Head of Prepared Foods & Culinary Innovation

About Us
Northgate Gonzalez Market has grown from one store in Anaheim in 1980 to over 40 locations across Southern California, and we’re looking for passionate, customer-focused associates to join our family. We offer flexible schedules, opportunities for growth, and an associate discount of up to 20% for you and your household—all in a positive and fun work environment where you’ll feel valued and appreciated. If you’re enthusiastic, team-oriented, and ready to build a career with us, we’d love to meet you.

JOB SUMMARY: The Director of Prepared Foods is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and continuous evolution of cocina prepared food programs. This leader owns culinary excellence, operational performance, team development, and cross-functional integration across stores and commissary. This position requires strong visible leadership and is responsible for elevating quality, consistency, and innovation across the organization. This role carries full accountability for the financial performance of the department, including sales growth, margin, labor management, shrink control, and overall contribution for the organization’s profitability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

The essential duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Set a clear vision for prepared food excellence and operational discipline.
• Make principle decisions that protect quality, brand integrity, and profitability.
• Culinary and puesto evolution, continuous improvement
• Provide visionary leadership for the Prepared Foods division, setting clear strategic direction aligned with company growth objectives.
• Build, mentor, and develop high-performing puesto leaders and cocina associates.
• Is fully responsible for implementation and utilization of our Fresh Item Management system.
• Drive cross-functional alignment between Culinary, Procurement, Replenishment, Operations, and Puesto Leaders.
• Own food quality consistency and presentation standards.
• Support fresh delivery and just in time production strategy.
• Stay abreast of emerging industry trends and foster innovation.
• Perform frequent and regular store visits to monitor and adjust store strategies
• Partner with Operations to review and constantly strive for improved processes that emphasize 5S cleanliness and sanitation, workplace organization, labor efficiency, delivery of exceptional customer service, consistency of product quality, provision and utilization of appropriate equipment, and attractiveness of displays
• Work with Operations and Field Merchandising to set clear expectations and direction regarding business processes, service standards, and related labor requirements to achieve optimal in-store execution
• with Research & Development and Space Allocation teams to optimize innovation, modification, seasonal rotation, new and discontinued products, and customer engagement initiatives
• Follow all local and state health and sanitation laws and regulations; adhere to all company policies
• Set a positive example for the desired culture, values and philosophies of the organization, including high ethics, integrity, trust, respect, loyalty, humility, etc.
• Maintain a positive work environment and ensure fair and consistent treatment of all associates
• Hire, coach, train and develop merchandising staff to meet business growth needs; help them achieve maximum personal potential and achieve company objectives
• Set clear performance expectations for direct reports and follow-up with timely performance evaluations; inspire, encourage, and lead staff to innovate in sourcing and finding ways to market both new and existing products to customers

Competency Highlight:

• Strategic mindset:Sees the big picture, constantly imagines future scenarios, and creates strategies to sustain a competitive advantage.
• Build effective teams:Recognizes thatleveragingeach team member is critical to achieving team goals.Places team goals ahead of own goals.
• Develops talent:Places a high priority on developing others. Develops others through coaching, feedback, exposure, and stretch assignments.
• Drives engagement:Creates a positive and motivating work environment that makes people feel their contributions are visible and valued
• Organizational Savvy:Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and organizational dynamics.
• Drives for results:Sets aggressive goals and hashigh standards.Pushes self and others to achieve results.
• Balances Stakeholders:Anticipatingand balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Courage:Ability to challenge the norms respectfully and share diverse perspectives.
• Manages Ambiguity:Operatingeffectively, even when the way forward is not clear.

REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS:

Education/Experience/Skills

• Extensive experience in kitchen operations, prepared foods leadership, or equivalent hands-on culinary management required
• Proven track record leading multi-unit or high-volume food operations
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ownership of sales, margin, labor, and cost controls
• Experience working cross-functionally with supply chain, replenishment, R&D, and food safety teams

Certificates/Licenses/Registrations:

• Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Hospitality, Culinary Arts, or related field preferred
• Equivalent combination of education and practical expertise will be considered

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Ability to analyze income and financial statements; create operating budgets and financial forecasts.
• Ability to balance cash receipts and readily detect and troubleshoot errors and omissions; and calculate gross margins and productivity yardsticks.
• Must possess excellent communication and proven vendor interaction skills that drive sales.
• Ability to hear, speak and understand both English and Spanish sufficient to understand conversations, presentations, company manuals, forms and documents.
• Ability to prepare effective written reports, correspondences, and presentations to management.
• Ability to manage and administer a broad range of tasks including resolving complaints, counseling staff, District and Store Team Leaders and associates on the interpretation of policies and procedures.
• Good working knowledge of the grocery industry and all aspects of retail and restaurant operations.
• Be fully knowledgeable and thoroughly familiar with the nature and duties of every staff position in the department including procedures, policies and operations.
• Ability to plan, prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and follow through.
• Knowledge of state and federal laws applicable to effectively running a department, such as governmental compliance requirements, employment and labor laws, including immigration laws.
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships, listen well and relate well to all kinds of people; care about people and be approachable.
• Ability to quickly learn and deal comfortably with abstract concepts and complexity.
• Ability to see things in broad/strategic perspective, see trends and future consequences
• Ability to “think outside the box” in introducing new products, methods and processes toward greater success.
• Proven leadership and ability to motivate, inspire, and create engagement.
• Ability to effectively cope with change and lead company change initiatives across the departments.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions in a manner consistent with the job functions, policies, procedures, regulations, or government law, and to seek advice from executives and others as appropriate.
• Ability to handle stress and remain cool under pressure.
• Ability to achieve results, show persistence and perseverance.
• Ability to be assertive in effectively dealing with conflict and maintain responsibility for positive outcomes.
• Ability to pass a standard drug test and qualify as being drug free under the legal and medical guidelines permitted by the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988.

Physical Demands and Work Conditions

The physical demands and work conditions described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Some requirements may be modified to accommodate individuals with disabilities:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and use the hands to handle, finger, or feel objects, tools or controls.
• The employee must occasionally exert or lift up to 25 pounds carrying boxes of records and forms and frequently exert or lift moderate amounts of weight.
• Successful performance requires specific vision abilities that include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• The work environment is typical of an office and retail store. The noise level is usually quiet.
• The job requires the ability to travel.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER NOTICE

The job duties, elements, responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors, and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The Employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and to require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business or the work environment change.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.