Crossroads Community Food Network is building a healthier, more inclusive food system in the Takoma/Langley Crossroads, a primarily immigrant, low-income community just outside Washington, DC. At the heart of this integrated network of food growers, makers, and consumers is Crossroads Farmers Market, where an innovative nutrition incentive program makes it easier to bring home more healthy food, and at the same time helps support local farmers and vendors--the majority of whom are also immigrants. Crossroads also encompasses community-based healthy eating education, microenterprise training for aspiring food entrepreneurs, and the shared-use Takoma Park Silver Spring Community Kitchen geared toward helping them succeed.
 

While there are many area organizations that feed the hungry, promote healthy eating, or support local farmers or start-up food businesses, Crossroads is unique because its programs touch on all these necessary components of a sustainable local food system. The benefits are interrelated and multifold: increasing access to healthy food and knowledge about making healthy food choices contribute to improved overall public health; creating a consistent demand for fresh fruits and vegetables has helped make local, small-scale farming more economically viable; and facilitating the transition to self-employment via entrepreneurship fosters financial stability. By connecting and empowering those who grow, make, and eat healthy food, Crossroads is helping an underserved community attain food equity and self-sufficiency.

Crossroads Community Food Network is seeking a full-time Community Kitchen Program Manager to oversee all aspects of the organization’s shared-use community kitchen and associated programming. The ideal candidate will be bilingual English/Spanish, with excellent communication skills and experience in kitchen management, food preparation, and entrepreneurship. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Community Kitchen Program Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of the kitchen, ensuring the facility meets all local health and safety requirements governing food processing for sale to the public. The Community Kitchen Program Manager also helps small-scale food entrepreneurs--the majority of whom are immigrants, women, and/or people of color--launch and manage successful food businesses. To this end, the Community Kitchen Program Manager provides food industry technical assistance designed to improve business operations, access to a variety of sales outlets, and support in scaling-up and increasing profitability.

Essential job functions include but are not limited to:

Kitchen Operations: 

• Oversees the operation and management of the TPSS Community Kitchen, located at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, and ensures compliance with all federal, state, and local codes.
• Creates and maintains kitchen logs including but not limited to: temperature, hold/cold, cooling, waste, cleaning, and small-ware inventory. 
• Ensures all equipment and utilities are in working order, both via scheduled maintenance and repairs as needed. Manages key fob entry system, security, and access to building. 
• Trains kitchen users on operations, safety, and maintenance, and ensures compliance with kitchen use policies and procedures.
• Manages the kitchen’s scheduling, reservation, and records systems.
• Collects, manages, and maintains individual kitchen user documentation including, commercial liability insurance, food safety and sanitation license, food handler’s certificate, user agreement, and rent payment method. Maintains relevant records to meet all federal, state, and local codes.
• Ensures all kitchen users keep the kitchen clean and organized and follow health department food safety guidelines. 

Programming and Partnerships

• Works in cooperation with Crossroads staff and Church staff to ensure all kitchen programming aspects are running smoothly. Builds and manages relationships with service providers, community partners, community members, and contractors. 
• Provides one-on-one and group technical assistance to help kitchen users create efficiencies within their own business models, such as improvement of food preparation, processing, packaging, storage, and labeling. 
• Coordinates customized technical assistance in response to kitchen users’ needs to support business innovation, including product development, packaging design, branding and marketing, food/recipe cost and pricing, learning to prep at a larger scale, and sourcing local products when possible.
• Tracks and collects kitchen users’ business data for grant reports; refines systems through program evaluation.
• Trains community partners and volunteers on kitchen safety, rules, and regulations.

General Organization Support:

• Collaborates with Executive Director on grant applications and reports.
• Attends staff meetings, kitchen oversight committee meetings, and two board meetings.
• Attends and provides support as needed at organizational events 
• Communicates Crossroads’ mission to participants and the public, and represents Crossroads as needed at relevant conferences, webinars, kitchen and farmers market tours, radio/local tv stations, and other outreach events.

Professional Qualifications and Personal Attributes:

• At least three years of professional kitchen experience and/or culinary/food service experience is required.
• At least two years progressive supervisory experience with strong communication, team building, and conflict mediation skills is highly preferred.
• Must be able to work on-site at kitchen office at least 50% of the time (overlapping with high-usage work times) to build trust and relationships with kitchen users. Must also be able to work occasional evenings and weekends, and respond to urgent kitchen matters.  
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including presentation and public speaking skills in both English and Spanish, are required.
• Proficiency in kitchen Plan Review process with ability to review SOPs and knowledge of food code and state and federal licensing processes are required.
• Strong computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office and G Suite programs, database management, data collection and tracking, and social media and digital communication platforms is required.
• Ability to successfully obtain certifications (i.e., ServSafe, Allergen) as needed.
• Capacity to solve problems with energy and a positive attitude.
• Flexibility, creativity, and capacity to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Strong understanding of local and national immigration issues and immigrant culture in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
• A passion for food justice and an understanding of how structural racism impacts the food system.
• A willingness to taste delicious food!
• Experience working in a nonprofit organization a plus. 

Physical Qualifications:

• Be able to lift 25 lbs.
• Requires ability to walk, bend, stand, and climb stairs.

Salary and Benefits:

• The salary range is $52,000-$57,000 and is negotiable based on experience. Benefits include 10 days paid vacation, paid medical leave, parental leave, and 11 holidays, as well as employer-sponsored health insurance (eligible upon hiring) and retirement benefits (eligible after one year of employment).

The position is full time, and the start date is mid-November. Work schedule is flexible, but must be regular and meet the requirements of the kitchen schedule, including some evenings and weekends. We strive to support the whole person and are committed to a healthy work-life balance.

Crossroads Community Food Network is committed to serving as an ally for racial justice and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are fully committed to equity and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and national origin. Applicants with lived experience in our service area are encouraged to apply.