Culinary Manager, United States

World Central Kitchen is seeking a highly skilled chef, and innovative Manager to lead Culinary Operations on the ground to ensure the service of nourishing, comforting meals to disaster-affected communities. The ideal candidate is a committed, innovative Culinary expert who thrives in fast-moving, rapidly changing environments, and is able to develop culturally appropriate menus, manage rotating inventories, and cook at scale in low-resource environments to ensure food reaches communities in need. The Culinary Manager plays a critical role in building and training locally led response teams in order to coordinate the efficient and effective provision of food resources promptly. The Culinary Manager is responsible for ensuring food aid rapidly reaches communities in need in alignment with WCK’s North Star values. 

Duration: The Culinary Manager is a two (2) year term exempt position with the opportunity for renewal, offering a unique chance to lead and shape WCK's responses.

This position reports directly to the Response Director during activations, and the Senior Manager while off activation. 

Preferred Location(s): North America (Northeast, California, Florida, Texas). Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport.

• Atlanta, Georgia
• Chicago, Illinois
• Denver, Colorado
• Houston/Dallas, Texas
• Miami, Florida
• New Orleans, Louisiana

Key Responsibilities:

Activation Management

• Respond within four (4) hours notice to a disaster area to act as Culinary Manager, managing relief operations on the ground, or in rare cases, remotely.
• Lead and manage field teams specializing in culinary operations. Ensure strategic and streamlined implementation of relief activities on the ground, operationalizing WCK’s North Star values.
• Design and implement response strategies in the field that are adaptable and robust enough to function in high-stress, dynamic environments affected by natural disasters or conflicts.
• Recruit, onboard, train and manage culinary teams, including local hires and Corps members in the field. 
• Consult on the scope of the response, and manage or implement Culinary operations.
• Provide regular updates on operations to the Response Director to ensure ongoing, transparent information sharing across the organization. 
• Collaborate with all WCK departments on the ground, or remotely to support the needs of the activation.  
• Ensure smooth transitions and complete handovers with other Activation Managers, and between Response Corps team members when rotating field teams through phases of the activation.
• Complete the After-Action Report process immediately following activation wind-down, collating and drawing learnings for process improvement.

Culinary Operations 

• Design and manage high-volume production kitchens with locally led chef teams, ensuring the preparation of culturally appropriate meals for affected populations.  
• Direct and oversee multiple modalities of rapid food production, across many kitchens in low-resource, austere environments. 
• Create or advise on rotating menus; prepare order lists informed by local culinary partners, soliciting regular feedback from field teams and guaranteeing that all meals are culturally aligned and served with dignity and respect.
• Manage and liaise with the procurement and logistics team to predict future production capacity and timelines; maintaining daily pull lists, tight inventory, and procurement of fresh, high quality ingredients. 
• Guide and teach WCK culinary teams and vendor partners (restaurants, catering companies, food trucks etc) to adhere to high standards of food safety, temperature, quality, hygiene, and scalability. Ensure all meals are prepared in a timely manner to be ready for distribution teams. 

Budgeting and Logistics

• Work with the finance team and Response Director to share cost projections for culinary operations, focusing on meal production and logistical needs.
• Collaborate with the procurement and logistics team to source materials and supplies efficiently and ensure timely delivery to affected areas.

Personnel Management and Training

• Recruit, train, and motivate diverse culinary teams on activation, ensuring a high-performance culture aligned with WCK’s North Star. 
• Provide leadership, mentorship, training and support to team members, promoting a culture of urgency, accountability, adaptability and continuous learning within the team.
• Address personnel issues on activations in real time, and provide regular performance feedback on Corps members. 
• Support the recruitment of Corps members, and manage personnel effectively on the ground to foster growth and ensure a diverse pipeline of activation leadership.
• Identify professional development needs and gaps in culinary capabilities to arrange for appropriate training, and provide this feedback to relevant stakeholders for implementation.  

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with local communities first. 
• Ensure the teams conduct outreach and engagement activities that contribute to WCK’s reputation as an effective, compassionate, and reliable relief organization.
• Represent WCK in the field, acting as an ambassador to beneficiaries, partners, and the media, as required.

Requirements

• Ability to spend up to 70% of the time in the field. The typical duration of an activation is four (4) weeks, though timelines could be longer. 
• Must live within one (1) hour of an international airport or be willing to relocate. 
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to remote and potentially hazardous locations within four hours notice.
• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent is preferred, or 5+ years of experience in management roles, preferably in fast-paced, ever-changing environments, including military, emergency response, culinary, humanitarian, or event management settings.
• Experience leading, training and coaching large teams in challenging and rapidly changing environments. 
• Ability to work independently with minimal infrastructure and resources.
• Willingness to work in challenging environments with austere living conditions. For example, responders may not have  access to running water, communications, or electricity and they may have to sleep outdoors and use bucket toilets.
• Ability to work well with others and take directions to protect yourself and the team.
• Demonstrated negotiation and diplomacy skills in complex and potentially volatile situations.
• Exhibit a calm and composed demeanor during crisis situations, with the capacity to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Be physically fit and have the stamina to work long hours doing physically demanding tasks in varying and potentially extreme climates.
• Strong mental resilience and emotional intelligence to cope with the stressors associated with working in conflict environments.
• Display cultural awareness and sensitivity, recognizing and respecting diverse backgrounds that allow us to positively work with local communities.
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in additional languages relevant to common disaster or conflict zones is highly desirable (Spanish, French, Portuguese).

By joining us as a Culinary Manager, you will dedicate your professional expertise to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by crises. Your leadership will ensure that our response efforts are prompt, strategic, and compassionate, delivering hope and essential aid at a time when it is needed most.

Application & Cover Letter
This application requires a cover letter that explains your interest in this position and in working for WCK. Applications without a letter will not be considered.

References and Background Checks
To help ensure the safety of our communities and our teams, our selection process will include reference and background checks, subject to any legal or regulatory requirements.

Equal Opportunity
WCK is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity and to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment at this time.

E-Verify
For US based employment, WCK participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. Please view the E-Verify posters here with important information.

Para empleados en los EEUU, WCK participa en E-Verify y proporcionará al gobierno federal la información de su Formulario I-9 para confirmar que usted está autorizado para trabajar en los EE.UU.. Los empleadores sólo pueden utilizar E-Verify una vez que usted haya aceptado una oferta de trabajo y completado el Formulario I-9. Haz clic aquí para ver los carteles de E-Verify con información importante.

No recruiters or agencies, please.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

Innovative Environment: Be part of a forward-thinking team that values creativity and innovation.
Global Impact: Your work will have a direct impact on building a diverse and talented global team.
Professional Growth: Opportunities for continuous learning and career development.
Dynamic Team: Work with a supportive and enthusiastic team that values collaboration and fun.

If you’re ready to bring your unique talents to a role that’s as challenging as it is rewarding, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today and let’s build the future of World Central Kitchen together!

WCK is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Join us in being a part of WCK's global talent journey!

Salary Range: $80,000 - $100,000 USD (Depends on experience)