Culinary Director

Summary

The Culinary Program Director is responsible for leading the strategic vision and execution of the Co-op’s overall prepared foods program across all locations, encompassing both centralized commissary production and in-store operations. This role drives menu innovation, category growth, and program development while ensuring consistency and quality throughout all locations.

About Us: 

Weavers Way is a not-for-profit, member-owned co-op that’s redefining how businesses can support local communities. Unlike traditional organizations, we operate with a triple bottom-line philosophy: People-Planet-Profit. This means that every decision we make is aimed at benefiting:

· People – including our community, employees, and local vendors.

· Planet – by being a leader in sustainability and minimizing our environmental impact.

· Profit – to ensure we can continue supporting our team and sustaining our mission.

By joining Weavers Way, you’re not just working for a business—you’re contributing to a meaningful mission. Together, we keep dollars in our local economy, support over 300 local food vendors, and strengthen the connections between our community and the environment.

What you'll do:

Menu and Category Management

• Regularly monitor market trends, competition, and other external influences.
• Develop weekly, monthly, and seasonal menus and product offerings.
• Manage, maintain, and seek out positive vendor relationships and pricing.
• Maintain recipe costs and production standards across all locations.

Operations and Production

• Manage both front-of-house and back-of-house operations of the Ambler kitchen.
• Establish, maintain, and re-evaluate (as needed) quality control standards across all locations
• Oversee commissary operations, production scheduling, and distribution; coordinate with the logistics team to develop efficient delivery schedules. 
• Oversee catering operations and special events; collaborate with marketing team to seek out new opportunities.

Team Leadership

• Mentor and develop kitchen managers and supervisors across all locations; provide guidance as needed in employee relations issues.
• Build and lead high-performing culinary teams; collaborate with HR to assess departmental staffing needs. 
• Develop, implement, and maintain departmental training programs and standards. 
• Conduct regular performance evaluations (90-day, 6-month, and annual).

Safety and Compliance

• Ensures compliance with all local, state, and federal workplace and safety standards, laws, regulations, and best practices (OSHA, Department of Health). 
• Spearhead the implementation and certification of HACCP programs.
• Ensure all departmental staff are properly trained on current food safety regulations.
• Coordinate regular safety audits.
• Maintain required certification(s).

Financial Management

• Develop and manage departmental budget(s)
• Monitor and control food and labor costs
• Implement cost control measures through P&L accountability

Who you are:  

You are someone who strives for excellence in everything you do. If you’re passionate about food, sustainability, and making a positive impact, we would be thrilled to welcome you to our team!

What you'll get:

• Starting Annual Salary: $70,000.00
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance are provided through United Health Care
• 401K Plan with company match
• WW membership and EE discount
• Training and Development

What you'll bring:

• 7 years of progressive culinary program management experience. 
• Strong knowledge of large-scale food production operations.
• Current ServSafe certification.
• Proven track record in team leadership.
• Strong financial, business, and organizational acumen
• Proficient in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Knowledge of POS systems, inventory software, recipe costing tools, and other digital platforms.
• The ability to regularly travel between all store locations. 
• The ability to remain standing for up to 8 hours per day.
• The ability to lift up to 50lbs.
• Flexible scheduling, including select holidays, evenings, and weekends as needed. 
• Familiarity with Cooperative business models.
• Be, or become upon hiring, a member in good standing of Weavers Way Co-op