Job Description:

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 and produce innovative and evolving meals. Your time will be spent between setting the standards and overseeing the daily operations, as well as driving improvement measures, and operational strategy, along with the growth and development of our chef team. If you're looking to make an impact, lead from the front-lines and 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: you’re adventurous, outgoing and optimistic; you’re confident making decisions and taking calculated risks
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: you have the vision, passion, and imagination; you are not afraid to ask ‘what if’ and constantly challenge the status quo
• Versatile: you roll with the punches and don’t get overwhelmed easily; you enjoy grinding away at issues and have a knack for delivering results in hyper-growth, constantly changing environments
• High level of integrity and 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

Responsibilities

• Your time will be spent between running the daily operations, as well as driving improvement measures, and operational strategy
• Lead the Growth & Development of the Chicago Chef Team using our Core Competencies, 1:1’s and Quarterly Chef Rankings to build an individualized plan of measurable goals for each member of the team
• Work collaboratively with Kitchen Op’s Team and Commercialization Team spearheading Factor Culinary Academy
• Identify problems in the kitchen operations and 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 and facility compliance while meeting operational goals and continuously improving production
• Drive Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery, while growing and expanding capabilities that meet operational mandatory requirements
• Lead and supervise a team of managers, their supervisors and hourly associates
• Share and exchange operational best practices with the (associate) directors of our other sites
• Develop and deliver operational procedures for all of our kitchens and supporting processes
• Drive strategic planning and forecasting ensuring operational alignment
• Reward and recognize performance and maintain a culture of growth
• Mentor, train and develop teammates for career progression and learning
• Create a positive team dynamic that encourages all employees in Culinary Operation center to: provide feedback and drive change within the facility, adapt to the ever-changing business and 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 and pave the way for efficiency
• Team-oriented: you have a track record of leading cross-functional teams and cultivating collaborative partnerships at all levels and departments of an organization
• Strategic: you recognize and resolve situations that are ambiguous or challenging and use logic to identify alternatives, evaluate, and 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 and working directly with all levels of staff
• Continuous improvement and project management skills

You are/have….

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

Obsessed with food!

Innovative – You are passionate about the world of product/ ingredient design and innovation. You bring a valuable perspective from your vast experience.

Collaborative - Work cross functionally with various teams to gather key inputs, and are able to work well with diverse opinions and competing priorities.

Hands On – Someone who is a strategic team leader and people developer that is also willing to support their team in day-to-day responsibilities as needed.

Flexible - Excited to work in a fast-paced environment with constant change.

Bias For Action – Someone who is driven by results. Someone who strongly believes in accountability. A task oriented self-starter who proactively takes on big ideas and projects.

At a minimum, you have…

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