Production Kitchen Coordinator

Job Summary
Plants & Animals (Burien Press, Moonshot Coffee, Fable All Day, and Seasmith) is looking for an experienced, enthusiastic Production Kitchen Coordinator to join our food services team in Burien, WA.
Our kitchen team operates out of a commissary kitchen in Burien on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. This position is a minimum of 24hrs per week with the potential for up to 36hrs per week. Pay is inclusive of tip share and reflective of the potential range as a result.
This role is one of oversight and accountability, with direct oversight of the Production Kitchen team members and accountability to our food program’s quality, consistency, and efficiency. We currently have a food program with some staple offerings and others that change seasonally.
All members of our team have a direct impact on our program’s success, from organizing deliveries to different cafes to preparing the delicious items we have on offer at our various spots. This position is accountable for ensuring smooth operations from development through to production and packaging.
All Production Kitchen team members cross-train across preparation tasks and are trained on prep, baking, cooking, assembly, and packaging. This role ensures the team is on task and on time.

Joining the Plants & Animals team demonstrates a commitment to collaboration, the creation of an inclusive and welcoming environment, and building creativity and joy into our food program. The Production Kitchen Coordinator position has direct impact on the success of our program, adhering to strict cleanliness standards, various deadlines, and the completion of projects in a manner consistent with quality control measures and production requirements.
We are committed to sourcing locally and sustainably from our incredible agricultural region, and continuously look for ways to develop our program to be inclusive and reflective of the neighborhoods of our cafes and the histories and heritages of our team.

We are looking for any combination of experience and skills that can help us not only streamline and simplify our existing operations and offerings, but help us shape the vision for our future programming. We have a lot of opportunity ahead of us, which includes recently purchasing a building that we plan to build out to house our own production kitchen. We are looking to find someone who is interested in growing into this with us. Having our own space significantly changes what we are able to do, and we want to be ready for what that can look like - scaling production, creating special offerings, or even venturing into our own retail items.

This position would be a good fit for the following person -

• Someone interested in working collaboratively with both a small kitchen team and a broader company team
• Someone who not only takes feedback well, but actively seeks it out
• Someone who wants to participate in menu development and execution, and all the steps along the way
• Someone who can adapt to changes, flex with needs, and be ready for anything
• A creative problem solver
• Someone who is curious

This position would not be a good fit for the following person -

• Someone who wants to be The One in Charge
• A meanie; someone who turns to yelling or punishment as a solution
• Someone who stops at, “I don’t know.”
• Someone who takes feedback personally

General Accountabilities

• Ensuring consistent kitchen and restaurant hospitality, offerings, environment, and operations.
• Fostering a well-developed and high-performing team that works together collaboratively to uphold and further Plants and Animals’ values.
• Cultivating a team culture of kindness, dignity, and respect that is the foundation for the hospitality offered to our guests and community.

Specific Duties

• Perform service tasks during scheduled shifts (Estimated 24-36 hours per week): prepare dishes, write and guide production plans, coordinate product delivery, inventory and order product, coordinate fulfillment of tasks with team, reset kitchen and/or restaurant, oversee training as related to the food program.
• Ensure clean, welcoming, and complete kitchen environment.
• Ensure safety of kitchen environment and proper handling and storage of food products.
• Create and execute plans to elevate product quality and guest experience, as well as minimize waste and reduce costs.
• Participate in financial goals of company including development and implementation of budgeting and systems for increasing efficiency and profitability of the program.
• Monitor and manage labor levels to increase efficiency without sacrificing quality or guest experience.
• Maintain vendor relationships and keep products in stock by ordering products or communicating location inventory needs.
• Participate in scheduling preventative maintenance on all equipment, and ensure that all equipment is in proper working order.
• Troubleshoot small repairs and work with the operations team toward a resolution on larger repairs.

Team Development and Education

• Participate in the hiring, training, and continued support of team members in support of kitchen operations.
• Maintain and participate in team member check-ins, reviews, and professional development.
• Work closely with the Operations team on training development and execution
• Demonstrate leadership in hospitality, product preparation, service management, and communication.
• Participate in the creation of monthly Production Kitchen schedules, adjusting shifts and hours as necessary.
• Maintain knowledge of all retail and service offerings, promotions, policies, education, and goals and act as a resource in support of team’s further education.
• Educate and coach Production Kitchen team in upholding standards, commitments, and agreements and participate in use of corrective action as necessary.
• Facilitate communication between team members towards resolution.
• Foster a positive team morale and relationships including acknowledgment of team and company anniversaries and accomplishments.

Required Qualifications or Experience

• Menu or recipe development, including a basic understanding of food and labor cost
• Both cooking and prep experience
• Has managed people before
• Passionate about creating an environment and team that fosters care, kindness and value.
• Willingness to have a say about how it goes.
• Willingness to continually develop computer and technology abilities.

Experience that would be nice to have but is not necessary for the role -

• Production cooking experience that includes larger volume or scaling
• Baking experience
• Laminated dough experience

Desired Commitments

• Commitment to developing and fostering consistency of composure and presence under varying circumstances, including pace of service and situations of conflict.
• Commitment to effectively navigating project management needs and deliverables.
• Commitment to effectively communicating expectations and accountabilities for position agreements.
• Commitment to the continual practice of effective communication, perspective, and leadership.
• Commitment to practicing personal responsibility and humility in how you are accountable to agreements and expectations.
• Commitment to being detail-oriented and fostering excellent organization skills
• Commitment to being self-motivated with the ability to manage independently.
• Commitment to handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $25.00 - $29.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Shift:

• 10 hour shift
• 12 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Morning shift

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

• Cooking: 2 years (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $25 - $29