subject to experience and qualifications.
• Paid Enhanced DBS/PVG
• Free uniform
• During a shift of eight hours or more a nutritious meal will be available
• Company pension scheme
• 28 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
• Group life assurance cover
• Wagestream - financial wellbeing and flexible access to pay as you need it
• Award-winning learning and development and support to achieve qualifications.
• GP online - a service providing around the clock GP consultation via an interactive app - available to you and your children under 16
• An opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues as part of an outstanding and committed team.
• Colleague discounts – Access to over 1600 high street discounts including carefully selected discount partners.
• Wellbeing - free of charge access to an independent and confidential Employee Assistance Programme. This gives Colleagues and their family access to 24/7 365 support for a whole range of issues including physical, mental and financial issues
• Excellent recognition schemes such as ‘Kindness in Care’ and Long Service Awards
• An attractive refer a friend scheme of up to £1000 per referral, depending on the role

We are passionate about ensuring that our current and future Colleagues can be their true selves, and that our workforce represents the communities we serve. We prioritise inclusive working practices and invite applicants from all backgrounds into our HC-One family andwe are committed to providing the quickest possible turnaround from the point of making you a job offer to you starting with us on day one.