Wild Ridge - Food Service Manager

Young Life; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Young Life is seeking a Food Service Manager for its Wild Ridge camp, overseeing staff and operations to deliver hospitable, Christ-centered service. The role emphasizes spiritual formation, guest-centered hospitality, and comprehensive stewardship of food service resources.

The position requires leading teams, managing menus, budgets, and inventory, and ensuring adherence to Young Life standards while supporting camp guests and volunteers. July 2027 opening date is expected.

Qualifications

• Work experience in the food service industry preferred.
• Experience training and leading teams.
• Demonstrate understanding of Young Life ministry, strategy and mission.
• Experience in organizing and prioritizing tasks.
• Experience in managing the administrative aspects of the Food Service department.

Responsibilities

• Intentionally provide opportunities for staff to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus.
• Participate in opportunities for growing deeper in your relationship with Jesus.
• With direction from supervisor, develop an annual personal spiritual growth plan.
• Foster an environment where department staff have opportunities for ongoing spiritual development, including execution of their personal spiritual growth plan.
• Establish a culture where the spiritual formation of Food Service volunteers is both a priority and responsibility for all members of the department.

Skills

Food Service Experience

Team Leadership

Task Prioritization

Administrative Skills

Ministry Understanding

Education

Some college education

Culinary institute experience

Job description

Because of Young Life's exclusive Christian purposes of evangelism and in these Bylaws, and to reflect what has always been and will continue to be the position of Young Life, specifically the Christian belief that each and every employee and volunteer of the corporation should minister as a servant of God with the primary responsibility of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and, as such, is an integral part of the Christian mission and ministry of the corporation, Young Life shall only employ individuals or enlist volunteer leaders who: (a) profess a belief in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord; and (b) subscribe to the statements and policies required of all Young Life staff, including the Young Life Statement of Faith. Therefore, employees and volunteers of Young Life, during working and nonworking hours, shall: (i) be ready, willing and able to fulfill such ministry functions as may be required by the organization; (ii) refrain from conduct and statements that detract from the biblical standards taught and supported by Young Life, and (iii) abide by all policies and practices of Young Life including, without limitation, those related to religious belief or ministry activities.

All camps share a common purpose: creating an environment where Young Life staff bring Christ to life by creatively presenting the complete gospel of Jesus Christ. Speaking clearly from the Scriptures, camp speakers introduce kids to the person of Christ, the nature of humanity, the work of Christ on the cross, the hope of the resurrection and the opportunity for reconciliation with God. Young Life requires all employees to sign a Statement of Faith. We recommend you read this statement before applying for any position.

Essential Duties: Spiritual Formation:

• Intentionally provide opportunities for staff to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus.
• Participate in opportunities for growing deeper in your relationship with Jesus.
• With direction from supervisor, develop an annual personal spiritual growth plan.
• Foster an environment where department staff have opportunities for ongoing spiritual development, including execution of their personal spiritual growth plan.
• Establish a culture where the spiritual formation of Food Service volunteers is both a priority and responsibility for all members of the department.

Attentive Hospitality:

• Establish a department posture of service that anticipates guest needs and responds with professionalism through intentional decisions and systems.
• Direct the planning, developing and evaluation of the menu according to the Young Life Food Service standards.
• Anticipate and execute guest needs/requests in order to partner with our groups; meeting their needs and developing an environment where guests are heard.

Interpersonal Relationships:

• Build relationships that reflect the character of God with guests, staff, vendors and neighbors to foster healthy community.
• Ensure department staff demonstrate the importance of their interpersonal relationships with guests, staff, vendors and neighbors and promote a healthy community.
• Cultivate interdepartmental staff relationships by building partnerships throughout the property.

Comprehensive Stewardship:

• Manage with integrity the finances, people, buildings and equipment that have been entrusted to our ministry through Food Services.
• Develop and equip staff to participate in comprehensive stewardship of the Food Services Department.
• Maintain systems for inventory control over food, equipment and other budgeted items.
• Manage and lead the Food Services staff in food cost tracking procedures and awareness of food costs impact on camp fees and property budget.
• Cultivate an environment where volunteers feel valued both as contributors and as people.
• Identify and ensure the hiring of quality candidates both for staff positions and intern positions.

Talent Development:

• Demonstrate a desire to grow through engagement in the Individual Development Plan process and participation in training and development opportunities.
• Foster department staff participation in the Individual Development Plan process as well as other training and development opportunities.
• Intentionally pursue opportunities in mission leadership, personal growth, and development.
• Establish and execute training for volunteers, work crew, summer staff, and camp staff with vision towards creating a pipeline for the mission.
• Perform yearly evaluations for those responsible for supervising and ensure those staff participation in their IDP process.

Embracing Excellence:

• Lead department staff in the execution of daily responsibilities with attention to the standards and metrics required for excellent camp operations.
• Demonstrate a commitment to uphold the Young Life Food Service Standards found in the Food Service Manual.
• Exemplify Young Life Standards in the way you conduct yourself with staff, guests, and volunteers.

Training Expectations:

• Must obtain ServeSafe Certification within 6 months unless already certified
• Attend yearly departmental training
• Participate in monthly divisional video conferences

Camp or Job Specific Working Conditions:

• May be required to lift materials weighing 60 pounds waist high.
• May be exposed to cleaning chemicals when training staff in the proper cleaning methods.
• Administrative work, as well as an active role in the kitchen.
• For camp specific, if applicable, see attached document

Education:

• Some college education preferred or experience from a professional culinary institute preferred

Qualifications and Experience Required For The Job:

• Work experience in the food service industry preferred
• Experience training and leading teams
• Demonstrate understanding of Young Life ministry, strategy and mission
• Experience in organizing and prioritizing tasks
• Experience in managing the administrative aspects of the Food Service department.
• Demonstrate professionalism in written and verbal communication with guests, vendors and staff

This description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the principal job elements essential for making compensation decisions.

Notes: Young Life is a relational ministry. Staff must be able to convey a sense of Christ-like hospitality and concern for guests and staff. Responding to the unexpected needs of a guest in a prompt and professional manner is important. All staff members are expected to represent Young Life positively and professionally within the community and be able to work with and minister to the volunteer high school and college-age young people who attend our camp.

Wild Ridge is a resort-quality Young Life outreach camp under development overlooking the Gauley River near Summersville Lake, where thousands of kids will experience the Gospel. Nearby Summersville (20 minutes away) offers a local Young Life area and churches, while Fayetteville (30 minutes away), home to New River Gorge National Park, offers restaurants and tourism. Our growing team values thoughtful communication, trust built through relationships, and individualized hospitality to each other and our guests. We strive for healthy people (our staff), healthy ministry (guests), and healthy operations (facilities). Working at Wild Ridge will require flexibility, innovation, and determination in order to solve problems, build and enhance operational systems, and work collaboratively with staff from the field, development, and construction departments. They need to be able to manage "what is" while having a vision and patience for "what is to come." We are seeking an innovative leader to serve as our Food Service Manager and help establish a culture of excellence and hospitality as we prepare to open in July 2027. This role creates welcoming, valued spaces for campers, leaders, and volunteers. Depending on operational needs, a qualified candidate may lead or support multiple departments. Join a team committed to professional excellence, personal growth, spiritual development, and the mission of introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is outlined below. This base pay range is for the U.S. and is not applicable to locations outside of the United States. The anticipated salary rate for this position can range from $44,880 - $56,075 depending on relevant education, experience, and location.

We the members of the Young Life mission - trustees, staff, instructors at Young Life schools and volunteers - join together in our affirmation of the following articles and our central purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and introducing adolescents everywhere to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.