Assistant Chocolate Production Manager

About the position

Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco's Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with the producers who grow and ferment the beans we buy. We're always on the search for good cocoa beans, and now we're looking for an Assistant Production Manager to support the Production Manager and the team in growing and shaping our production team as we scale up. It’s 7:30am and you’re in a lab coat walking the floor, eyeing machines for suspicious sounds, double-checking this morningʻs bean delivery, and tweaking the production when a team member calls out. At 8:00am, everyone gathers (10-12 chocolate makers) for our morning stand-up where we review the day’s sorting, roasting, conching, tempering, and packaging goals for the day and most importantly, to raise spirits! Not everyone had their morning coffee so an encouraging, “Let’s have a good day!” from you and the Production Manager goes a long way. We also focus on a different subject each day – Monday is about safety, Tuesday is about food safety, Wednesday is continuing chocolate education, Thursday is stretch day, and Friday is about bagels and donuts (yes, even at a chocolate factory we shake things up). Youʻll be tasked with keeping the morning traditions going strong. Our goal is the same each day – to make some of the world’s best chocolate – and you’re at the center of it all. We start with beans that represent potentially twelve or more years of relationships, genetics, and trust – then bring their individual flavor nuances and quality to light with our SOPs, taste tests, experiments, and an amazing team of chocolate makers. In your first 90 days, you’ll be tasked with managing our packaging operation (foiling, papering, labeling, and packing) while you learn the rest of the chocolate making process. You’ll analyze the workflow, room layout, and build consensus with the team on how to evaluate new ideas. Not only does packaging represent our first impression, this step is also our last line of defense to ensure any less-than-perfect bar doesn’t pass our rigorous QC standards. We’re looking for you to support the team, to codify our standards through SOPs (we use Trainual), and to ensure they have the processes, tools, and visibility into future goals to succeed. At 3:00pm each day, we all gather again to share tips and tricks and to look at how we did against the rest of our goals and to write an end-of-day report with learnings and numbers from the day. Success in this role means a smooth day, reaching our goals, and a motivated team that is excited to continuously improve our flavor and operations. Each year, we measure ourselves based upon whether we believe weʻre making better chocolate than the year before. Itʻs up to you to add qualitative and quantitative metrics in place so we can gauge our progress.

Responsibilities

• Rally a team together to make even repetitive tasks rewarding.
• Monitor progress and check in with teammates regularly.
• Ensure a safe workspace with clear pathways and up-to-date SOPs.
• Maintain cleanliness and quality standards in the production space.
• Onboard, train, and educate Apprentice Chocolate Makers and Chocolate Makers.
• Establish systems that ensure supply availability and enforce safety protocols.
• Assist in creating and adhering to a daily production plan.
• Speak regularly at company All Hands to celebrate team efforts.
• Adapt to changes and reroute the day to ensure success.

Requirements

• 2+ years of professional leadership experience in the food and beverage industry.
• Minimum of 6 months to a year in a leadership role.
• Experience leading a positive, team-oriented environment.
• Schedule flexibility for potential future weekend shifts.
• Excellent communication skills for clear delegation and troubleshooting.
• Technical know-how in computer skills including Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides.

Nice-to-haves

• Previous kitchen experience.
• Experience in a parallel field of management.

Benefits

• Paid vacation and sick days.
• Paid holidays.
• Heavily subsidized medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Option to enroll in 401k program.
• Employee discounts.
• Commuter benefits.
• Chocolate tasting opportunities.