Job Type Full-time Description Our mission for the Young Adult Shelter (YAS) is to provide safe shelter for a diverse community of young adults ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness, particularly those most vulnerable. We strive to create an environment of dignity, respect, and compassion. We recognize the intrinsic value of every shelter participant?and honor their unique experience. YAS strives to improve our participants' lives through collaborative and innovative action by coordinating multi-stakeholder solutions to achieve stable housing, better health, and community integration. Position Type and Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time position with 40 work hours per week. Core hours for this position will usually be between 6:00am and 6:00pm, Monday through Friday. Schedule may vary and occasionally include other days and shifts. Work hours may include holidays, evenings and weekends. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each of the essential duties/responsibilities listed below. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties/responsibilities of this job. The essential functions of the position include, but are not limited to the following:
- Stay knowledgeable and up to date with contract, funding and compliance requirements pertaining to the meal program.
- Maintain food safety standards. Ensure compliance with all food safety regulations, including proper storage, handling and preparation of food.
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of the kitchen, including equipment, utensils, and food storage areas
- Conduct regular inspections of the kitchen and address any sanitation or safety issues immediately.
- Inventory and supply management. Monitoring inventory levels and order supplies as needed, including food, kitchen equipment, and cleaning products.
- Ensure that healthy meals that meet USDA standards are produced and served promptly for participants staying in the emergency shelter.
- Responsible for tracking all meals served, establishing weekly menus, maintaining records required for USDA compliance.
- Maintain relationships with young people, while warmly welcoming them and serving meals on time.
- Manage relationships with vendors to ensure cost-effective purchasing.
- Collaborate with meal contractors and vendors to create menus, order food supplies, meet regulatory standards, and produce meals.
- Oversee the kitchen area and equipment; Ensure and/or maintain the safety and cleanliness of all food preparation, service, and work areas; Ensure the safety, cleanliness, functionality, and compliance of all tools and facilities.
- Schedule and coordinate maintenance, repairs, and improvements to food services facilities.
- Collaborate with the Program Manager to develop and implement an operating budget; Manage and meet the budgets for both food production and kitchen training programs.
- Perform general administrative functions, including but not limited to: making notes in the communication log, documenting unusual incidents, answering the phone, and responding to in-person inquiries in a professional manner.
- Supervise and train support staff and implement and oversee food safety training programs for all kitchen staff and volunteers.
- Schedule and oversee kitchen volunteers and meal providers; Coordinate, develop and expand the preparation and/or delivery of meals by community partners, volunteers and meal providers.
- Express appreciation and maintain a high level of professionalism with volunteers and meal providers. Coordinate, organize, and conduct kitchen and food safety training, as well as other necessary training sessions for volunteers and meal providers.
Additional Duties and Responsibilities:
- Performs other related duties as required or assigned.
- Travel as required. Travel is primarily local and during the business day; although very occasional out-of-the-area and overnight travel may be expected.
- This role has no supervisory responsibilities.
Requirements To perform this job successfully, an individual must meet the minimum qualifications listed below. These qualifications are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required to perform this job. Required Education and/or Experience: To perform this job successfully, an individual must have:
Certificates and/or Licenses: To perform this job successfully, an individual must:
- Be eligible to be licensed as Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) and apply for credential within 30 days of hire
- Become CPR/First Aid/BBP Certified within 6 months of employment
- Have a Washington State Food Handler's Card
- Have Valid Driver's License
- Have the ability to maintain Auto Liability Insurance
- Have reliable transportation
- Successfully pass a Comprehensive Criminal History Background Check and Driving Record Review
Preferred Education and/or Experience:
- Previous experience cooking in either a residential or commercial setting.
Bona Fide Occupational Requirements Must be at least 21 years of age according to program requirements. Skills, Abilities, and Competencies: For an employee to succeed in this position they must have:
- Ability to develop and communicate goals in support of the agency's mission, vision and values and the strategic direction of the shelter respite program.
- Ability to enhance participants' commitments to their goals. Ability to recognize and reward participants for their achievements.
- Ability and desire to work cooperatively with others on a team. Ability to listen and respond constructively to other team members' ideas.
- Ability to convey confidence in a participants' ability to be successful, especially challenging new tasks.
- Ability to demonstrate support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the program's effectiveness; initiation, sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; helping others to participate in organizational change.
- Ability to work with a diverse population and coach them to develop their capabilities through evidence based practices.
- Ability to take responsibility for one's own performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing problems and issues promptly.
- Ability to ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed. Ability to ensure that regular, consistent communication takes place.
- Ability to express oneself clearly in business writing.
- Ability to express oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others.
- Ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others' concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.
- Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.
- Ability to demonstrate concern for satisfying one's external or internal participants or customers.
- Ability to identify the information needed to clarify a situation, seek that information from appropriate sources, and use skillful questioning to draw out information, when others are reluctant to disclose it.
- Ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
- Ability to anticipate the implications and consequences of situations and take action to be prepared for possible contingencies.
- Ability to find effective solutions by taking a holistic, abstract, or theoretical perspective.
- Ability to identify what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it.
- Ability to ensure that one's own work is complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.
- Ability to make difficult decisions in a timely manner
- Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one's preferred way of doing things. Ability to manage multiple projects with demanding and competing deadlines. Ability to maintain a quality workplace in a diverse, fast paced, stressful and changing environment.
- Faith in one's own ideas and capabilities to be successful; willingness to take an independent position in the face of opposition.
- Ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.
- Ability to value and consider the perspectives and backgrounds of all people, including community members, clients and staff.
- Ability to integrate core values, integrity and accountability throughout all organizational and program practices.
Physical Requirements: In order to meet all expectations of this position, an individual must be able to:
- Regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Ascend and descend stairs. Required use of washers and dryers, as well as standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. Perceive text and buttons on the computer screen and discern print and handwriting on paper forms in order to complete orders, make notes, and complete other required physical and electronic documentation. Use sense of smell and taste in food preparation.
- Frequently remain in a standing position and move about inside and outside of the kitchen and shelter building to access storage and supplies; use office equipment; visit off-site vendors and meal providers; as well as to occasionally transport meals and supplies. Help lift and/or move food items, supplies and other small to medium objects (up to 25 pounds).
- Occasionally ascend and descend stairs, when picking up and delivering meals and supplies. Help to lift and/or move food, kitchen equipment and large items, such as furniture, large orders delivered to the shelter, etc. (up to 50 pounds). Required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
Work Conditions: While performing the essential duties/responsibilities of this job, the employee may experience the following environmental conditions at the frequency indicated:
- Noise Conditions: This job operates in a licensed shelter environment for young adults. The noise level in the work environment can be loud. The position regularly interacts with young adults ages 18-24.
- Heat/Cold: May be subject to heat, cold, wet, and/or humid weather conditions, and occasionally extreme heat and/or cold.
- Injury Exposure: This position requires working with standard kitchen equipment - stoves, ovens, refrigerators, microwaves, and coffee makers. Additionally, the position will utilize standard office equipment such as copy machines, computers, filing cabinets and phones.
- Atmospheric Exposures: May be exposed to various scents and perfumes, less than sanitary or uncomfortable conditions, various pests and pathogens, participants' service and emotional support animals, as well as clients in physical, mental or emotional distress.
Salary Description $24.50/hour