Employee Experience and Workplace Specialist

Albert Uster Imports•Gaithersburg, MD

14h•Hybrid

About The Position

Albert Uster Imports, Inc. (“AUI”) is a privately held gourmet food company headquartered in the Washington, DC area (Gaithersburg, MD). AUI falls under the Vestar Capital Partners portfolio with affiliate organization, Roland Foods, LLC. Founded in 1968, the company offers over 1,400 products from around the world. We serve leading hotels, restaurants, casinos, cruise lines, airlines, and manufacturers with innovative, high quality products and solutions to their most demanding culinary challenges. We operate a network of distribution centers across the U.S. and serve select international markets as well. AUI has a national direct selling organization of over 60 sales professionals and a staff of culinary experts (chefs and food scientists) adept at custom product solutions. The Employee Experience and Workplace Specialist is a highly visible, in-office role responsible for creating a positive, engaging, and highly functional workplace environment at AUI Fine Foods. This position is responsible for planning and executing monthly employee engagement programming as well as managing workplace operations to ensure that the Gaithersburg Headquarters office runs smoothly day to day. This role sits at the intersection of employee experience, events, workplace operations, and hospitality. The ideal candidate is organized, service‑oriented, proactive, and energized by creating thoughtful experiences—from large‑scale engagement events to daily office operations—while partnering closely with internal teams and external partners. This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative, food-focused organization passionate about the diversity of cuisines and the power of food to bring people together. As a response to the pandemic, Albert Uster Imports office employees have transitioned to a hybrid working schedule, requiring employees to report in-person Monday through Wednesday, with the option to telework on Thursday and Friday each week. Due to the collaborative, cross-functional nature of the organization, employees at the Gaithersburg office are required to work in-person for the abovementioned days, outside of any People & Culture-approved disability accommodation request. This role is a flexi-hybrid and at times may require more in office days outside of the forementioned hybrid work schedule depending on business needs.

Requirements

2+ years of experience in administrative support, events, office operations, project management, or hospitality
Strong organizational, time-management, and administrative skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain a high level of attention to detail
Excellent interpersonal skills, with a warm, professional presence and comfort serving as a front-facing representative for employees, candidates, and visitors
Ability to proactively anticipate needs (i.e. inventory and event preparations, etc. when needed) throughout the day to adapt to a fluid work environment
A self-starter who is willing to “roll up their sleeves” and perform multiple tasks independently as a resource for employees and the business
Strong sense of follow-through and commitment to timely and accurate completion of tasks
Have a hospitality‑first mindset

Nice To Haves

Experience with Microsoft Applications (Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Slack, Canva, Monday.com, or Jotform
Passion for building an intentionally diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace
A passion for food and people!

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact at the front desk by welcoming and assisting visitors, managing deliveries, sorting and distributing mail, coordinating outgoing shipments, and maintaining a professional, positive, and well-kept front-of-house environment that reflects our company culture.
Manage in-office needs by coordinating meetings, preparing conference rooms, and assisting with team lunches and on-site gatherings to ensure smooth execution.
Responsible for restocking, tidiness, and cleanliness of communal spaces, including the employee dining room, dishwashers, fridges, snacks and bathroom amenities.
Responsible for coordination and day-to-day management of office facilities including maintenance requests, building security, vendor interactions, and ad hoc requests.
Maintain office supplies and serve as a point of contact for ad-hoc office and operational requests.
Work closely with IT to ensure all office technology is operational and running smoothly, including new-hire setup and support for employee events.
Execute a broad range of office activities and events in accordance with the annual engagement calendar that positively influence our company culture such as planning the annual holiday party, monthly food celebrations, employe engagement initiatives, internal office meetings, etc.
Partner with P&C to deliver an elevated employee recognition and experience program, including anniversary and birthday gifts, life-event recognition, and internal communications and posts for holidays, updates, and events.
Manage and deliver recruitment marketing posts on LinkedIn, focused on sharing the employee experience and culture with potential candidates.
Serve as support for Marketing Team during high event volume periods.
Support administrative needs of the team as requested, including booking travel, coordinating internal meetings, and assisting with expense reporting.
Serve as a point of contact for employee questions and requests, addressing issues directly when possible and escalating concerns to the Senior Manager as appropriate.
Assist with additional ad-hoc projects as required.