Head Cook

The Head Cook is responsible for developing, managing, cooking, and monitoring of evening meals for clients receiving bereavement services at Judi's House. This position manages the kitchen and administrative duties such as menu planning, food ordering and shopping, and inventory control for the evening Nourishment Program (Monday – Thursday evenings) while also acting as a quality assurance manager for client dietary needs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Head Cook performs a wide range of duties including:
• Develops menus, plans and prepares snacks and dinners for clients for each quarter of programming while managing the food preparation process from start to finish.
• Supports annual special client events with menu development and meal preparation.
• Following an approved budget, monitors and maintains inventory levels and purchases food, kitchen equipment, and other supplies as needed.
• Provides related sanitation, food safety, and other necessary training and supervision to volunteer staff.
• Ensures that all state/local health department and nutritional requirements are met.
• Establishes quality standards for foods and maintains cleanliness of the facilities in accordance with state or local regulations.
• Keeps kitchen organized and clean, including appliances, cabinets, and all inventory.
• Understands the needs of children with food allergies and implements methods of food cross-contamination avoidance.
• Oversees volunteers who assist with food preparation and service for sanitation and safety to include a volunteer orientation to the kitchen.
• Works closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure adequate coverage for volunteer food providers.
• Directs volunteers in serving and clean-up of dinners and snacks to clients.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Duties

• Supervises and trains new volunteers for daily kitchen operations ensuring compliance with food and safety regulations.

About Us:

Judi’s House/JAG Institute (JH/JAG) is the only free-standing organization in Metro Denver devoted solely to supporting grieving youth and families through comprehensive care, research, education, and advocacy. Its mission is to help children and families grieving a death find connection and healing. Since 2002, JH/JAG has supported nearly 13,000 individuals, and educated many thousands more, toward the vision that no child should be alone in grief. The integration of research and practice in a community-based center has uniquely positioned JH/JAG to create social change around the issue of childhood bereavement—elevating it as a public priority and serving as a national leader in the effort to increase access to effective grief care for bereaved children and families.

Judi’s House expects to achieve its vision by adhering to four core values: Compassion, Accountability, Courage, and Respect. Nothing is more important than having a team of people that incorporates these values and holds each other accountable for living this culture every day at Judi’s House.

Our Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Judi’s House/JAG Institute centers justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strive to welcome, respect, value, and support our clients, staff, board of directors, and volunteers. Grief is a universal experience. Yet, we know that there are significant barriers that prevent some from accessing grief care. Therefore, we are taking active steps to engage in ongoing learning, reflect the families in our community, respond to the cultural needs of our clients, and address discrimination and inequity.

In fulfilling our mission to help grieving children and families, we are committed to courageously fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion by continually adhering to the following in all aspects of our organization:

• Create safe space for all.
• Invite, engage, and respect every voice to inform our practices.
• Show humility, recognizing who we are and what we don’t know.
• Address systemic injustices and inequities that impact how communities are supported in navigating their grief.
• Lead with our core values to move toward our vision that no child should be alone in grief.

The Position:

The Head Cook position is a part time position working 30 hours a week during group weeks and 20 hours per week during group breaks. The hours for this role are onsite, with evenings and some weekends required.

Hourly range for this role is: $22.08 - $25.63.

The Benefits:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Professional development opportunities
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment

The Location:

Our new purpose-built 26,000 square foot home is nestled between Central Park and Aurora -- just a few blocks east of the Stanley Marketplace. Surrounded by children and families from diverse backgrounds, our new location is ideal for our work. We take great pride in making Judi’s House feel like home—providing a safe space for children and their caregivers to explore their grief and find connection and healing.

**Application Instructions**

Please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and why you are interested in this position. We look forward to reviewing your application and considering you for this exciting opportunity.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma required.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience engaging in the operations of a commercial kitchen or restaurant.
• Certified Food Protection Manager, Certified Dietary Manager, or other Food Safety Management certification required.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge or experience ordering food and cooking large quantities for up to 200 people for special events.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Adaptability and resilience in managing competing priorities and unexpected challenges.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while also functioning as part of a team.
• Commitment to a mission driven work environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong customer service orientation.
• Desire and ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and lived experiences.
• Willingness to work evenings.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently required to sit, talk, hear, stand, walk, bend, stoop, squat, and use hands to fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms.
• Must be able to lift and move 50 pounds at a time.

Other Requirements

• Must possess a valid driver license and at least state required minimum of automobile insurance, clear DMV driving record and ability to provide own transportation.

Judi’s House is an equal opportunity employer committed in policy and practice to recruit, hire, train and promote, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, political service, gender identity, affiliation or disability or other classes protected by federal or state law. Judi’s House does not tolerate harassment or retaliation against any employee or applicant based on these characteristics or because the individual exercised their EEO rights.

All offers are conditional on successful background checks. Our background checks include a search on the National Sex Offenders registry, and local, state and federal criminal databases.