Culinary Lab Specialist

CNM Central New Mexico Community College; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Long-Term Disability

FSA

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Retirement Plans

Job summary

CNM Central New Mexico Community College seeks a Culinary and/or Beverage Operations Specialist to support day-to-day lab operations for culinary and beverage labs, ensuring labs are ready for instruction and program events. The role emphasizes SOP creation, compliance records, and process improvements to sustain CNM's program excellence.

Responsibilities include setting up and maintaining labs and equipment for demonstrations, assisting with courses and evaluations, managing inventory,

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree with 2+ years of related experience or a high school diploma with 4+ years of related experience.
• Preferred degrees in Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry, Brewing & Beverage Management.
• Experience with lab safety, OSHA and HACCP compliance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates, sets up, runs, and cleans labs for courses and events with safe, compliant labs.
• Operates culinary/beverage equipment during demonstrations and assists with evaluations.
• Manages inventory, orders, and FIFO-based purchasing; maintains vendor communications.
• Prepares SOPs and maintains compliance records for the program.

Skills

Attention to detail

Safety compliance

Communication

Education

Associate’s degree

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Culinary Arts / Baking & Pastry / Brewing & Beverage Management degree

Tools

Lab equipment operation

OSHA/HACCP compliance docs

Job description

Compensation: $20.48 - $25.63 Compensation Type: Hourly Employment Type: Regular Grade: NE05

Position Summary

The Culinary and/or Beverage Operations Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day support of Culinary and/or Beverage labs to ensure labs are set up and maintained for course instruction and program events. The specialist will provide overall support to achieve optimal performance across the program, including the creation of standard operating procedures, maintaining compliance records, and related documents. This position requires strong attention to detail and a proactive, solution-oriented mindset, focusing on continual operational improvement to ensure successful performance of the department's business across the CNM organization.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Coordinates, sets up, runs, and cleans labs for credit and non-credit courses and events, ensuring safe, clean, and secure labs and equipment in compliance with OSHA, HACCP, and FDA regulations.
• Assists in monitoring compliance with fire and safety regulations of labs and equipment.
• Assists faculty with course evaluations and laboratory exercises.
• Operates culinary and beverage equipment during demonstrations, including preparation and replenishing between demonstrations, and serves as a standardized customer experience role and student orientation.
• Sets up and cleans equipment for demonstrations and classes, and performs basic preventative maintenance for culinary and beverage equipment.
• Administers Lab Space utilization, including creating user groups and program events.
• Provides professional development and training to faculty and staff in using culinary and beverage equipment.
• Manages inventory, including ordering, receiving, and inventory of supplies using FIFO procedures, and maintains ongoing communication with vendors.
• Conducts tours of Culinary, Baking, and Beverage labs to aid in student recruitment and participates in Community Outreach events, including demonstrations and hands-on learning activities.
• Submits work orders and supports maintaining labs and related equipment to ensure safe and effective operational conditions.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Associate’s degree AND Two (2) years of related experience OR High School Diploma or Equivalent AND Four (4) years of related experience Degrees in Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry, Brewing & Beverage Management, or related field are preferred

Preferences:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field from an accredited institution.
• 5 years of industry experience in Baking, Pastry, Culinary, or Entrepreneurship
• Previous teaching experience in a related field.
• American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certification

Best Consideration Date: September 8, 2026

Close Posting: September 18, 2026

School of Business Hospitality & Technology (BHT), Culinary Arts

Complete application requirements:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Transcripts
• Industry Certifications

EEO STATEMENT:

As an EEO employer, Central New Mexico Community College will not discriminate in our employment practices based on an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, serious medical condition or status as a protected veteran or spousal affiliation.

Central New Mexico Community College hires only U.S. citizens and individuals lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.

Questions about the role or application process?

Call our Talent Acquisition team at 505-224-4600.

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Dependent Care Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement Plans and Savings
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Educational Benefits
• Professional Development

We support our staff and their families to continue their education, whether at CNM or other educational institutions, through our CNM tuition waivers and tuition reimbursement benefits.

Our future success depends on internally developing our employees' leadership and professional skills. CNM is committed to providing quality professional development opportunities on an ongoing basis

Regardless of your role, whether you're faculty, administration, or support staff, you'll play a pivotal role in instilling students with integrity, leadership, and compassion. Qualities that bring forth capable, confident, and productive citizens who want to make a change for the better.