Senior Culinary Manager

Future Chefs (futurechefs.net) prepare Boston high school students to complete high school ready for quality employment and post-secondary education. With a focus on positive youth development, Future Chefs provides authentic work-based learning in a kitchen setting to prepare teens with the basic cooking skills needed to enter the culinary industry and most importantly the job readiness and essential skills to succeed in any field.

Future Chefs believe that every young person is unique and flourishes in respectful, safe, stimulating settings that provide opportunities for growth, and relationships with caring, supportive adults who honor students lived experiences. Future Chefs occupies 5,770 square feet of meeting, kitchen, and office space on the first floor of The Clarion in Roxbury. Our youth-centered programming also includes community-based collaborations that directly and indirectly support our mission. Future Chefs is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (tsne.org).

Who You Are

You are an enthusiastic, experienced culinary professional with a desire to share your broad culinary knowledge and passion for cooking in a community-based, after-school, and out-of-school setting. You bring creativity, technical expertise, and vision to menu development, catering, and event production, with the ability to deliver high-quality food at scale while designing menus that are engaging, culturally responsive, and aligned with program goals. You take pride in producing excellent food that reflects professionalism, safety, and sanitation standards, and you hold yourself and others accountable to the highest level of kitchen operations.

You are equally comfortable teaching in the kitchen with youth and supporting adult staff to deliver curriculum with excellence. You want to develop the leadership and culinary knowledge of participants and adult staff. You are a passionate lifelong learner, highly organized, and committed to leading and upholding a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and welcoming culinary setting.

You understand that Future Chefs is not a traditional kitchen environment. You are excited to help shape an alternative kitchen culture—one that centers youth, values essential life and leadership skills, and intentionally contrasts with some of the industry’s norms. You believe teamwork, communication, initiative, and respect are as important as culinary technique, and you see your role as developing not just skilled cooks, but future leaders.

You are a direct and respectful communicator who seeks to develop and uphold the systems needed to support a safe, professional, productive, and welcoming working environment. You do not waste resources and work to maintain and teach the highest standards in the kitchen. You embrace excellence as you strive to instill it in others. All the work in the kitchen with our young people serves the programming goals at Future Chefs. You are a willing collaborator in achieving those goals, exude positivity, and model a healthy lifestyle.

The Senior Culinary Manager (SCM) is the lead culinary professional at Future Chefs, responsible for ensuring the quality and impact of all culinary programming. This role combines hands-on teaching with youth, coaching and supporting culinary staff, and collaborating with the program team on youth-led culinary enterprises and events.

The Senior Culinary Manager supervises the Culinary Team, serving as a mentor, sounding board, and resource for program delivery. While not responsible for overall event management, the SCM ensures that all youth-led and community-facing events meet high culinary standards and reflect Future Chefs’ quality expectations. The primary focus remains curriculum delivery, youth engagement, kitchen operations, and staff development, with accountability for the culinary excellence of all programming.

Essential Job Functions

Culinary Education & Youth Development

• Directly deliver Future Chefs’ culinary curriculum to youth participants, leading hands-on instruction in the teaching kitchen.
• Actively coach and mentor young people during daily programming, modeling professional kitchen standards, teamwork, and a work-readiness mindset.
• Train, support, and observe culinary instructors to strengthen their curriculum delivery and instructional practices.
• Collaborate with Program Staff to assess youth skills, share progress updates, and reinforce coaching and career exploration goals.
• Lead field trips, workshops, and guest chef experiences that expand youth exposure to culinary careers and food traditions.

Kitchen Operations & Food Production

• Oversee daily kitchen operations in a licensed professional kitchen, ensuring compliance with health, safety, and sanitation standards.
• Manage scheduling, production calendars, and workflow for year-round programming.
• Supervise menu planning, recipe testing, and preparation for instructional activities.
• Implement systems for food procurement, inventory control, and waste reduction.
• Maintain preventative maintenance schedules and ensure safe operation of equipment and facilities.
• Ensure all required inspections, certifications, and licensing requirements are met on schedule.

Culinary Events & External Partnerships

• Supervise and support the Culinary Instructor & Events Specialist in planning, execution, and delivery of external culinary events (e.g., catering, team-building events, private functions, etc.).
• Provide oversight and guidance to ensure events meet high culinary standards and align with youth development goals.
• Serve as a sounding board and occasional backup when additional leadership is needed during events.
• Support relationship-building with local chefs, industry leaders, and vendors to expand Future Chefs’ culinary network and youth opportunities.

Staff Supervision & Professional Development

• Supervise, coach, and evaluate 2–4 culinary staff, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and professional kitchen culture.
• Lead scheduling, delegation, and capacity planning to ensure balanced workloads across culinary staff.
• Provide mentorship, professional development, and growth opportunities for staff to build both culinary expertise and youth development skills.
• Promote a welcoming, equitable, and respectful environment for both staff and youth.

Strategic Leadership, Administration & Collaboration

• Collaborate with the Director of Programs and Partnerships to align culinary programming with organizational goals and youth outcomes.
• Advise the Leadership Team on culinary trends, staff development, and resource needs.
• Participate in annual program planning, budgeting, and outcomes measurement.
• Partner with the Development team to support fundraising efforts, donor events, and storytelling.
• Track and report culinary program data, ensuring alignment with organizational learning and evaluation systems.

• 5+ years managing culinary operations in a professional kitchen (e.g., full-service restaurant or institutional kitchen).
• Experience with, or strong interest in, working alongside young people from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on equity and inclusion.
• Supervisory experience leading a team of two or more in a culinary setting.
• Strategic and intentional in supporting young people’s growth, leadership, and confidence.
• Proven track record managing catering and food production for onsite and external events.
• Coaching and mentoring supervision style to support professional growth and career pathways.
• Strong foundation in savory cuisine, preferably in upscale or fine dining, with depth across a variety of cuisines.
• Experience applying Positive Youth Development principles in a culinary setting, or willingness to build this skill through professional development.
• Ability to share culinary expertise in ways that are accessible, engaging, and instructive.
• Commitment to advancing opportunities for young people of color and fostering inclusive kitchen environments.
• Clear, effective communication and strong organizational skills.
• Collaborative approach to working as part of a responsible, productive team.

Special Job Requirements

• Available to work after school hours, summers, and occasional weekends.
• CORI/SORI check
• ServSafe Manager Certification.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed onsite; 305 Roxbury, MA 02120.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week; availability to work after school hours, summers, and occasional weekends.

Compensation: The starting salary range for this position is $70,000 - $75,000 annually, dependent on experience and internal equity within Future Chefs. The full salary range possible within the role in the future is $70,000 - $78,000 annually, dependent on experience and performance.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): twelve paid holidays, three weeks of vacation, one week of personal holiday, and ability to accrue up to 487.5 hours of health leave time for benefited staff.
• 80% Employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Harvard Pilgrim Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care.
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Employer-paid Pension and Employee-paid 403b plan through TIAA.
• ...and more!

TSNE/FC strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/FC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/FC celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/FC's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.