Kitchen Manager

RISD - Rhode Island School of Design; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rhode Island School of Design seeks a Kitchen Manager to oversee RISD’s on-campus dining venues, the commissary, and catering. This role plans culinary programs, manages operations, staffing, and safety, and drives continuous improvement to meet campus needs.

Responsibilities include policy administration, team leadership, menu management, and collaboration with dining partners to deliver high-quality, authentic, and seasonal offerings for a diverse student body.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts and 5 years of food service experience, with 2 years in leadership.
• CFPM certification or equivalent is required in Rhode Island.
• Equivalent education and experience may substitute for the minimum.

Responsibilities

• Oversees kitchens, commissary, and catering to align with RISD priorities.
• Directs hiring, performance management, and staff development.
• Ensures health, safety, and sanitation standards across operations.
• Manages menus, pricing, and inventory using CBORD and related systems.
• Collaborates with front-of-house to ensure exceptional customer experience.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Communication

English proficiency

Driver's license

Education

Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts

Rhode Island CFPM certification

Tools

Microsoft Office

CBORD/menu management systems

HR software

Cloud-based menu management

Job description

JOB SUMMARY (OVERVIEW)

The Kitchen Manager fosters lasting dining relationships by creating a thoughtful and meaningful culinary program. Directly oversees the kitchens of on-campus Dining Venues, the commissary program, and catering. Participates in planning and developing culinary programs that are flexible and reflect campus priorities. Oversees daily operational performance, including staffing levels, ensuring consistent administration of operational policies and culinary principles. Manages the full hiring and performance management process for supervisors and non‑exempt staff. Ensures the workplace reflects best practices in terms of health and safety protocols. Maintains key financial influencers. Makes programmatic recommendations based on current and next‑generation dining trends.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/DUTIES

Culinary Program

Oversees daily operations to ensure RISD’s culinary program aligns with strategic priorities while maintaining high kitchen standards. Fosters a welcoming and professional environment by promptly and courteously monitoring the customer experience and ensuring the program meets the needs of a diverse clientele. Administers policies, resolves operational concerns, and plans around RISD’s academic calendar. Effectively delegates tasks aligned with team members’ abilities and collaborates with the front‑of‑house team to ensure seamless service. Tests new recipes and concepts, ensuring catering, retail, and menu cycles reflect Dining’s mission, core values, and high standards of quality, authenticity, and seasonality. Empower and Develop Cultivates a strong sense of unity, leading by example and driving overall team performance. Inspires the culinary team to strive for excellence, fostering growth in cultural sensitivity, flavor profiles, culinary expertise, and technical proficiency. Ensures the team has the resources, support, and training needed for success and creates a culture of continuous improvement. With a focus on enhancing the student experience, sets clear goals and rallies the team around shared, student‑focused objectives. Conducts or delegates performance management as appropriate, aligning with team members’ roles and responsibilities. Uses transparent communication methods to keep all levels informed, while ensuring record‑keeping, licenses, and quality assurance measures remain up to date. Adapts and reviews employee training manuals and SOPs as needed to support evolving operational needs.

Financial Oversight

Supports financial outcomes by influencing multi‑year financial modeling through intra‑venue menu engineering, accurate utilization, and integration of the menu management system. Leverages relationships with vendor representatives to ensure expectations are met and optimizes services and products to enhance the student experience. Identifies and suggests process improvements to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and achieve financial goals. Manages staffing levels to align with target labor hours, including seasonal adjustments. Ensures accurate input and maintenance of all recipes and processes, with proper pricing and ingredients, in the menu management system. Regularly meets with vendor representatives to ensure purchases align with specifications, standard par stock levels, and budget forecasts, while all transfer activity is accurately documented.

Health and Safety Compliance

Upholds strict compliance with all applicable health and safety codes, setting and enforcing sanitation standards for food preparation, handling, transport, and service. Oversees preventative maintenance schedules and ensures kitchen equipment operates properly, following manufacturer instructions and maintaining accurate records. Responsible for kitchen cleaning schedules and disseminates RI Health Department reports to the team, creating action plans as needed. Addresses food‑related physical, medical, and environmental issues and involves proactive measures and strategic solutions. Ensures the precise implementation of specialized dietary plans.

Menu Management and Inventory

Creates and updates menus and recipes using CBORD software to align with the culinary vision, dining mission, and core values. Analyzes ingredient costs and tracks inventory to inform menu pricing and maintain optimal stock levels. Accurately costs recipes to ensure proper pricing for profitability. Implements inventory management strategies to maintain par stock levels and minimize waste. Ensures the accuracy and availability of allergen and nutritional information for customer safety and satisfaction. Uses sales data and customer feedback to optimize menu offerings to enhance satisfaction and profitability. Plays a key role in the execution of catering menus and events, both on‑and off‑site, and contributes to menu development as requested.

Additional Duties

Provides support to the Executive Chef in planning, preparing, coordinating, and executing both catered and Dining events. Serves as a key member of the Dining management team. Identifies when to implement CARE processes. Performs other duties as required.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFICATIONS

An Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts and five (5) years of food service industry experience, with a preference for college/university segment and/or catering, and a minimum of two (2) years of culinary leadership experience, with proven success in leading teams, are required. Rhode Island Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification or equivalent is required. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted for the minimum educational requirement.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; knowledge of digital, cloud‑based menu management systems and HR software is desirable. Must be able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing, as required for job duties and interactions with team members, customers, and stakeholders. Bilingual skills preferred. Proven interpersonal and excellent leadership skills, including the ability to visualize and communicate desired outcomes to a diverse group in a team‑based environment. Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively communicate with customers, peers, and supervisors and professionally with multiple levels of employees within the College. Valid driver’s license preferred.

Union: No

Work Schedule: All dining managers are considered essential personnel to the school and are therefore required to attend work even when the school is closed.

Employment Status: (Temp, Term, On‑call, etc) 12 Month, Full‑Time, Exempt Grade: 535EX

Salary Grade Structure Incomplete applications will not be considered.

This successful candidate will be required to meet our pre‑employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes inclusion and belonging as fundamental to its learning and working community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to this community and to our commitment to excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

Rhode Island School of Design is a nonprofit college and museum founded in 1877 in Providence, RI — one of the first art and design schools in the US. Our students engage in rigorous, studio‑based learning and liberal arts studies. By cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD equips artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world. Find out much more about RISD at risd.edu/about.