Culinary and Program Specialist (Full Time/Mon-Fri 9a-5p)

This opportunity is with a reputable agency committed to providing supportive residential treatment programs that promote recovery and wellness for individuals. The agency emphasizes a holistic approach to care, integrating essential life skills with therapeutic support to help residents achieve greater independence and improved quality of life. As a well-established organization in its sector, it operates with thorough compliance to health and safety standards and strives to maintain a safe, respectful, and nurturing environment for the populations it serves. The agency collaborates extensively with local support services, vendors, and regulatory bodies to ensure that programs are efficiently run, resources are adequately managed, and all residents receive the appropriate care they need.

The role offered is for a Culinary and Program Specialist dedicated to overseeing food services within a residential adult living program. This full-time position holds significant responsibility for ensuring the smooth operation and safety of the program's kitchen facilities, aligning with federal and state guidelines such as those set forth by the USDA, US Food Code, and New York State Subpart 14-1. A critical component of this role involves preparing healthy and nutritious meals based on the agency's cyclic menu, closely monitoring food temperatures to guarantee safety, and maintaining sanitary kitchen conditions through regular inspections and compliance checks. The Culinary and Program Specialist also ensures the inventory of all essential supplies and food items remains sufficient and up to date, coordinating orders and record-keeping with meticulous attention to detail.

In addition to food preparation and safety oversight, this role involves providing group trainings on kitchen safety and adult living skills, directly supporting individuals in recovery to develop practical skills useful for independent living. The position requires active collaboration with dietitians, food service directors, and program managers to ensure dietary needs are met and kitchen operations are aligned with nutritional standards. Moreover, it includes maintaining compliance with OSHA standards, supervising safety-related systems such as fire extinguishers and kitchen suppression equipment, and responding promptly to any issues affecting food service or kitchen safety.

The Culinary and Program Specialist also plays a vital role in maintaining positive relationships with external vendors such as US Foods and local food banks, ensuring the supply chain remains uninterrupted and supportive of program goals. Beyond kitchen management, the specialist assists with broader program support tasks including chore assignment follow-ups, overseeing room turnovers, pest management reporting, and participating on agency committees as needed. The role integrates trauma-informed care principles, reflecting the agency’s commitment to respectful and empathetic service delivery in all interactions. This multidimensional position demands reliability, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to maintaining a safe and effective food service environment, highly contributing to the well-being of residents engaged in the program.