Director, Culinary Services

DIRECTOR, CULINARY SERVICES

Martha’s Table requires all team members and classroom volunteers to have completed a COVID-19 primary series and received one booster dose. Team members who are not yet eligible for a booster must submit proof of their booster vaccination within 2 months of receiving their final primary series dose or an original monovalent booster vaccine to hr@marthastable.org.

Martha’s Table will consider waiving the vaccination requirement for:

• Team members who object in good faith and in writing, pursuant to procedures established by the City Administrator or his or her designee, that the employee’s vaccination would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs; and
• Team members who have obtained and submitted written certification from a physician or other licensed health professional who may order an immunization, that being vaccinated for COVID-19 is medically inadvisable because of the employee’s medical condition.

Team members who believe they qualify for either exemption must submit a request for a waiver along with appropriate documentation to support their request to hr@marthstable.org.

Martha's Table is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants who are unable to be vaccinated for religious or medical reasons should contact Human Resources (hr@marthastable.org) as soon as possible to engage in the interactive process and explore what, if any, reasonable accommodations Martha's Table is able to offer.

ABOUT MARTHA’S TABLE

At Martha’s Table, we believe that every Washingtonian deserves the opportunity to thrive. For over forty years, we have worked to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to quality education, health and wellness, and family resources.

Together, we are “One MT.” This means we work across all three of our locations to support our shared mission. In all that we do, we exemplify our four core values of respect, compassion, teamwork, and accountability. These values -- and our commitment to “white glove service” -- guide how we engage with the communities we stand alongside and how we work together as a team. When you come to Martha’s Table -- as a guest or as a team member -- you are valued and you deserve our very best.

In order to be the best version of MT, we are deeply committed to equitable practices. We apply the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in providing programming and services; in creating our Board; in partnerships and procurement; and in hiring, training, and advancing our team members.

We invest in our team members’ personal and professional goals through our “STEP” program, which includes tuition for continuing education, certifications, and professional development; funding to unlock financially held transcripts; and flexible leave options.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director, Culinary Services is responsible for the overall supervision of our prepared food operations. These include the children’s meal program for our two Early Childhood Education centers, and McKenna’s Wagon, our mobile food service, which rolls out 7 days a week, 365 days a year to feed hundreds of DC neighbors who may be experiencing housing instability or hunger. The Director also leads our food training and certification programs, oversees the use of our commercial kitchen by participants in our Community Kitchen Food Entrepreneur initiative, and leads the mass production of prepared foods for recurring activities, meetings, and special events. This position reports directly to the Deputy Chief, Health and Wellness Programs.

POSITION DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Leadership

• Directly supervises two Prepared Food Managers.
• Leads, coaches, and develops Prepared Food team members across two locations.
• Leads Martha’s Table’s children’s meal program, McKenna’s Wagon program, and the mass production of prepared foods for recurring activities, meetings, and special events.
• Supports the Prepared Food Manager at the Commons in overseeing the scheduling and the safe and compliant use of our commercial kitchen by participants in our Community Kitchen Food Entrepreneur initiative.
• Manages the Prepared Food team based on organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs. Works with HR to ensure that team members are appropriately recruited, onboarded, supported, and appraised; takes action to address performance problems.
• Performs 90-day introductory period evaluations, annual performance evaluations, and mid-year reviews with team members, in addition to regular 1:1 check-ins to promote a culture of ongoing professional growth.
• Establishes annual departmental and team member goals and objectives, and tracks results against the strategic goals of the organization.
• Ensures the maintenance of safe, clean, and compliant kitchen spaces for our team members, volunteers, and other guests.
• Leads the definition, implementation, and monitoring of Standard Operating Procedures for all kitchen operations.
• Supports the Prepared Food teams at both locations by providing coverage for absences as required. 
• Serves as a thought leader and planner for new prepared food programming opportunities.

Administration

• Maintains licensing requirements (including reports and data collection), ensures compliance with all federal and local codes, follows sanitation and food preparation guidelines, and upgrades training skills and qualifications as required.
• Works closely with the Director(s) of Education and Compliance Officer to ensure compliance under federal and local reimbursement programs.
• Leads menu development and standardized recipe creation.
• Understands organizational financial processes, monitors and manages grant budgets, and leads the Prepared Food team in the development of annual program budgets that are aligned to strategic goals.
• Oversees ordering, monitors expenditures, and uses cost-benefit thinking to set priorities.
• Leads quarterly reporting processes for the Prepared Food team.
• Partners with the Learning, Evaluation, and Research (LER) team to manage data collection and evaluate the effectiveness of programming against intended outcomes for all culinary programs.
• Conducts food handlers’ training and assessments for team members and volunteers.
• Creatively sources products for the various food programs, leveraging existing relationships, and developing new relationships with suppliers and producers.

External Relationships

• Collaborates with other departments to identify program funding opportunities; provides expertise and insight to the Development team for use in materials and proposals to be shared with funders. 
• Maintains relationships with external partners, including other non-profit organizations, schools, funders, and other supporters.
• Participates in fundraising events, meetings, and site visits.
• Attends at least 2 anchor events annually.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS

• At least 5 years of managerial experience, supervising teams in a culinary-related, food service industry environment.
• Extensive experience in mass food production, food safety, food handling and storage.
• Detailed knowledge of federal and local licensing requirements and regulations for food preparation and kitchen operations.
• Proven experience promoting teamwork and collaboration, and managing, training, observing, evaluating, and providing feedback to direct reports.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to navigate ambiguity and manage multiple, concurrent projects and initiatives within and outside of the immediate team.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and ability to engage internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency in multiple software applications including Google apps and Microsoft Office products.
• Demonstrated commitment to Martha’s Table’s core values of compassion, respect, teamwork, and accountability.
  

EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree and experience in mass food production. Qualified candidates without a degree must have five years of experience in the culinary-related service industry along with experience in mass food production.
• ServSafe Food Manager Certificate
• D.C. Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certificate
• Valid driver’s license
• Required background checks and TB tests when working with students

WORKING CONDITIONS

This role will be required to work occasional evenings, weekends, and other non-standard work hours as needed. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 49 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

This position requires the completion of a satisfactory background check. Martha’s Table provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.