Kitchen Lead (For INTERNAL candidates only)

The San Antonio Food Bank INC•San Antonio, TX

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Kitchen Lead supports the Kitchen Managers in coordinating and carrying out daily food production operations for the San Antonio Food Bank. This hands-on shift leadership role directs production activities, supports Kitchen Associates, maintains operational readiness, and helps ensure meals are prepared safely, accurately, and on schedule. In a high-volume meal production environment, the Lead helps ensure adherence to approved menus, standardized and USDA-credited recipes, food safety procedures, special dietary instructions, and applicable federal child nutrition program requirements, including CACFP. The Lead monitors quality, verifies documentation, addresses immediate operational concerns, and escalates issues requiring management or program-level decisions. Two Kitchen Leads provide staggered coverage and consistent standards across the production day. Each reports to an assigned Kitchen Manager and works with both Kitchen Managers. Leads are expected to understand the full kitchen production workflow and support other areas as needed. They provide day-to-day work direction and coaching to Kitchen Associates; formal personnel management remains with the Kitchen Managers. The position works a shift within the 4:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. production window, with flexibility for opening or closing coverage. Occasional evening, weekend, off-site function, and emergency response work is required. The role supports emergency and disaster feeding operations, community events, special projects, and catering functions as assigned.

Requirements

2–3 years of experience in high-volume food service, school nutrition, childcare, institutional, healthcare, or nonprofit food production.
Experience leading a shift, station, or small team, or training other kitchen staff or volunteers.
Ability to follow standardized recipes, maintain production records, follow food safety procedures, and meet quality assurance requirements.
Basic computer application, printing, and recordkeeping skills, with ability to learn applications such as Mosaic.
Demonstrated knowledge of food allergy safety and ability to follow approved special diet procedures, with training as needed.
Current Texas driver's license, liability insurance, and a clean driving record.
ServSafe Manager Certification, or ability to obtain it within 30 days.
Flexibility to work a shift within the 4:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. production window, including opening or closing coverage.
Flexibility to work occasional evenings, weekends, off-site functions, and emergency response operations.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods; regularly bend, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive kitchen tasks.
Ability to use fine manipulation and near visual acuity.
Ability to regularly lift and move up to 50 pounds, with appropriate assistance or equipment as needed.

Nice To Haves

At least one year of experience with a federal child nutrition program, such as CACFP, NSLP, SBP, or SFSP.
Experience as a school kitchen lead, cafeteria manager, or lead cook.
Experience with special diet meal production and food allergen controls.
Culinary arts training or certificate.
Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Coordinate production floor activities during assigned shifts, including station assignments, staffing adjustments, break coverage, and workflow priorities in consultation with the Kitchen Managers.
Monitor progress against approved menus, production schedules, meal counts, and delivery deadlines; identify delays and take timely corrective action within delegated authority.
Guide Level 1 and Level 2 Kitchen Associates across production areas and assist with production work while maintaining oversight of shift execution.
Confirm that standardized recipes, approved ingredients, portion sizes, yields, serving utensils, packaging specifications, and build sheets are followed.
Verify meal counts, required components, packaging, and labels before meals are released according to quality assurance procedures.
Conduct opening and closing readiness checks and communicate production status, staffing needs, shortages, incomplete work, and unresolved concerns during shift handoffs.
Serve as the floor point of contact when a Kitchen Manager is not immediately available and escalate decisions beyond delegated authority.
Monitor safe food handling, time and temperature controls, sanitation, allergen cross-contact prevention, and equipment and workstation cleanliness; ensure deviations are addressed and documented.
Help verify compliance with CACFP and other applicable program requirements, including age-group meal patterns, creditable components, whole grain-rich requirements, and approved substitutions.
Coordinate with Special Diet Coordinators to ensure meals are produced, segregated as needed, packaged, labeled, and documented according to approved special diet instructions.
Hold affected meals or stop an unsafe process when a potential food safety, allergen, labeling, or meal compliance concern is identified; notify the Kitchen Manager and appropriate program personnel and follow established release procedures.
Escalate proposed special diet substitutions, menu changes, and meal-pattern crediting questions to the Kitchen Managers and Community Nutrition & Menu Development Manager.
Check production records, temperature logs, quality checks, and corrective action documentation for timely, accurate completion; follow up on missing or inconsistent entries.
Support readiness for TDA administrative reviews, health inspections, internal quality checks, and partner visits.
Prepare and organize daily production materials from Mosaic, including recipes, production records, build sheets, and applicable special diet instructions.
Confirm stations have required documents, utensils, equipment, ingredients, and supplies before production begins.
Coordinate with Receiving & Inventory Coordinators to confirm product availability, staging, and timely replenishment; communicate shortages or discrepancies.
Monitor production usage, overproduction, rework, and preventable waste; document and communicate opportunities to reduce controllable shrink.
Collect, review, and route completed production documentation according to recordkeeping procedures.
Provide hands-on orientation, coaching, and reinforcement of production standards, food safety practices, documentation requirements, and safe equipment use for Kitchen Associates, volunteers, interns, and trainees.
Provide observations and skill-assessment input for Level 1-to-Level 2 Kitchen Associate development; final advancement and performance decisions remain with management.
Model professional conduct, teamwork, timekeeping, uniform standards, and respectful communication; report attendance, conduct, performance, and safety concerns to the Kitchen Managers.
Collaborate with both Kitchen Managers and with Special Diet, Meal Service, Inventory, and Nutrition personnel to ensure consistent instructions and continuity across shifts.
Identify equipment issues and submit or escalate maintenance needs through established channels.
Support emergency and disaster feeding operations, community events, special projects, and catering functions as assigned.
Support SAFB's mission, vision, and values in all duties as assigned.