Company description

About the High Mountain Institute: Founded in 1995, HMI is a nonprofit independent school with a focus on outdoor, experiential, and place-based education. HMI serves approximately 150 students per year across its high school, summer, and gap programming. About 30% of students receive financial aid, and a similar percentage identify as people of color. All HMI students participate in extended wilderness expeditions lasting from 10-21 days. HMI is not a rehabilitative or wilderness therapy program. HMI students are high-achieving, healthy students seeking challenge, a strong community, and a deeper connection to nature. HMI has about 25 year-round staff, most of whom live on campus. Learn more at: www.hminet.org

Job description

The High Mountain Institute is seeking a Food Educator & Kitchen Manager, a full-time position at the High Mountain Institute. This position is based on HMI’s campus in Leadville, CO; on-campus housing is included in the compensation package. Reporting to the Semester Director of Students and Residential Life, responsibilities include on-campus food service, menu planning, ordering, budgeting, training others, catering large HMI events, and developing and teaching HMI’s food & nutrition curriculum.

The ideal job candidate has prior experience in supervising others in a food service setting, cooking for large groups, and leading/supporting food education efforts.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

Culinary

• Prepare meals from scratch, serving 40+, that meet our value “Simple in Means, Rich in Ends”
• Plan and execute a healthy, varied menus for HMI programs (Semester, Gap, Summer Term, & short programs)
• Teach students to plan and cook meals for a variety of diets
• Lead student cook crews (4-5 students plus apprentice/staff member) ~5 days a week
• Lead culinary services for 6-10 large events annually (Family Weekend, Board Meetings, school celebrations, etc.)

Kitchen Management

• Oversee all HMI on-campus food service when programs are in session
• Oversee cleanliness of all food service areas
• Oversee health and other code compliance in prep, storage, and serving areas
• Maintain a high awareness of and respect for allergies, dietary restrictions, and food preferences within the HMI community
• Train faculty, staff, and apprentices on meal preparation, kitchen supervision, and health code compliance
• Manage inventory and order all on-campus food, backcountry rations, and service-related supplies
• Manage food budget
• Supervise and support the Kitchen & Wilderness Fellow (or similar) in their kitchen duties

Food Education

• Work appropriately with young adults in a school environment
• Promote a fun, healthy, and safe atmosphere in the kitchen
• Teach students general principles of nutrition, culinary arts, and food safety
• Promote open-mindedness toward a variety of diets
• Promote and model a healthy relationship to food

General

• Participate in Professional Development, both on and off-campus
• Periodically serve on hiring and other committees as needed
• In general, serve the HMI mission however needed

Key Collaboration Points

• With the Semester DIrector of Students & Residential Life and Programs Director, review incoming students for each program, planning for allergies, dietary restrictions, and other nutritional needs
• With the Head of School, plan for special HMI events
  With the Apprentice Program Coordinator, plan kitchen orientation for HMI Semester apprentices
• With the Director of Programs, manage the Kitchen & Wilderness Fellow

Essential Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED
• 1-2 years of prior food service experience

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience supervising others in a food service setting
• Experience cooking for groups of 30+
• Food Protection Manager Certification (current or willingness to obtain)

Start Date: July 27, 2026

Position Pay & Benefits:

Annual salary: $34,000-$40,000; Total Compensation $43,000-$49,000, inclusive of on-campus housing value or, when housing is unavailable, a housing stipend.
Health, dental, and vision benefits
Paid parental/FAMLI leave benefits
4-9% retirement benefits match after 1 year
Significant PTO when programs are not in session

Housing at HMI: HMI is proud to offer recently-constructed on-campus housing to its employees. Living on campus is a condition of employment. Total Compensation is the combination of cash salary plus the value of on-campus housing. For example, a Total Compensation of $47,000 typically represents a cash salary of $38,000 and $9,000 of housing value. Actual figures vary by employee and living arrangement, with typical on-campus housing value of $9,000 for most employees.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $43,000.00 - $49,000.00

Application instructions

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Deadline

no deadline