Non-Student Hourly Culinary Laboratory Coordinator

University of North Texas System•Denton, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Culinary Laboratory Coordinator supports the preparation and operation of culinary laboratory courses offered by the hospitality management program. The position works closely with faculty to coordinate ingredients, supplies, equipment, laboratory setup, inventory, sanitation, and general course support. The Culinary Laboratory Coordinator helps ensure that culinary laboratories are prepared, organized, clean, and fully equipped for scheduled classes and other approved instructional activities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, hospitality management, foodservice management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Experience working in a commercial kitchen, culinary laboratory, institutional foodservice operation, restaurant, catering operation, or similar environment.
Knowledge of food preparation, sanitation, storage, purchasing, receiving, and inventory-control procedures.
Experience operating and cleaning commercial culinary equipment.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple course schedules and operational priorities.
Ability to communicate and work effectively with faculty, staff, students, vendors, and service providers.
Current food-protection manager certification or the ability to obtain certification within a specified period after employment.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of commercial kitchen and culinary laboratory operations.
Knowledge of food-safety, sanitation, purchasing, receiving, storage, and inventory practices.
Ability to interpret recipes, production schedules, faculty requisitions, and equipment specifications.
Ability to source common and specialty ingredients, supplies, and equipment.
Ability to maintain accurate purchasing, inventory, sanitation, and equipment records.
Ability to organize work independently and meet time-sensitive laboratory preparation deadlines.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and customer-service skills.

Responsibilities

Coordinate with faculty to identify ingredient, equipment, and supply needs for culinary laboratory courses.
Prepare laboratories before classes by organizing ingredients, equipment, utensils, and student workstations.
Weigh, measure, portion, label, and organize ingredients according to faculty instructions.
Prepare requisition carts and materials required for scheduled laboratory activities.
Assist faculty during laboratory classes with ingredient distribution, equipment setup, product storage, and general laboratory operations.
Support the breakdown, cleaning, and resetting of laboratories between classes.
Communicate ingredient availability, substitutions, equipment concerns, and other operational issues to faculty.
Receive deliveries and verify the quantity, quality, condition, and accuracy of products.
Research and source specialty ingredients and equipment needed for advanced culinary courses.
Maintain professional relationships with food, equipment, and specialty-product vendors.
Assist with establishing new vendors through university purchasing processes.
Maintain purchasing records, receipts, invoices, and other required documentation.
Maintain inventories of food products, supplies, chemicals, equipment, smallwares, linens, and instructional materials.
Monitor inventory levels and order products needed for scheduled laboratory activities.
Properly label, date, rotate, store, and secure food and supplies.
Maintain clean and organized dry-storage, refrigerated, frozen, chemical-storage, and equipment-storage areas.
Conduct periodic inventories and identify damaged, expired, missing, or obsolete items.
Support efforts to control costs and reduce unnecessary food and supply waste.
Maintain culinary laboratories and storage areas in a clean, sanitary, safe, and orderly condition.
Monitor cleaning schedules, sanitation practices, refrigeration temperatures, and supply levels.
Coordinate routine and periodic deep cleaning of laboratories, equipment, refrigeration units, and storage areas.
Maintain adequate stocks of cleaning supplies, chemicals, towels, and linens.
Identify and report sanitation, maintenance, pest-control, or safety concerns.
Operate, clean, inspect, and maintain commercial culinary equipment.
Ensure that equipment is properly assembled, stored, and available for scheduled classes.
Identify equipment maintenance, repair, or replacement needs.
Perform basic troubleshooting and coordinate service requests with vendors or university facilities personnel.
Maintain equipment inventories and records of maintenance, repairs, and warranties.
Research and recommend equipment, smallwares, and supplies.
Assist with receiving, installing, organizing, and storing newly purchased equipment.