Culinary Workforce Manager

Your Role in Our Mission

Food Bank of the Rockies Community Culinary Pathways Workforce Development program trains low-income and adults with barriers to employment for careers in the food service industry. In our service area hunger is largely driven by poverty (low income is the most common cause of food insecurity). This 24-week training program focuses on teaching participants both culinary and kitchen management skills such as knife skills, cooking methods, safe food handling, costing, menu planning, and more. By teaching professional culinary and kitchen-management skills, the Culinary Workforce Manager helps break this cycle: participants earn industry credentials and prepare healthy meals for local community programs, while building job readiness.

The Culinary Workforce Manager plays a vital role in the upcoming Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR) Community Culinary Pathways Workforce Development program. This position teaches professional culinary and kitchen-management skills to program participants working towards industry credentials and job readiness. Working closely with the Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Operations, the Culinary Workforce Manager develops and delivers a hands-on curriculum in Food Bank of the Rockies' commercial kitchen, ensuring that program participants learn both culinary techniques and kitchen business skills, while providing mentorship in professional development.

What You'll Do

Instruction

• Create, maintain, and update lesson plans for the Culinary Workforce Development Program, ensuring curriculum is aligned with program goals, adult learning principles, and the skills needed for entry-level food service employment.
• Teach core culinary modules, including knife skills, safe food handling, sanitation, cooking techniques, recipe reading, portioning, nutrition, menu planning, and balanced meal preparation.
• Provide hands-on demonstrations and guided practice in a commercial kitchen setting, modeling proper technique, pace, organization, and professionalism.
• Supervise trainees during all practical kitchen sessions to ensure safety, quality, consistency, and adherence to recipes, production standards, and food safety protocols.
• Train participants in large-scale meal production for FBR's after-school meal programs and other future food production initiatives, reinforcing accuracy, efficiency, teamwork, and accountability.

• Integrate instruction on kitchen operations, including equipment use, workstation organization, cleaning procedures, storage practices, and production flow.
• Provide foundational training in food business concepts such as budgeting, purchasing through FBR supply channels, inventory control, portion costing, and cost-conscious menu planning.
• Deliver job readiness instruction, including resume writing, interview preparation, workplace communication, professionalism, punctuality, teamwork, and conflict resolution.
• Support participants in building confidence and readiness for employment through one-on-one coaching, structured practice, and feedback.
• Prepare participants for ServSafe or equivalent food safety certification, including instruction, review sessions, and exam administration or proctoring where applicable.
• Work with Learning and Development or other internal partners to identify, create, and distribute supplemental learning resources, including handouts, visual aids, digital materials, and skills practice tools.
• Coordinate and support guest speakers, demonstrations, and field trips that expose participants to a range of food service environments and career pathways.
• Present program information and participant progress updates during internal and external program presentations, community events, partner meetings, and graduation activities as needed.

Relationship Management

• Build positive, respectful, and professional relationships with participants, creating a supportive learning environment that promotes trust, accountability, and growth.
• Serve as a consistent point of contact for trainees throughout the program, maintaining a strengths-based approach that recognizes each participant's experience, barriers, and goals.
• Collaborate closely with the Executive Chef, People and Culture, Learning and Development, and other internal team members to ensure program alignment and participant success.
• Maintain strong working relationships with referral partners, community-based organizations, re-entry agencies, and workforce development partners to support recruitment, retention, and wraparound services.
• Attend partner orientations, coordination meetings, and community gatherings as needed to represent the program, build referral pipelines, and strengthen external relationships.
• Liaise with employers, culinary leaders, and industry partners to support internships, interviews, job shadowing, and employment opportunities for graduates.
• Follow up with employer partners and participants after interviews or placements to support successful job matches and long-term retention.
• Support alumni relationship-building efforts by encouraging peer connection, mentorship, and continued engagement with the program and FBR community.
• Model professionalism, respect, patience, and cultural humility in all interactions with participants, team members, partners, volunteers, and guests.

Case Management

• Monitor participant progress throughout the program and identify barriers to attendance, participation, completion, or job readiness.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external partners to support participant needs related to transportation, scheduling, childcare, employment readiness, and other barriers that may affect program success.
• Participate in case coordination discussions as appropriate to help ensure participants receive the support needed to remain engaged and on track.
• Provide individualized coaching and referral support when participants need additional assistance with resumes, interview practice, workplace expectations, or personal development goals.
• Document concerns, progress, and interventions in coordination with program leadership and other designated support team members.
• Help identify participants who may benefit from additional support services, including connection to community resources, mentoring, or follow-up services after graduation.
• Use a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach to support participants in overcoming employment barriers and building confidence, skills, and job readiness.
• Support participant retention by helping resolve issues early and by reinforcing accountability, encouragement, and clear expectations.
• Follow appropriate confidentiality practices when handling participant information and sensitive case-related concerns.

Data Requirements

• Track participant attendance, punctuality, participation, and completion throughout the duration of each cohort.
• Record trainee progress related to skill development, lesson completion, kitchen performance, and professional development milestones.
• Maintain accurate documentation of certification progress, including ServSafe enrollment, completion, pass/fail results, and any required retesting.
• Enter and update participant outcome data related to graduation, job placement, interviews, retention, and follow-up benchmarks.
• Support program evaluation by collecting, organizing, and reporting data in a timely and accurate manner.
• Maintain records that reflect both individual participant progress and overall cohort outcomes.
• Use program data to identify trends, measure effectiveness, and inform instructional improvements and participant supports.
• Assist with collecting participant feedback, survey data, and post-program follow-up information at designated intervals.
• Contribute to reports for internal leadership, funders, and stakeholders by providing clear, accurate, and organized program information.
• Ensure data is entered and maintained according to organizational standards, confidentiality requirements, and reporting timelines.

Administrative Work

• Coordinate with the Executive Chef and program team members to schedule classes, guest speakers, field trips, cohort activities, and participant interviews.
• Participate in regular meetings with People and Culture, program leadership, and other internal teams to review team members, participant progress, instructional needs, and program operations.
• Assist with recruitment activities, including partner outreach, orientation participation, and informational sessions for prospective participants.
• Support inventory management for the kitchen classroom by tracking supplies, reporting needs, and helping maintain adequate training materials and equipment.
• Assist with ordering, organizing, and maintaining kitchen classroom materials and learning resources.
• Support special events such as graduation ceremonies, culinary demonstrations, partner visits, and program showcases.
• Help prepare presentations, program updates, and internal or external communications related to participant progress and program outcomes.
• Maintain organized files, lesson materials, participant records, and other program documentation.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by providing feedback on curriculum, operations, participant support, and program structure.
• Perform other related duties as assigned to support the success of the program and the mission of Food Bank of the Rockies.

How the Work Gets Done

The Culinary Workforce Manager demonstrates the following core competencies in daily practice:

• Instills Trust: Builds trust and fosters a positive learning environment through consistent communication, timely feedback, and ongoing support of participants. Provides leadership, coaching, and mentorship through direct instruction, professional guidance, and leading by example to promote skill development, accountability, and workplace readiness.
• Collaborates: Collaborates with internal departments, external partners, and workforce development stakeholders to strengthen program quality, relevance, and participant outcomes. Actively solicits and incorporates feedback, insights, and best practices from diverse sources to support continuous improvement of curriculum, training methods, and program delivery.
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