Manager of Community Kitchen

Job Description

Job Description

As the Manager of the Community Kitchen, you’ll lead a hospitality-focused team focused on providing access to free and healthy meals to those in need in our local Holland community Monday through Friday. This position partners with our Lakeshore Food Rescue as well as our Outreach and Housing Access teams, using rescued food to create healthy meals for our guests. The Community Kitchen manager will focus on meal planning, guiding and directing staff and volunteers through daily prep and cooking, and keeping operations running smoothly and safely. Beyond managing the kitchen, you’ll help build a warm, welcoming space that uses food as a bridge to connect neighbors with essential health and support services. 

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, brings a creative approach to scratch cooking and menu planning with variable inventory, and is deeply passionate about community impact.

Responsibilities & Essential Duties

• Lead and oversee daily Community Kitchen operations, ensuring the consistent preparation and service of nutritious, high-quality meals for approximately 100-200 guests. 
• Ensure a welcoming, dignified, and high-quality experience for Community Kitchen guests and volunteers. 
• Plan weekly menus and provide direction for meal preparation, food utilization, kitchen workflow, and service operations. 
• Lead, supervise, develop, and hold accountable Community Kitchen team members, including staff scheduling and coverage, delegation of responsibilities, regular 1:1s and team meetings, performance management, and cross-training. 
• Oversee inventory management, and ensure FIFO inventory management system is maintained for both onsite and offsite inventory.
• Establish clear roles, workflows, operational procedures, checklists, and expectations that support effective daily operations and appropriate backup coverage.
• Responsible for oversight of food safety, sanitation, health code compliance, kitchen safety, and readiness for required inspections.
• Oversee Community Kitchen program data, documentation, reporting, and other critical program measures to ensure information is accurate, timely, and useful for program decision-making. 
• Maintain strong working relationships and active communication with the partner site leadership and other Community Kitchen partners, vendors, and community stakeholders. 
• Assist guest conflict resolution and behavior de-escalation, ensuring team members are supported and challenging situations are managed effectively. 
• Work collaboratively with the Food Club, Food Rescue and Partnerships, and Logistics teams to ensure effective flow of food between programs.
• Work collaboratively with the Volunteer Experience Champion to expand volunteer opportunities, creating training documentation and pathways for easy onboarding and training of new volunteers to work in our ‘One Team’ approach to service.
• Provide overall leadership and direction for the Community Kitchen, including annual goals, operational planning, staffing and volunteer utilization, process improvement, special projects, and monitoring overall program quality. 
• Collaborate with the Director of Housing Access and other organizational leaders to identify program needs, address challenges, evaluate opportunities, and support the long-term development of the Community Kitchen. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• 6+ years of relevant experience required 
• 1+ years of supervisory experience required
• Bachelors degree or culinary certificate required, or in place of a degree, equivalent years of experience
• Preferred: Culinary degree / Certification, Food Safety Certification, Nutrition knowledge 
• Basic conversational Spanish proficiency desired

Qualifications

• Previous experience cooking for large groups of people (100-200 people/meal).
• Previous experience in menu planning nutritious meals from scratch, preferably with proven ability to work with uncertain inventory. 
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks independently.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret information to support decision making. 
• Fosters trust with others by consistently conducting work with honesty, reliability, and mutual respect, while also demonstrating transparency and emotional openness.
• Cultivates a collaborative and supportive work environment, empowering team members, fostering collaboration and teamwork, and providing guidance and mentorship as needed.
• Ability to mitigate and resolve guest conflicts, fostering a calm and constructive environment where team members feel supported and conflicts are effectively managed.
• Demonstrate a genuine passion for our mission and a commitment to upholding our team’s values: Radically Welcoming, Guest-Centered, Lead with Kindness, Curiosity-Driven, Always Improving, Collaborative by Design, Contagious Commitment, & One Team
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
• Willingness and interest in continuous learning and adaptation based on your professional interests and organizational needs.
• A high standard of performance and integrity, and ability to lead by example to foster a positive workplace culture.
• Proficiency in clear and effective written and verbal communication, and ability to develop trusting professional relationships.

Position Details

Position Type: Full-time Regular

Overtime Status: Exempt

Reports To: Director of Housing Access

Direct Reports: Community Kitchen Specialist, Community Kitchen Associate

Department: Community Kitchen

Primary Location: