Description
The Culinary Operations Lead is a key leadership position within WCK’s Ukraine response, responsible for overseeing all culinary operations and ensuring the delivery of high-quality meals that meet WCK’s standards. This individual will serve as the primary liaison for our network of Restaurant Partners, fostering strong relationships, mentoring partners in scaling production to meet demand while maintaining quality, and ensuring strict adherence to food safety standards.
The Culinary Operations Lead is a six (6) month term contract position with the opportunity for renewal, offering a unique chance to lead and shape WCK's responses. This role involves extensive travel across Ukraine, requiring the ability to visit restaurant partners and relief sites without restriction, including occasional supervised visits to areas within 20km of the frontline. To apply, you must be exempt from military conscription.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership & Partner Management:
- Act as the primary point of contact for WCK's network of Restaurant Partners.
- Foster and maintain strong relationships with partners, providing mentorship and support in producing large-scale, high-quality meals.
- Ensure partners consistently meet WCK’s food safety, sanitation, and meal quality standards.
Culinary Oversight:
- Develop, implement, and update culturally appropriate culinary standards and meal definitions tailored to regional needs.
- Monitor meal quality, portion sizes, and food safety through regular visits and reports.
- Work alongside partners during activations to provide hands-on support and feedback.
Emergency Response & Activations:
- Support activations by onboarding new restaurant partners and ensuring they quickly align with WCK standards.
- Provide culinary oversight during crisis responses to maintain quality and consistency.
Community Kitchen Development:
- Support efforts to establish sustainable community kitchens, to include planning, setup, and long-term operational guidance.
Collaboration & Communication:
- Coordinate with regional and country leads, security teams, and other departments to ensure smooth operations.
- Provide regular updates and insights to leadership, sharing feedback and recommendations for continuous improvement.
Sustainability at World Central Kitchen
By providing meals to those affected by crises, we contribute to ending hunger and malnutrition. We also invest in our Food Producer Network to help create resilience ahead of the next disaster, train aspiring chefs in skills and safety to build their careers and food economy, and advocate for more hunger relief and better nutrition.
Good Health and Well-being is another goal that we address through our work. We provide meals that are not just filling but also nutritious to ensure that those we serve maintain good health. We also want clean cookstoves in the homes of the one billion cooks whose health, and the climate, are in danger when all they want to do is feed their families. By doing so, we help reduce indoor air pollution, which is one of the leading causes of premature deaths.
We hire and source locally to jump-start economic recovery through food, which helps create job opportunities for those affected by crises. Additionally, we train aspiring chefs in skills and safety to build their careers and the food economy.
Sustainable Cities and Communities is another goal that we address. By building resilient food systems with locally-led solutions, we contribute to sustainable urbanization.
We address Climate Action through our Climate Disaster Fund, a $1 billion commitment over the next decade to support communities impacted by the climate crisis. We have witnessed climate-triggered hunger and forced migration due to extreme weather events. Our Climate Disaster Fund provides immediate relief through nutritious meals following disasters like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. In 2022, we responded to 30 climate-related crises using our Urgency of Now approach to secure a kitchen and begin cooking, ensuring families receive fresh food in the hours and days after a disaster.
