Kitchen Lead

Kettle Cuisine; Savage (MD); On-site; USD 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Kettle Cuisine in Savage, MD is seeking a Kitchen Lead to oversee the production line, ensuring safety, sanitation, quality, quantity and cost targets are met. You will coach and develop direct reports to achieve daily KPIs and drive continuous improvement across shift operations.

The role emphasizes safe practices, GMP adherence, teamwork, and timely documentation, with a base pay range and comprehensive benefits. Flexibility to lead new hires and temporary staff is required.

Qualifications

• 2 years manufacturing experience preferably in the food industry.
• Experience working in temperature-controlled settings.
• Experience with perishable items.
• Proven track record in safe working practices.
• Excellent interpersonal skills needed for working in a team environment.
• Goal oriented & well organized.
• Ability to work all scheduled shifts, on time.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to safe working practices at all times.
• Perform daily checks of area for non-compliance and report issues to your supervisor.
• Ensure finished product conforms to specifications.
• Manufacture quality products efficiently within time and quantity parameters.
• Drive and motivate team to meet and exceed daily targets and deadlines.
• Accurate and timely completion of required documentation to enable clear traceability.
• Follow the company GMP’s.
• Ensure the production area is always clean and tidy.
• Remove out of spec material from production line.
• Complete Date Code and Label checks.
• Report Downtime to maintenance in a timely manner.
• Assist the Supervisor in delegating tasks and managing labor.
• Record data.
• Manage ERP system transactions.
• Manage employees breaks and tardiness.
• Communicate and update all relevant parties of any issues or changes.
• Conduct Weekly team brief with direct reports.
• Monitor and action all waste.
• Manage, coach and develop direct reports.
• Take active lead with new employees and temporary labor.
• Encourage colleagues to challenge the status quo and drive continuous improvement.
• Take instructions from supervisors.
• Other tasks as needed

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Team leadership

Time management

Self-starter

Problem solving

Detail oriented

Communication

Job description

At the heart of our company is a deep passion for creating fresh, healthy, and artisan-quality food that brings people together. We honor the craft of artisan cooking-using scratch-made stocks, hand-chopped herbs, and only the highest-quality ingredients-complemented by cutting-edge technology. This allows us to deliver consistently safe, exceptional products on a large scale.

But it’s not just about the food. Our culture is built on principles that shape how we grow, both as individuals and as a team. One of our core values, Honoring Development, guides us to actively seek out, celebrate, and nurture one another’s talents, strengths, and interests. By fostering each other’s growth, we strengthen our relationships and capabilities, driving both personal and professional success.

We also believe in Honoring Each Other. We surround ourselves with passionate people who share our love for great food. Through mutual respect and collaboration, we create an environment where employees are empowered to thrive, building trusting, and rewarding relationships with our clients, partners, and one another.

If you're looking for a place where your skills, passion, and ideas can flourish, we invite you to explore the opportunities available within our dynamic and supportive team.

Job Summary

Job Summary

To ensure continuous and efficient operation of the production line to meet customer requirements in accordance with Safety, Sanitation, Quality, Quantity and Cost (SSQQC). To manage, coach and develop direct reports to achieve day to day KPIs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Adhere to safe working practices at all times
• Perform daily checks of area for non-compliance and report issues to your supervisor
• Ensure finished product conforms to specifications
• Manufacture quality products efficiently within time and quantity parameters
• Drive and motivate team to meet and exceed daily targets and deadlines
• Accurate and timely completion of required documentation to enable clear traceability
• Follow the company GMP’s
• Ensure the production area is always clean and tidy
• Remove out of spec material from production line
• Complete Date Code and Label checks
• Report Downtime to maintenance in a timely manner
• Assist the Supervisor in delegating tasks and managing labor
• Record data
• Manage ERP system transactions
• Manage employees breaks and tardiness
• Communicate and update all relevant parties of any issues or changes
• Conduct Weekly team brief with direct reports
• Monitor and action all waste
• Manage, coach and develop direct reports
• Take active lead with new employees and temporary labor
• Encourage colleagues to challenge the status quo and drive continuous improvement
• Take instructions from supervisors
• Other tasks as needed

Required Skills

Qualifications and Experience

• 2 years manufacturing experience preferably in the food industry
• Experience working in temperature-controlled settings
• Experience with perishable items
• Proven track record in safe working practices
• Excellent interpersonal skills needed for working in a team environment
• Goal oriented & well organized
• Ability to work all scheduled shifts, on time

Required attributes

• Able to interact and communicate with the supervisors and team members
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Time management
• Leadership -coaching and developing
• Self-starter able to conceptualize and drive initiatives forward
• Positive attitude and motivated by contributing to the overall success of the team
• Able to develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Strong attention to detail, well organized and able to juggle many projects at once
• Comfortable moving at a fast pace and in ambiguous environments
• Passionate about food
• Willing to address difficult situations head on with patience and respect
• Able to be flexible, versatile, and prepared to handle responsibilities

Desired Skills

As A Leader Within the Kettle Cuisine Team You Are Expected To:

• Model and support Kettle's Core Values and safety culture
• Create a culture of accountability & performance
• Drive a focus on quality and continuous improvement
• Plan work, track results and resolve variances

L

Responsibility

LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Works with little supervision, but work is reviewed. Exercises discretion within areas of responsibility.
• Recommends actions and alternatives to supervisor and others.
• Position has little to no contact with customers.
• Position makes indirect contribution to efforts that generate moderate levels of revenue.
• Decisions or actions may have a moderate impact on other departments and/or external relationships of the organization. Errors are usually detected after the fact and may result in moderate interruption and delays in work output.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Kettle Cuisine complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability laws. This means we will not discriminate against qualified individuals with a disability in any phase of the employment relationship including application for employment, hiring, promotions and/or advancement opportunities, termination, compensation, training and any other conditions or privileges of employment.

Core Values

Kettle Cuisine takes the utmost pride in its people, products and reputation. Each employee is expected to understand and live our Core Values every day.

Honor Food - We create and produce the best tasting, safest, all natural recipes that strive for perfection in every batch, from bench to kettle

Honor Each Other - We seek to develop trusting, respectful and mutually rewarding relationships with all our team members and business partners

Honor Development - We recognize and nurture each other’s talents, strengths and interests in order to further strengthen and grow our team

Honor Innovation - We continually strive for creative and sustainable ways to achieve excellence

The Kitchen Lead base pay range$24.00/hourly.The listed salary range represents Kettle Cuisine’s good faith estimate for this position and represents the minimum and maximum fornew hire salaries for the Savage, MD location only. Ranges will be reviewed on a regular basis. An employee’srate of pay within the range is determined by their qualifications, relevant experience, and demonstrated performance over time.In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team membersas a part of any final offer. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical to allow for future and continued salary growth.The Kitchen Lead position is eligible for our comprehensive benefits package. Kettle Cuisine and all its legal entities comply with all federal, state,and local minimum wage laws.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kettle Cuisine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions at Kettle Cuisine are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Kettle Cuisine will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.