Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, widely recognized as one of New York’s premier human services providers, is a settlement house founded in 1894 that provides an extensive array of effective and integrated services—social, educational, health, housing, mental health, nutritional and fitness—which significantly improve the lives of 16,000 people in need each year, ages 3 to 103, on the East Side of Manhattan. Our clients include older adults, unhoused and formerly unhoused adults, children and families, disabled persons, adult learners and more. For more information on Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, please visit lenoxhill.org and check us out on Facebook or Instagram.
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is the leader in New York’s nonprofit farm-to-institution movement, serving 250,000 healthy, delicious, and culturally responsive meals annually through our diverse human services programs. We are seeking an innovative, ambitious, and mission-driven Chef Manager to join our team. The Chef Manager will report to the Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Programs and work closely with the entire Food Services, The Teaching Kitchen® at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and Facilities Teams to improve our effectiveness, daily food operations and systems and farm-to-institution food service model.
Through the Teaching Kitchen®, we train other nonprofits to transform their food service programs to a farm-to-institution model – without raising costs. The program aims to improve the health of individuals who depend on government-funded meals by increasing their access to fresh, healthy food and localizing institutional food systems to strengthen regional farms and economies and improve environmental sustainability. For more information on our innovative Teaching Kitchen and links to our social media and program materials, click here: https://www.lenoxhill.org/teachingkitchen.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Oversee the management and operations of our institutional kitchen, including the creation and management of program menus in accordance with all nutrition and funder requirements
- Lead and work closely with the Sous Chefs, Chef Tournant and all Food Services Team members for effective daily operations, including overseeing schedules, hiring, onboarding, and training
- Collaborate with chefs to develop, test, and introduce culturally responsive, farm-to-institution recipes that are scalable for institutional food service
- Support the expansion of community meal outreach initiatives, including coordinating meal production, distribution logistics, and community partnerships
- Utilize technology and data systems to track food costs, inventory, and production quantities while ensuring compliance with government food program requirements
- Be certified, or become certified, to make and serve food in New York City and ensure compliance with NYC Food Standards
- Evaluate costs, negotiate prices with vendors, and develop relationships with potential new sourcing opportunities
- Facilitate and assist in the management and oversight of the Food Services Program and provide periodic team training, facility self-inspections, and venue inventory
- Assist with all daily food operations, as well as in-house special events (menu prep, event set-up and breakdown, etc.)
- Maintain compliance with all food handling procedures, including those of the Department of Health as well as those of the Neighborhood House
- Communicate effectively across the Neighborhood House and with Program/Department Leads to ensure streamlined communication related to menus and in-house meal service
- Lead the ongoing improvement of kitchen standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring clear systems for production, sanitation, inventory, and team workflows
- Complete all other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Programs
Qualifications:
- Chef who thrives in a highly social, fast-paced community and institutional kitchen environment
- Bachelor’s degree
- Demonstrated commitment to healthy, local, and sustainable food, with 5+ years of culinary, food production, or restaurant management experience
- Experience operating community food programs and managing high-volume meal production kitchens and food service teams
- Demonstrated strong management skills, as well as excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Computer literacy, including Excel and relevant culinary or food service software
- Food Protection Certificate from the New York City Department of Health, or ability to obtain
- Experience working with programs such as DFTA (Department for the Aging) and CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) strongly preferred
- Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred based on the language needs of the community served
- Commitment to food equity, sustainable food systems, and social justice
- Availability to work holidays as needed to ensure uninterrupted meal service
Salary: $80,000 annually
What we Offer:
- Comprehensive health insurance choices for staff and their families
- Extensive paid time off – 25 days’ vacation; 12 holidays; and sick time
- Matching contributions to Retirement Plan
- Paid parental leave policy for all staff
- Professional Development Opportunities – certifications and licenses, conferences, trainings, lectures and more
- Free Life Insurance – 3x annual salary
- Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical, Dependent Care and Parking/Mass Transit
- Supplemental Insurance Coverage (Accident, Hospital and Critical Illness)
- Staff events and parties including Film and Dinner nights, bowling parties, baseball games, food trucks, holiday parties, parties on our Green Roof, chocolate event for Valentine’s Day and ice cream socials, and much more.
- Staff use of State-of-the Art Fitness Center, Gym and Swimming Pool
- Staff group fitness classes, swimming lessons and lap swim for staff
- PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) Eligible Employer
All individuals, as a condition for employment by Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, are required to undergo a pre-employment background check. Certain positions require more extensive background checks to comply with applicable laws.
At Lenox Hill Neighborhood House we value respect, diversity and integrity. We are an equal opportunity employer. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. The policy of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination applies to all aspects of the relationship between Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and its colleagues.
