Assistant Culinary Instructor Jobs in Fort Lee, NJ

Organization Overview: The Goddard Riverside Community Center (Goddard Riverside) and the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center (Isaacs Center) are well-established Manhattan community-based agencies that support services to approximately 30,000 New Yorkers. We are two of New York City’s leading human services organizations meeting the needs of children, youth and families, homeless individuals, and older adults through-out Manhattan and New York City. We work every day for a fair and just society where all people have the opportunity to make choices that lead to better lives for themselves and their families.

Advance and Earn represents New York City's greatest investment in the skill development of future restaurant workers. Through Advance and Earn, young adults learn advanced knife skills, food safety standards, and professional communication skills across 200-hours of classroom instruction before completing 250-hour internships in NYC's top kitchens. Young adults then transition into full-time employment while continuing to access the Isaacs Center's suite of supportive services (financial coaching, benefit navigation, housing assistance) that is designed to optimize workplace productivity.

Position Summary: Reporting to the Director of Culinary, the Lead Culinary Instructor will oversee day-to-day culinary training for students in the Advance and Earn program at The Isaacs Center. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to; teaching to the Isaacs Center licensed curriculum, maintaining orderly inventory and communicating ordering needs to the Director of Culinary, daily workshop facilitation, supervision of the students and addition Chef Instructor Staff, and maintaining a clean and safe working environment. The Lead Culinary Instructor may also be asked to contribute to the development and implementation of: 1) Special Programs/Events such as the Senior Supper Series or Incubator/Virtual Kitchen- Delivery concepts where interns will have the ability to learn the foundational, transferrable skills necessary for professional success within the evolving restaurant industry; 2) Recipe Development & Documentation; 3) Performance Reviews & Disciplinary Action for supplemental Chef Instructor Staff4) other projects as assigned.

Schedule: 20-30 hours per week

Hourly Rate: $30.00 - $35.00

Candidates must have the required qualifications to be considered for the position. The salary offer will be based on the candidate’s number of years experience in the exact or comparable position and additional preferred qualifications will be taken into account.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties 

Development

• Work with the Director of Culinary to develop modules and activities that supplement the Culinary Curriculum at Asphalt Green at Battery Park.
• Support the Director of Culinary to develop incubator/test-kitchen concepts that teach foundational skills to culinary students and address community hunger on an as-needed basis.
• Research culinary approaches, products, and technologies that equip future restaurant workers with the skills and abilities to work in the evolving culinary industry.

Curriculum & Workshop Facilitation

• Support the execution of the Goddard Riverside/Stanley Isaacs Center 20-week culinary curriculum that blends classroom instruction with work-based training, which places equal emphasis on the technical and non-technical elements that support successful restaurants including operations, finances, management, etc.
• Develop meaningful relationships with students from a wide-array of backgrounds, including those with learning disabilities, while providing strength-based communication and feedback, modeling the expected behaviors of culinary leaders
• Maintain an uplifting, safe, clean, and organized classroom environment.
• Implement a diverse set of instructional methods in order to motivate students and promote a positive and productive learning environment.
• Mentor students and/or refer students to appropriate Isaacs Center social team specialists.
• Alongside the Director of Culinary, coordinate experiential learning opportunities designed to keep participants engaged throughout the 20-week cohort.
• Lead a Culinary Team of up to (2) Chef Instructors, and (1) Culinary Apprentice at any given time.
• Engage with Chef Instructors and Culinary Team through performance reviews, feedback and brainstorming sessions, to name a few.
• Provide one-on-one and small group mentoring and coaching to active participants and alumni.
• Other tasks as assigned.

External Partnerships 

• Work alongside the Director of Culinary to establish and maintain vendor relationships as they pertain to ingredient/equipment/packaging needs for the classroom work.
• Represent the Isaacs Center both in-person and virtually on panels, forums, and through industry association groups, if needed.

Supervision

• Directly assist with supervision of up to 25 Culinary Students, alongside 3 Part-Time Culinary Staff Members.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience preferred.
• Culinary Degree or relevant experience preferred.
• Experience working as a leader in an educational culinary setting (e.g., Accredited
• Culinary Program, Recreational/Public Culinary Programs, etc.) and having led a culinary team.
• Ability to communicate effectively with students of disparate backgrounds, education levels, and cultures.
• Highly adaptable and creative in addressing unique student challenges, particularly those experienced in a hybrid-virtual setting.
• Established network/relationships with food industry professionals and vendors across New York City
• Experience managing food service inventory and ordering systems, and mindfulness when it comes to budgeting.
• Experience working with youth between the ages of 18 to 24 with low to moderate work skills, not required, but a plus.
• Leadership skills in conflict intervention, negotiation and decision-making
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication, networking, negotiation (conflict management and resolution), and presentation skills.
• Excellent organization skills, and the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment
• Current NYC Food Handlers Card/SERV Safe Manager Food Protection Certificate
• Ability to stand for up to eight (8) hours per day and lift up to 50 pounds.
• Punctuality and good attendance MUST.
• Ability to work flexible hours (e.g., evenings and weekends if needed)

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace community grounded in respect for differences. We support hiring a broadly diverse team of qualified individuals who will contribute to our organizations.

Goddard Riverside and Isaacs Center provide equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job related task other than those specifically presented in this description. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.