Kitchen/Direct Services Coordinator

Kitchen / Direct Services Coordinator

Housing Matters partners with individuals and families to create pathways out of their homelessness into permanent housing. We are a leader in working to end homelessness and we want you to be part of our team! We are looking for individuals eager to make a difference and willing to enthusiastically commit to join in our vision that homelessness in Santa Cruz County should be rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Working under the direct supervision of the Kitchen Manager, the Kitchen DSC (Direct Services Coordinator) is responsible for prepping, cooking, and providing transport of meals from Housing Matter’s satellite locations called “Landing” and “Bridge”, residential participants. These two satellite sites are located within Santa Cruz County. The ideal candidate will work alongside kitchen staff and campus shelter DSCs and is expected to be totally immersed in the day-to-day operations involved with running an institutional kitchen while practicing safe food handling standards and procedures.

 Hours and Benefits

The Kitchen / DSC is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt position, eligible for medical, dental, vision, 403b, and our generous PTO plan.

 Benefits Summary:

• 6 Medical plans - 100% employee coverage (On select plans)
• Dental - 100% employee coverage
• Vision - 100% employee coverage
• Life insurance (UNUM) - 100% employee coverage
• 403b Retirement Savings matched up to 3% dollar-for-dollar with no vesting period
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Travel Assistance
• PTO, 1 paid floating holiday, 9 paid holidays 

Regularly scheduled shifts Monday-Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Occasional holidays may be required.

Starting Wages (Offer Dependent on Experience):

$23.00 $23.69 $24.40 $25.13 $25.88 $26.66 

Preferred Experience

• Minimum of 1 year of prior institutional cooking experience (school cafeteria, prison, shelter) preparing food for large volumes of people preferred.

Special Requirements

• Must have a valid California Driver’s License, insurance, and registered vehicle, as they are necessary to fulfill an essential component of this position.
• Regular standing, walking, sitting, crouching, stooping, transporting food in a vehicle, and communication are required. 
• Requires manual dexterity for regular repetitive finger motion and frequent reaching, pulling, pushing, and lifting objects and operating equipment. 
• Requires the ability to lift 60 lbs. 
• Must be Serve-safe certified.
• Structured scheduling skills 

Thorough knowledge of:

• Properly operating kitchen equipment
• Kitchen cleaning and safety procedures 
• Kitchen organizational skills
• Food Handling 
• Customer service skills 

Typical Job Duties:

• Preparing, cooking, and serving meals. Food prepared must meet quality and Serve-safe standards for taste, temperature (doneness), and visual appeal.
• Safely use all equipment according to proper procedures – stove, title skillet, kettle, convection ovens, can openers, knives, steam tables, ice wands, trash compactor, carts).
• Wash dishes and kitchen equipment. 
• Transport meals to Landing and Bridge satellite locations
• Following opening and closing procedures.
• Maintaining and following cleaning and sanitizing protocols to ensure a safe environment.
• Supporting shelter programs 
• Maintaining a safe, secure, and clean environment 
• Be available to answer questions and problem-solve with shelter guests 
• Distribute snacks and supplies when available 
• Understand and apply housing first and harm reduction strategies 
• Maintain and role model professional boundaries at all times 
• Respond appropriately to potential encounters using de‐escalation techniques 
• Call upon community resources for assistance when appropriate 
• Maintain curfew and visiting policy specific to each program 
• Communicate with staff via email or during shift handoffs 
• When appropriate, complete Incident Reports per policy guidelines 
• Review and maintain accurate documentation for each program 
• Provide support to program staff
• Attend staff and agency trainings and meetings as required 
• Other duties as assigned

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at Housing Matters without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer-related and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, age (over 18), veteran status, gender, pregnancy, or any other non-merit factor unrelated to job duties. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: recruitment; advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, selection for training (including apprenticeship), employment, upgrading, demotion, or transfer.