Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank is seeking applicants for the position of Director of Culinary Operations. The Director of Culinary Operations (DCO) will be responsible for the management of the Helping Harvest Community Kitchen, which will take donated food packaged for restaurant, hospitality and institutional food use and create heat-and-eat ready meals for low-income seniors in Berks and Schuylkill County; while providing Culinary Arts Skills training to individuals preparing to enter the workforce.

Reporting to the President of Helping Harvest, the DCO will lead the development of the Community Kitchen, a state-of-art commercial kitchen facility currently under construction adjacent to the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts on Washington Street in Reading, PA. The kitchen will be approximately 6,000 square feet in size including a 600 sq. ft. culinary classroom and 1,000 sq. ft. of dry and cold storage. The kitchen includes over $1M in brand new kitchen equipment, with two cooking and packaging lines. We anticipate hiring two additional staff members for the community kitchen prior to opening. This position will begin in July 2024, to prepare for the opening of the kitchen in January 2025.

The DCO will be responsible for all supervision, budgeting, cost controls, business development, training curriculum, events, procurement, reporting, planning and programmatic activity in the kitchen. The DCO will work with Helping Harvest’s leadership team on fundraising, communication, event planning and other programmatic activities to support both the Community Kitchen and Helping Harvest’s work feeding the hungry in Berks and Schuylkill Counties.

The successful applicant will have extensive experience in the food industry, excellent relationship management skills, and be a passionate advocate for low-income people in our community. A bachelor’s degree is required, MBA or MA preferred. Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus. Expected working hours are Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:00pm, with occasional evening or weekend work as needed for special events.

Helping Harvest is actively seeking a diverse pool of candidates for this position and is an equal opportunity employer.

Applications will be accepted until a successful applicant is found.

Helping Harvest Food Bank provides food to 320 program partners for distribution to families and individuals in need in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. No employment phone calls.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $82,000.00 - $87,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Shift:

• 8 hour shift

Weekly day range:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: In person