Associate Director of Culinary

Factor_ a brand of HelloFresh is seeking the Associate Director of Culinary Operations.  As the Associate Director of Culinary Operations, you will lead our professional culinary team to consistently create & produce innovative & evolving meals. Your time will be spent between setting the standards & overseeing the daily operations, as well as driving improvement measures, & operational strategy, along with the growth & development of our chef team. If you're looking to make an impact, lead from the front-lines & drive change from within, this is it! The successful candidate will be a proven leader with the ability to communicate effectively with all staff to promote a cooperative, collaborative team atmosphere.

• Bold: youre adventurous, outgoing & optimistic; youre confident making decisions & taking calculated risks
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: you have the vision, passion, & imagination; you are not afraid to ask what if & constantly challenge the status quo
• Versatile: you roll with the punches & dont get overwhelmed easily; you enjoy grinding away at issues & have a knack for delivering results in hyper-growth, constantly changing environments
• High level of integrity & ethics with excellent follow-through
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing operations or production within the Food & Beverage industry
• Familiarity with HACCP, SQF
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing

You will....

• Your time will be spent between running the daily operations, as well as driving improvement measures, & operational strategy
• Lead the Growth & Development of the Chicago Chef Team using our Core Competencies, 1:1s & Quarterly Chef Rankings to build an individualized plan of measurable goals for each member of the team
• Work collaboratively with Kitchen Ops Team & Commercialization Team spearheading Factor Culinary Academy
• Identify problems in the kitchen operations & drive continuous improvement strategies
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to develop an operations improvement road map in collaboration with Senior Director of Culinary & other site directors
• Ensure adherence to OSHA, GMP, SQF, food safety & facility compliance while meeting operational goals & continuously improving production
• Drive Safety, Quality, Cost, & Delivery, while growing & expanding capabilities that meet operational mandatory requirements
• Lead & supervise a team of managers, their supervisors & hourly associates
• Share & exchange operational best practices with the (associate) directors of our other sites
• Develop & deliver operational procedures for all of our kitchens & supporting processes
• Drive strategic planning & forecasting ensuring operational alignment
• Reward & recognize performance & maintain a culture of growth
• Mentor, train & develop teammates for career progression & learning
• Create a positive team dynamic that encourages all employees in Culinary Operation center to: provide feedback & drive change within the facility, adapt to the ever-changing business & stay focused on the customer experience
• Drive a customer-focused environment committed to delivering the highest quality product to our customers
• Analytical: data is your friend; you're able to translate numbers into action & pave the way for efficiency
• Team-oriented: you have a track record of leading cross-functional teams & cultivating collaborative partnerships at all levels & departments of an organization
• Strategic: you recognize & resolve situations that are ambiguous or challenging & use logic to identify alternatives, evaluate, & present approaches to solving complex problems while thinking in terms of contingency plans
• Inventory control management with a background in building/improving warehouse management or inventory tracking systems (WMS implementation a plus)
• Interest in spending most of your time on the shop floor & working directly with all levels of staff
• Continuous improvement & project management skills

You are.

• Customer-focused: slightly obsessive-compulsive when it comes to customer experience & strive to deliver a product that is second to none
• Motivated, developed & managed 150-200 employees - our culture is a critical part of our success, & you need to help drive it
• Excitement for working in a fast-paced environment with a high level of ambiguity & change
• Interest in spending most of your time on the shop floor & working directly with all levels of staff
• Bilingual in Spanish/English strongly preferred

At a minimum, you have

• BA, Culinary Arts and/or BS/MS Food, Food Science or equivalent scientific degree preferred 
• Strong culinary experience working in the food industry required
• 10+ years managerial, mentoring & development skills supervising technical teams or individuals, with the ability to lead & interact with cross-functional teams
• Ability to travel 30-50% of the time

Youll get 

• Competitive salary, 401k with company match that vests immediately upon participation, & company equity plan based on role
• Generous PTO, including sabbatical, & parental leave of up to 16 weeks
• Comprehensive health & wellness benefits with options at $0 monthly, effective first day of employment
• Tuition reimbursement for continuing education
• Up to 75% discount on subscriptions to HelloFresh meal plans (HelloFresh, Green Chef, Everyplate, & Factor_)   
• Access to 7 different Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) including those for BIPOC, women, veterans, parents, & LGBTQ+
• Inclusive, collaborative, & dynamic work environment within a fast-paced, mission-driven company that is disrupting the traditional food supply chain

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities. However, the Company reserves the right to adjust, modify, or reassign work tasks & responsibilities as needed to meet changing business needs, operational requirements, or other factors.
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