Food Prep Lead (75% FTE / 30 hours per week)

Seattle Colleges; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay

Promotional Opportunities

Medical & Retirement plans

Paid Sick and Vacation Leave

Transportation benefits

Tuition Waivers

Wellness Plan

EAP

Job summary

Seattle Colleges is seeking a Food Prep Lead to provide centralized food-production support for the Retail Operations within the Hospitality department. The role ensures quality, safety, and availability of menu items across multiple outlets.

The position is in-person, typically Monday–Friday, 30 hours/week, and eligible for benefits. WFSE union representation applies, with a union shop agreement in place.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED.
• ServSafe Certification or Washington State Food Handler’s Card.
• CPR/AED certification within the first 30 days of hire.
• Two years of professional food‑production experience or a college degree in culinary arts, hospitality, or a related field.
• Experience with high-volume food preparation, grab‑and‑go production, catering, or retail food‑service operations.

Responsibilities

• Plans and completes food production and replenishment for Alki Café and the South Seattle Culinary Convenience Store, including breakfast items, sandwiches, and other fresh grab-and-go products.
• Prepares food, cheese and pairing components for the Northwest Wine Academy; desserts and specialty items for the Garden Center; and catering orders when events are scheduled.
• Develops weekly and daily production plans based on sales, pars, scheduled events, available student labor, product availability, and anticipated demand.
• Executes and scales recipes while maintaining standards for quality, quantity, portioning, presentation, labeling, dating, and first-in, first-out rotation.
• Monitors product quality and availability across departments and adjusts production based on sales, waste, and changing operational needs.
• Provides day-to-day direction, technical guidance, and hands‑on support to student prep cooks, particularly when production volume exceeds student capacity.
• Completes food inventory, ordering, receiving, storage, and rotation while supporting appropriate pars and cost control.
• Completes required temperature monitoring and documentation and ensures compliance with food‑safety, sanitation, and allergen‑control standards.
• Maintains clean, organized, and production‑ready kitchen, storage, and work areas, including routine deep cleaning and end‑of‑week production‑space reset.
• Coordinates core production early in the week; Café and Convenience Store replenishment throughout the week; Wine Academy and Garden Center production later in the week; and major production, catering, inventory, ordering, and cleaning activities on Fridays.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Skills

High School Diploma

ServSafe Certification

CPR/AED Certification

Food Production Experience

Culinary Arts Degree

Education

Culinary Arts Degree

Job description

Opportunity Description

South Seattle College is looking to hire a Food Prep Lead (Food Service Worker) to provide centralized food-production support for the self-supporting Retail Operations businesses within the Hospitality department.

Opportunity Description

South Seattle College is looking to hire a Food Prep Lead (Food Service Worker) to provide centralized food-production support for the self-supporting Retail Operations businesses within the Hospitality department.

Salary Range for this position at 100% FTE is $44,916.00 to $51,756.00 annually (Grade 35, Steps E ¿ K). Typically, candidates are offered something between Steps E ¿ G to allow for room to grow with scheduled step increases.

Background

Seattle Colleges job openings should be developed using attraction-based language. When we post jobs we want to communicate clearly about the opportunity for qualified applicants to come do great work with us for a great purpose. We also want to communicate clearly about our values and the expectations for any qualified candidates who are selected for hire.

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Retail Operations Manager, the Food Prep Lead provides centralized food-production support across the self-supporting Retail Operations businesses. The Lead ensures that food offered through each operation meets consistent standards for quality, quantity, food safety, and availability. The Food Prep Lead will demonstrate cultural humility and intercultural engagement, including an awareness and understanding of historically disadvantaged populations, and help create an educational environment that affirms the College's commitment to equity and diversity.

This position serves as the experienced kitchen resource for student prep cooks, providing day-to-day direction, technical guidance, production support, and quality oversight across Alki Café, the South Seattle Culinary Convenience Store, the Northwest Wine Academy, the Garden Center, and scheduled catering operations.

This position is in-person with no opportunity for remote work. The schedule is typically Monday through Friday, with specific hours adjusted to meet production and scheduled event needs. The incumbent will work 30 hours per week and is eligible for benefits. This position is governed by a collective bargaining agreement with representation by WFSE and is subject to union shop provisions.

About Us

We are a district of three distinct colleges - North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College - and five specialty training centers. Which makes us the largest and most diverse community college district in the state of Washington, we are leaders in change and innovation.

Seattle Colleges is committed to recruiting dedicated faculty and employees who together create a welcoming academic climate that reflects the diverse backgrounds of our community, including ethnicity, national origin, religion, race, gender, gender identity, age, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, disability, political status, and sexual orientation.

As a Seattle Colleges permanent employee, you will gain access to a great benefits package including:

• Competitive Pay Rates
• Promotional Opportunities
• Great Medical, Dental, and Retirement plans
• Paid Sick and Vacation Leave
• Transportation benefits
• Tuition Waivers
• PEBB Wellness Plan
• Washington State Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)

Seattle Colleges staff and faculty also enjoy professional development opportunities and enrichment experiences in areas of their choice, including committee, workgroup, and affinity group opportunities.

Notice To Applicants

Please note that Seattle Colleges has moved to holding interviews virtually using video conference options such as Zoom or Teams. As such, if you are selected for an interview, please be prepared to hold your interview virtually.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a regular basis. The employer will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Seattle Colleges is unable to extend post‑completion optional practical training (OPT) to F‑1 students who receive STEM degrees.

What You Will Be Working On

• Plans and completes food production and replenishment for Alki Café and the South Seattle Culinary Convenience Store, including breakfast items, sandwiches, and other fresh grab-and-go products.
• Prepares food, cheese and pairing components for the Northwest Wine Academy; desserts and specialty items for the Garden Center; and catering orders when events are scheduled.
• Develops weekly and daily production plans based on sales, pars, scheduled events, available student labor, product availability, and anticipated demand.
• Executes and scales recipes while maintaining standards for quality, quantity, portioning, presentation, labeling, dating, and first-in, first-out rotation.
• Monitors product quality and availability across departments and adjusts production based on sales, waste, and changing operational needs.
• Provides day-to-day direction, technical guidance, and hands‑on support to student prep cooks, particularly when production volume exceeds student capacity.
• Completes food inventory, ordering, receiving, storage, and rotation while supporting appropriate pars and cost control.
• Completes required temperature monitoring and documentation and ensures compliance with food‑safety, sanitation, and allergen‑control standards.
• Maintains clean, organized, and production‑ready kitchen, storage, and work areas, including routine deep cleaning and end‑of‑week production‑space reset.
• Coordinates core production early in the week; Café and Convenience Store replenishment throughout the week; Wine Academy and Garden Center production later in the week; and major production, catering, inventory, ordering, and cleaning activities on Fridays.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

What You Bring As a Candidate

• High School Diploma or GED
• ServSafe Certification or Washington State Food Handler¿s Card
• CPR/AED certification required within the first 30 days of hire.
• Two years of professional food‑production experience or a college degree in culinary arts, hospitality, or a related field
• Experience with high-volume food preparation, grab‑and‑go production, catering, or retail food‑service operations

Physical Demands and Disability Accommodation

Persons with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation in all aspects of employment with Seattle Colleges. This includes, but is not limited to, recruitment, application, interviewing, hiring, training, termination, conditions of employment, and any other employer-supported activities. Applicants requesting accommodation should contact Human Resources .

Food Production Setting

Seattle Colleges follows the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and provides the following information as a guideline for applicants:

• Ability to safely operate commercial kitchen equipment, receive and store food products, and maintain required production and food‑safety records
• Ability to exchange information clearly with supervisors, co‑workers, students, vendors, and partner departments
• Ability to provide one‑on‑one and small‑group instruction, perform repetitive food‑preparation tasks, and use a computer for ordering, inventory, and documentation
• Work is performed primarily in commercial food‑production and storage areas and includes standing for extended periods, frequent interruptions, temperature changes, and noise typical of these settings

Notice of Non-Discrimination Statement

Seattle Colleges is committed to the concept and practice of equal opportunity for all its students, employees, and applicants in education, employment, services and contracts, and does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, color, age, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, status as an honorably discharged veteran or disabled veteran or military status, political affiliation or belief, citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or presence of any physical, sensory, or mental disability. In addition, reasonable accommodation will be made for known physical or mental limitations for all otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. Further, the Seattle Colleges is committed to ensure that all employees and students work and learn in an environment that fosters mutual respect and professionalism, free from all forms of ¿bullying¿ behaviors, including ¿cyberbullying.¿

Background Check Statement

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant¿s suitability and competence to perform in the position. In addition to the background check, candidates will complete Sexual Misconduct Disclosure Form WA HB 2327 as required.