Job Description

At Retirement Villages Group, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to Age Well. At Thamesfield Village, food is a big part of village life. It brings people together, creates a sense of community and plays an important role in residents enjoying their day.

We’re looking for an experienced Head Chef to lead our kitchen team and take ownership of the food offering at Thamesfield, Henley-on-Thames. This role ia working 30 hours per week, across 5 days out of 7. Flexibility is important, as working every other weekend will be required.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll have the opportunity to shape menus, develop your team and make sure residents and guests enjoy great food every day.

What you'll be doing

As Head Chef, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day running of the kitchen, making sure we deliver food that is high quality, varied, well presented and within budget.

You’ll:

• Lead and support the kitchen team, setting high standards and creating a positive, inclusive working environment.
• Plan and develop menus that meet the needs and preferences of our residents, while offering good choice and value.
• Take responsibility for food quality, presentation, consistency and portion control.
• Cost menus and recipes, manage food budgets and actively reduce waste.
• Use daily specials and menu planning to help manage food costs and make the most of available ingredients.
• Make sure all food safety, hygiene, allergen, COSHH and HACCP requirements are followed.
• Manage rotas and staffing levels effectively, ensuring the kitchen is appropriately resourced.
• Work closely with the wider village team to support events and activities and make food an important part of village life.
• Listen to resident feedback and use it to continually improve the food offering.
• Build strong relationships with residents, colleagues and suppliers.
• Coach and develop your team, helping them build their skills and confidence.
• Look for ways to improve how the kitchen operates, while keeping quality, safety and value at the heart of what you do.

What we're looking for

You’ll be an experienced chef with previous experience leading or supervising a kitchen team. You’ll be confident managing a busy kitchen, planning menus and rotas, controlling food costs and maintaining high standards of food safety.

You’ll need:

• Around 3-6 years' relevant catering or chef experience.
• Previous experience managing or supervising a kitchen team.
• Food Safety Level 3.
• Experience managing a food safety management system.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, COSHH and food allergen requirements.
• Experience with menu planning, recipe costing and managing food budgets.
• A genuine interest in creating good food and improving the resident experience.
• Good organisation and communication skills.
• A practical, hands-on approach and the ability to lead by example.

Most importantly, you’ll care about the people you’re cooking for. You’ll enjoy getting to know residents, listening to what they like and creating food that makes a real difference to their experience of village life.

Why join us?

At RVG, you’ll be part of a team that genuinely believes in the power of community. Our values shape how we work:

Age Well | Community | Keep Improving | Invest Wisely | Planet Positive | One Team

You’ll have the opportunity to make your mark on the food offering at Thamesfield, while working as part of a wider village team that puts residents at the heart of everything we do.

If you’re an experienced Head Chef or Sous Chef ready for your next step and you want to work somewhere where food is about more than just a meal, we’d love to hear from you.