Company description

Since opening our doors in 1979, Mississippi Market Co-op has been helping our Saint Paul neighbors enjoy high quality organic, local and sustainably raised foods. We have three friendly neighborhood stores in Saint Paul owned by 18,000 of our community members. At the co-op everyone is welcome, anyone can shop and anyone can join.

We are a community of members, shoppers and staff that are passionate about real, local food. Our priorities have remained true since the beginning, guided by cooperative principles. We're driven by a desire to improve and nurture the health of people and the planet - supporting local farmers and preserving farmland, donating to local nonprofits, and funding healthy nutrition lessons for children. We're Saint Paul's co-op and we love our community!

Job description

The Kitchen Manager provides oversight and management of our Central Kitchen operations to ensure high efficiency and high-quality results. This includes creation and execution of recipes from scratch where possible, providing in-demand product for our three store locations. The position provides superior overall leadership, as well as specific instances of recipe development, production planning and quality control, while serving as a valuable partner in the development of promotional initiatives. 

Specific areas of accountability include high quality execution of product, customer service, programming and menu planning, team leadership, overall kitchen operations, quality control, safety and sanitation.

Location: 740 East 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106 

Schedule: Current shifts available may vary and can include day, evening, weekend, and holiday hours to meet department needs. Flexibility required to meet business needs.

Qualifications:

High-Volume Production Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in scratch cooking and baking techniques with the ability to manage and execute large-scale food production efficiently and consistently

Team Leadership: Supervisory experience in hiring, training, coaching and team building for a leadership group while fostering an inclusive, professional, and collaborative kitchen culture; demonstrated success in achieving exceptional results by cultivating high-performing teams through continuous development, mentorship, and clear goal setting

Food Safety & Compliance: Proven deep understanding of food safety standards, sanitation practices, and regulatory compliance (e.g., HACCP, ServSafe); ability to implement and maintain protocols within production, storage and delivery process; currently ServSafe certified or the ability to become certified within 3 months of hire

Problem Solving and Decision Making: Proven ability to identify, seek, and implement effective solutions to task-based work or departmental problems; a history of choosing the best course of action based on the pros and cons, available resources, long term impact, and potential outcomes of a decision; demonstrates a problem-solving mindset and an innovative thinking; proven ability to make effective decisions during challenging situations

Financial and Strategic Planning and Implementation: Proven ability to develop, execute, and achieve strategic and financial objectives for a large-scale food production facility; experienced in budgeting, cost control, forecasting, and full P&L management to ensure financial health and operational efficiency; skilled in aligning business strategies with financial goals to drive profitability and sustainable growth

Communication: Proven exceptional ability in expressing self, actively listening, self-awareness, empathy, and flexible communication for effective leadership and professionalism in all interactions, ability to clearly convey policies, priorities, vision, kitchen, and organizational goals in a manner that builds cohesiveness and rapport; ability to foster open communication, empower, and motivate leadership team to work towards achieving shared goals; ability to remain calm, professional, and optimistic during challenging situations and effectively resolve conflicts in a constructive and positive manner

Customer Service: Proven ability to provide exceptional customer service and experience, utilizing feedback, and suggesting operational improvements to enhance customer satisfaction

Adaptability and Innovative Thinking: Proven ability to be creative, flexible, and adaptable to changing circumstance and demands; the ability to pivot strategies in response to shifts, unexpected challenges, kitchen, or organizational needs; ability to develop, test, and implement new strategies, embrace innovation, and effectively guide team through transitions; encourage team leaders to develop new ideas and think about alternative ways of doing things

Operational Excellence: Proven ability to manage daily kitchen operations, including prep schedules, workflow, and production timelines to meet retail demand; skilled at prioritizing tasks, delegating effectively, and optimizing resources to maintain productivity and product quality

Technical Skills: Basic to intermediate computer skills including web browsing and Microsoft Office and/or Office 365; proven ability to effectively use technology including email, message boards, etc. for communication; basic math skills including the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide

Preferred Qualifications: 

Product Knowledge: Experience working with natural, organic, and local foods

Special Diets Knowledge: Skilled in nutrition-conscious menu development for diverse dietary preferences and health needs

Recipe Costing Software: Experienced in using recipe costing software to create, manage, and analyze recipes for accuracy, consistency, and profitability; familiarity with Parsley

Multilingual: Communicates in more than one language

Benefits: Our pay and benefits focus on meeting the financial, health, and wellness needs of our staff. They include: 

• 20% employee discount 
• Competitive paid time off and paid volunteering 
• 401(k) matching 
• Low-cost health insurance premium options, and FREE access to primary care and mental health counseling for those enrolled in our medical insurance 
• EAP 
• On Demand Pay 

We offer exceptional perks including: 

• Free food "buddies" 
• Employee referral bonuses 
• Dress code that allows for inclusivity and creativity 

Why Work with Us? 

For many people, it's the opportunity to work for an inclusive, local, values driven business that provides healthy, delicious, and sustainable foods to their community; it's also about people - the ability to work with a great team to create amazing customer experiences. Whatever your reason for joining us, know this, working with us makes a difference! 

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 - $75,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline