Food Services Manager| Forest Lake Gardens

Metlifecare; Hamilton; Hybrid; NZD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness days

Health insurance

Parental leave

KiwiSaver

Job summary

Metlifecare in Hamilton is seeking an experienced Food Services Manager to lead the Forest Lake Gardens Food & Dining team. This hands-on role owns the operation while working alongside staff to prepare fresh, high-quality meals for residents.

You will recruit, train, and develop kitchen staff, design resident-focused menus, and manage stock, budgets, and compliance with food safety standards. The position is permanent, 35 hours per week, Tuesday to Saturday, with a focus on delivering

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Chef, with previous Café leadership or management experience.
• Strong people leadership skills and the ability to motivate and develop a team.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety, stock control, and kitchen operations.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Experience working within aged care or retirement living is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Prepare nutritious, delicious meals for residents.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise the kitchen team to deliver excellent service.
• Manage recruitment, training, and ongoing development of kitchen staff.
• Develop resident-focused menus and cabinet food offerings.
• Oversee stock control, ordering, and kitchen budgets.
• Ensure compliance with Food Control Plan requirements and audit standards.
• Champion high standards of food quality, presentation, and customer service.
• Promote a safe, healthy, and positive workplace environment.

Skills

Chef

Leadership

Job description

Food Services Manager| Forest Lake Gardens

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Food Services Manager to lead our Food & Dining team at Forest Lake Gardens Retirement Village.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll take ownership of the Food & Dining operation while continuing to work alongside your team, preparing fresh, high-quality meals for our residents. You'll play an important role in creating exceptional dining experiences and fostering a positive, service-focused kitchen culture.

This is a permanent 35-hour per week position, working Tuesday to Saturday. No late shifts apart from our traditional Friday Fish and Chips and monthly events.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare nutritious, delicious meals for our Independent Living Village residents.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise the kitchen team to deliver excellent service.
• Manage recruitment, training, and ongoing development of kitchen employees.
• Develop attractive, resident-focused menus and cabinet food offerings.
• Oversee stock control, ordering, and kitchen budgets.
• Ensure compliance with Food Control Plan requirements and audit standards.
• Champion high standards of food quality, presentation, and customer service.
• Promote a safe, healthy, and positive workplace environment.

About You

To be successful in this role, you'll bring:

• Proven experience as a Chef, with previous Café leadership or management experience.
• Strong people leadership skills and the ability to motivate and develop a team.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety, stock control, and kitchen operations.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Experience working within the aged care or retirement living sector would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Most importantly, you'll be a collaborative leader who takes pride in creating great food and building a team culture that's second to none.

About Metlifecare:

We pride ourselves on providing retirement communities in which people are empowered to be the best version of themselves.

Check out some of our Benefits!

• 3 paid wellness days & 1 paid day of leave to celebrate your birthday each year.
• Health and Life Insurance - automatic cover free to all permanent staff.
• 26 weeks of parental leave on full pay and 5 days paid leave for partners.
• KiwiSaver payments continued for those opted in over the age of 65 years.

Please note that Identification and work eligibility is required with your application.