POSITION SUMMARY
The Kitchen Coordinator oversees all daily activities in the RVFB’s commercial kitchen, ensuring safe, efficient, and mission aligned operations. This role manages kitchen scheduling, supervises volunteer groups, coordinates classes and food demonstrations, and maintains food safety and inventory standards. The Kitchen Coordinator plays a key role in creating a welcoming, educational, and productive environment for volunteers, community partners, and class participants. This role manages kitchen scheduling, supervises volunteer groups, coordinates classes and food demonstrations, and maintains food safety and inventory standards. The Kitchen Coordinator plays a key role in creating a welcoming, educational, and productive environment for volunteers, community partners, and class participants.
This is a new position, and we anticipate the role will spends 50% of time in office developing programs, and 50% in the kitchen. These percentages may shift as the program is more developed.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program Development
- Plan, schedule and partner with outside organizations, instructors, and community groups to facilitate cooking classes, nutrition education workshops and weekly food demos.
- Coordinate and host volunteer groups preparing lunch items, and other food bank products.
- Collaborate with RVFB team to align kitchen activities with organizational goals.
Scheduling & Logistics
- Develop and manage the kitchen calendar, ensuring efficient use of space and resources.
- Coordinate inventory needs for classes, demos, and volunteer production shifts.
- Communicate logistics and expectations to volunteers, partners, and internal staff.
Kitchen Operations & Supervision
- Oversee daily kitchen operations in a commercial food service environment.
- Supervise volunteers, class participants, and program groups to ensure safe and effective workflows.
- Train volunteers and staff on proper use of commercial kitchen equipment.
- Maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of all kitchen and storage areas.
Food Safety & Compliance
- Ensure adherence to all local, state, and federal food safety regulations.
- Monitor and enforce proper food handling, storage, labeling, and temperature controls.
- Maintain necessary food safety certifications and ensure kitchen documentation is up to date.
- Implement and oversee cleaning schedules, equipment maintenance logs, and safety protocols.
Inventory & Food Management
- Track and manage incoming and outgoing food inventory used in kitchen programming.
- Reduce food waste through proper planning, storage practices, and repurposing strategies when appropriate.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Professional Experience
- 2+ years of professional cooking experience in a commercial, institutional, or high-volume kitchen.
- Experience supervising volunteers, staff, or program participants in a kitchen or instructional setting.
- Knowledge of commercial food service equipment (e.g., ovens, dishwashers, and food processors).
Food Safety & Culinary Skills
- Strong understanding of food safety and sanitation practices;
- ServSafe certification or ability to obtain one.
Facilitation & Community Engagement
- Experience working with people from diverse racial, cultural, economic, and lifestyle backgrounds.
Communication, Organization & Problem Solving
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational, scheduling, and time management abilities.
- Proven ability to prioritize multiple time sensitive tasks.
- Ability to adapt, problem solve and think creatively.
- Customer service mindset.
Technology Skills
- Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Availability & Transportation
- Ability to work evenings and occasional weekends.
- Valid driver’s license and willingness to drive a program or personal vehicle (with mileage reimbursement) to sites throughout King County.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bilingual or multilingual abilities—Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Somali, Oromo, or other languages commonly spoken by recent immigrants in Seattle preferred.
- Associate of Arts degree in education, nutrition, public health, community service, or related field. One additional year of relevant experience may substitute for the degree.
- Experience and enthusiasm for facilitating with adults, families, and youth.
- Ability to collaborate with community partners, volunteer groups, and culinary instructors.
- Experience developing or coordinating culinary education, cooking classes, or food demonstrations.
- Background in community nutrition, culinary instruction, food justice, or nonprofit/community-based programming.
- Experience facilitating and teaching diverse groups, particularly individuals and families with low incomes.
- Knowledge of nutrition, cooking, food security, and gardening.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Commercial kitchen environment with regular interaction with volunteers and the public.
- Ability to lift up to 50lbs and stand for long periods as needed.
- Occasional evening or weekend availability for classes or special events.
- A fast‑paced, collaborative, mission‑driven team environment.