JOB OVERVIEW
We have a fantastic new job opportunity for a Kitchen Manager / Catering Manager / Head Chef with experience of cooking / catering for large volumes, excellent time management and organisational skills. You will be responsible for leading and delivering a first‑class end‑to‑end catering service for a retirement housing scheme that accounts for 47 self‑contained apartments for residents aged 55+. This role involves both hands‑on preparation and cooking, as well as ownership of the back‑office compliance, administration and audit tasks.
DUTIES
* Preparation, cooking and serving of meals, meeting company and environmental health standards.
* Take responsibility for particular dietary and cultural needs and cook specific meals as per the resident food profile so that residents’ preferences are met.
* Complete all menu tick sheets, cleaning records and handover sheets daily, record meals sold and report resident feedback to the catering manager.
* Issue resident catering invoices, respond to resident queries regarding payments and accrued arrears.
* Carry out Health & Safety & Food Hygiene standards checks as directed by company catering standards and ensure all practices meet statutory regulations, including the Registered Homes Act 1984 and the a2dominion Health & Safety policy.
* Prepare and respond to inspections and audits by external authorities and other bodies and fulfill reporting requirements.
* Lead and support a small, dedicated team of colleagues, allocating duties and ensuring work is completed in a timely manner.
* Manage recruitment, probation, development, absence, staff behaviours and employment lifecycle for the team.
* Own ordering, stock control, deliveries, agency workers time‑keeping and maintain the standards set by the catering manager.
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
* Previous experience as a Chef Manager / Cook Manager / Sous Chef / Second Chef / Senior Sous Chef or similar.
* Ideally you will have a catering/cooking qualification and/or experience working in a care and support environment, or cooking experience for large volumes of people.
* Excellent time‑management and organisational skills for running a smooth, effective catering service for residents.
* A passion for leading a team, whether you have prior experience or are looking to take the next step in your career.
* Comfortable in taking ownership of back‑office administration and documentation using basic Microsoft applications (Excel, Word, Teams, Outlook).
* Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
BENEFITS
* 25 days’ holiday (plus bank holidays) increasing up to 28 days with 3 years of service.
* Up to 8% contributory pension.
* Flexible working.
* Investment in your learning and development.
* A generous annual allowance of up to £300 to use towards health and lifestyle benefits for both you and your family.
* Cycle to Work Scheme, whereby employees have access to cycling equipment throughout the year and can pay via monthly salary deductions.
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