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Company

World Central Kitchen · 4 hours ago

Culinary Manager, United States

Washington, DC

Contract

Remote

Mid, Senior Level

$80K/yr - $100K/yr

5+ years exp

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Food and BeverageNon Profit

No H1B

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Responsibilities

Respond within four (4) hours notice to a disaster area to act as Culinary Manager, managing relief operations on the ground, or in rare cases, remotely

Lead and manage field teams specializing in culinary operations. Ensure strategic and streamlined implementation of relief activities on the ground, operationalizing WCK's North Star values

Design and implement response strategies in the field that are adaptable and robust enough to function in high-stress, dynamic environments affected by natural disasters or conflicts

Recruit, onboard, train and manage culinary teams, including local hires and Corps members in the field.

Consult on the scope of the response, and manage or implement Culinary operations

Provide regular updates on operations to the Response Director to ensure ongoing, transparent information sharing across the organization.

Collaborate with all WCK departments on the ground, or remotely to support the needs of the activation.

Ensure smooth transitions and complete handovers with other Activation Managers, and between Response Corps team members when rotating field teams through phases of the activation

Complete the After-Action Report process immediately following activation wind-down, collating and drawing learnings for process improvement

Design and manage high-volume production kitchens with locally led chef teams, ensuring the preparation of culturally appropriate meals for affected populations.

Direct and oversee multiple modalities of rapid food production, across many kitchens in low-resource, austere environments.

Create or advise on rotating menus; prepare order lists informed by local culinary partners, soliciting regular feedback from field teams and guaranteeing that all meals are culturally aligned and served with dignity and respect

Manage and liaise with the procurement and logistics team to predict future production capacity and timelines; maintaining daily pull lists, tight inventory, and procurement of fresh, high quality ingredients.

Guide and teach WCK culinary teams and vendor partners (restaurants, catering companies, food trucks etc) to adhere to high standards of food safety, temperature, quality, hygiene, and scalability. Ensure all meals are prepared in a timely manner to be ready for distribution teams.

Work with the finance team and Response Director to share cost projections for culinary operations, focusing on meal production and logistical needs

Collaborate with the procurement and logistics team to source materials and supplies efficiently and ensure timely delivery to affected areas

Recruit, train, and motivate diverse culinary teams on activation, ensuring a high-performance culture aligned with WCK's North Star.

Provide leadership, mentorship, training and support to team members, promoting a culture of urgency, accountability, adaptability and continuous learning within the team

Address personnel issues on activations in real time, and provide regular performance feedback on Corps members.

Support the recruitment of Corps members, and manage personnel effectively on the ground to foster growth and ensure a diverse pipeline of activation leadership

Identify professional development needs and gaps in culinary capabilities to arrange for appropriate training, and provide this feedback to relevant stakeholders for implementation.

Build strong relationships with local communities first.

Ensure the teams conduct outreach and engagement activities that contribute to WCK's reputation as an effective, compassionate, and reliable relief organization

Represent WCK in the field, acting as an ambassador to beneficiaries, partners, and the media, as required

Qualification

Find out how your skills align with this job's requirements. If anything seems off, you can easily click on the tags to select or unselect skills to reflect your actual expertise.

Culinary ManagementCulturally Appropriate MenusHigh-Volume ProductionFood Safety StandardsBudgetingLogisticsCrisis ManagementFluency in EnglishSpanishFrenchPortuguese

Required

Ability to spend up to 70% of the time in the field. The typical duration of an activation is four (4) weeks, though timelines could be longer.

Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport or be willing to relocate.

Willingness and ability to travel frequently to remote and potentially hazardous locations within four hours notice

Experience leading, training and coaching large teams in challenging and rapidly changing environments.

Ability to work independently with minimal infrastructure and resources

Willingness to work in challenging environments with austere living conditions. For example, responders may not have access to running water, communications, or electricity and they may have to sleep outdoors and use bucket toilets

Ability to work well with others and take directions to protect yourself and the team

Demonstrated negotiation and diplomacy skills in complex and potentially volatile situations

Exhibit a calm and composed demeanor during crisis situations, with the capacity to make sound decisions under pressure

Be physically fit and have the stamina to work long hours doing physically demanding tasks in varying and potentially extreme climates

Strong mental resilience and emotional intelligence to cope with the stressors associated with working in conflict environments

Display cultural awareness and sensitivity, recognizing and respecting diverse backgrounds that allow us to positively work with local communities

Fluency in English is required

Preferred

Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent is preferred, or 5+ years of experience in management roles, preferably in fast-paced, ever-changing environments, including military, emergency response, culinary, humanitarian, or event management settings

Proficiency in additional languages relevant to common disaster or conflict zones is highly desirable (Spanish, French, Portuguese)