Hybrid Director of Culinary Services at Heartland Human Care Services

Title: Director of Culinary Services

Location: Bronzeville, IL

Schedule: On-Site, Monday to Friday (8:30am-5:00pm)

Summary:

Lead with flavor. Serve with purpose.

Heartland Human Care Services is seeking a Director of Culinary Services to oversee all kitchen operations—food preparation, inventory, menu planning, and staff supervision, while ensuring excellence in every meal we serve. This isn’t just about cooking; it’s about creating systems that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet the highest standards of compliance with our contractual and funder requirements.

In this role, you’ll work side by side with your team—preparing meals, managing clean-up, coordinating deliveries, and executing catered events—while driving improvements that make a lasting impact. You’ll bring industry knowledge, innovative thinking, and leadership to inspire both the Culinary team and our SAFEty program leadership, helping to strengthen our culture and advance our mission.

If you’re ready to combine culinary expertise with leadership that changes lives, we’d love to have you at the table.

Why Join Us?  

• Make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals seeking education and career pathways.
• Collaborate with a diverse and passionate team dedicated to the mission and vision of our organization.
• Providing flexibility and work-life balance.
• Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance your skills and expertise.

Our Benefits: 

• Medical insurance. BCBS PPO, EPO, and HSA Plans   
• Dental insurance.    
• Vision insurance.    
• 401(k) 3% Employer Contribution.    
• Paid maternity leave.    
• Paid paternity leave.    
• Commuter benefits.  
• Professional Development Assistance.  
• Disability insurance    
• FSA Spending Account   
• Life Insurance   
• Employee Assistance Program   
• Special Vendor Discounted Offerings on Travel, Amusement Parks, etc.

Essential Functions:

Duties & Responsibilities

Departmental Management & Supervision

• Directs kitchen and dining room operations and supervises all phases of receiving, storing, preparing, producing, service, and sanitation.
• Ensures that quality standards of food preparation and services are continually met; Ensures compliance with applicable food services sanitation and other safety standards and ensures the satisfaction of program needs.
• Develops and plans menus, seasonally, for everyday food services and special events, ensures that food inventory is optimized across multiple menus, and that recipes are adhered to.
• In addition to developing menus, submits menus for USDA certification of compliance for each perspective grade group, per week, which includes staying within allotted number of calories, saturated fats, and sodium for each grade group.
• Prepares meals in accord with program needs and applicable food service sanitation standards
• Ensures menus are balanced and that they meet all relevant requirements for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Breakfast Program, National School Lunch program, and Afterschool Snack Program.

Talent Management 

• Develops and implements human capital strategies and initiatives that support and align with the organization’s overall business goals.
• Supervises the performance of routine tasks in the dining room and kitchen by program participants, which include setting, clearing and cleaning tables before and after meal service, among others.
• Conducts performance evaluations for assigned staff and the staff supervised by their direct reports and holds regular supervision meetings.
• Participates in interviewing, hiring, discipline, termination and other relevant employment transactions, with guidance from other program leaders.

Metric Management 

• Achieves budgeted cost of food through proper utilization of products and food, storage of food, and waste control.
• Maintains statistics on menus and food services and ensures compliance with health and nutrition guidelines as well as the Illinois State Board of Education production records and documentation requirements, among other accountabilities in preparation of the School Nutrition Programs Administrative Review.
• Maintains documentation related to the safety and state of the kitchen and dining room, including state fire marshal reports, Board of Health inspections, city and state foodservice sanitation licenses of all kitchen staff, annual sprinkler test reports, and other required documentation.

Supervisory Responsibilities (if applicable):

• Culinary Managers

Education and Experience:

• Culinary arts degree or certification is required 
• 8-9 years of professional kitchen experience, including at least 4- 5 years in a supervisory or lead role.
• Prior experience in institutional or residential settings (especially those serving children) strongly preferred.

Certifications/Licenses:

• State and city food service sanitation certificate should be valid at time of hire or must be obtained within 3 months of employment.
• A valid driver’s license is required

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as operating and maintenance instructions, safety and sanitation guidelines and procedure manuals.  
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of children and/ or other employees of the organization.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form such as standardized recipes, dietary restriction etc.
• Access to regular, dependable and timely transportation 
• Ability and comfortability working with people of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills. Strong networker, convener, relationship builder and communicator with experience collaborating with diverse work teams and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information possessing skills to handle situations in a professional and diplomatic manner.
• A high degree of collaboration and emotional intelligence, self-motivation, and analytical ability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange; Windows operating systems; and other software routinely used by Heartland Human Care Services.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to work independently and remain self-motivated with minimal direct supervision.
• Strategic thought partnership and consultancy skills.

Work Arrangement: 

This role is an in-person job with kitchens located throughout the Chicago area, including the North and South sides. Employees may be required to report to any one of our locations on a temporary or permanent basis as needed.

Work Environment: 

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Each program site operates on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year.  To meet both the needs of our participants and contractual obligations, employees are required to be flexible in regard to scheduling and work location.  
• Program sites are located throughout the Chicago area, including the North and South sides of Chicago, as well as the suburbs.  Employees may be required to report to any one of our locations on a temporary or permanent basis.

Physical Demands: 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.  
• The employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
• The employee must be able to stoop, kneel and/or crawl.
• The employee is regularly required to use hands to key, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. 
• The employee must have unrestricted ability to provide physical restraint.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Heartland Human Care Services makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.