Craving a career path that promotes personal growth, professional development, and delicious opportunity? The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a vibrant workplace that strives to be a little different than your usual office environment. Our day-to-day revolves around the perfect balance of food, fun, and foundational support.

Join a fun loving team of people that go the extra mile, thrive on collaboration, and are excited about the amazing food community that is present in the heart of Grand Rapids. We are proud to be a part of this community through our innovative 18-merchant Market Hall, world-class corporate and wedding venue spaces, year round free public events, and the entrepreneurial support of our rentable Incubator Kitchen that helps small food businesses turn their passion into a profession.

We offer a robust benefits package including a variety of insurances including medical, dental, vision, along with life, long term and short term disability. We also provide a generous PTO and Holiday schedule that helps you achieve the crucial work/life balance employees need. Our 401k retirement savings plan includes a company match and professional guidance to help you prepare for your future and find your own recipe for success.

We are in search of a Culinary Operations Manager to join our amazing team. In this role you’ll manage the operations of the Downtown Market’s Incubator kitchen while providing direct business assistance to tenants and patrons. The Culinary Operations Manager serves as a conduit to a resource network of service providers that provide expert assistance to incubator kitchen tenants entrepreneurs. The Culinary Operations Manager must be well connected to professional and technical culinary networks in the community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, other duties may be assigned

• Initiate community outreach; enhance and follow through with public awareness of the incubator kitchen and available programs and opportunities.
• Manage inquiries, and organize prospective tenant tours and consultations.
• Coordinate and host monthly Culinary Conversations events and other marketing events to engage and recruit new businesses to use the incubator Kitchen.
• Maintain a consistent pipeline of potential incubator kitchen tenants.
• Guide prospective tenants through the on-boarding process, an inclusive startup process that encompasses an array of tasks required starting a food business.
• Regularly host meetings with current and on-boarding businesses to check in and to provide advisement for next steps.
• Manage incubator tenant entrepreneur relations and operations (scheduling, kitchen activity, tenant concerns, daily sign in/out logs, billing, etc.).
• Ensure the safety of all food handled and produced in the kitchen (via daily oversight, cleaning, and maintenance processes and procedures).
• Collaborate with Facilities to oversee Incubator Kitchen maintenance, repairs, upkeep, and sanitation.
• Oversee tenant, daily, and nightly cleaning operations.
• Maintain daily temperature logs.
• Manage incubator tenant billing and invoicing.
• Create an annual culinary department budget and appropriate culinary programming.
• Maintain budget and actual spending and accurately record appropriate information.
• Assist in creation of strategic planning, materials, and execution to recruit new tenants and to support existing tenants.
• Assist in creating material to be posted on various digital platforms for recruitment, storytelling, promote current happenings, and highlight current operations and businesses.
• Partner with local organizations and events to promote existing businesses.
• Assist other Market departments to create opportunities for and to support existing incubator tenant entrepreneurs
• Identify funding sources for the operation of the incubator kitchen and programs.
• Assist in writing, researching, and providing information for all applicable grants for the Education Foundation.
• Create and implement programming aimed towards business development, such as workshops and business seminars in partnership with community organizations.
• Create programs based on kitchen and tenant needs that are self funded or funded through outside sources.
• Participate in community business events and develop relationships with other incubator kitchens, neighboring partners, and local and county agencies who may offer services and opportunities to our tenants.
• Create a viable network and prepare appropriate information to assist other incubator kitchens with operational issues.
  
  
  

Required Skills And Abilities

Must have knowledge and be able to train individuals within the following areas:

• Legal requirements including: business registration, liability insurance, contract writing, non-compete and confidentiality agreements, copyright vs. trademark laws, employee vs. contractor.
• Michigan Food Code and Michigan Food Law.
• Licensing (MDARD, Kent County Health Dept., USDA, FDA).
• Food Safety training (Servsafe Certification training and testing).
• Shelf Life testing.
• Knowledge of food packaging and labeling (food label requirements, lot coding, barcodes, nutritional content, use of organic, fair trade, and non-GMO).
• Brand development and marketing materials (logo, label, website, one-sheets, etc.).
• Pricing food products.
• Access to wholesale and retail markets (farmers markets, grocery stores, etc.).
  
  
  

EDUCATION And/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Food/Hospitality Management, Food Science, Culinary Arts or related field required.
• Servsafe Certification required with ability to become Servsafe Trainer Certified.
  
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Team members will work in a fast paced office environment requiring frequent collaboration across departments.
• Team members may work in a commercial kitchen environment with moving mechanical equipment, hot surfaces and liquids, sharp objects, and chemical hazards.
• Team members may be exposed to inclement weather; pollen, mold, dust, dirt, grease, and other airborne contaminants; and temperature variations.
  
  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• While performing the duties of this job, team members are regularly required to stand, walk, use hands, and bend to precisely manipulate tools and equipment.
• Team members will perform frequent computer-related activities and sit for prolonged periods of time.
• Team members must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 80 pounds with or without mechanical or other assistance.
• Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time.
• Ability to tolerate exposure to commercial cleaning products and other commonly used custodial compounds.
• Sufficient mobility in wrists, elbows and shoulders to rotate joints several times per day while using tools and equipment.
• Ability to wear any and all required protective clothing and equipment.
• Must have sufficient mobility with or without assistive devices to access all areas of outdoor and indoor areas of the Market.