WE’RE HIRING

Community Kitchen Coordinator

Full-Time Position, August 18, 2025, to April 30, 2026.

Wages and hours: 30 hrs/week at $25/hr

Application due: Friday, July 25, 2025, at 11:59 pm ADT

Apply here: https://forms.gle/Mu64DfuHDKhTCc8m7

Alternative application formats are welcome (i.e. video submission or phone call); contact us to discuss hiring@loadedladle.com.

*Start date has some flexibility.

Description

Loaded Ladle is looking for someone passionate about cooking and community to assist in coordinating our free lunch servings. The Community Kitchen Coordinator will work with other ladle members to help cook and serve meals for 200+ people, coordinate produce and ingredient orders with local suppliers, and create a welcoming space for volunteers.

Detailed description of job duties, definitions for terms used in posting and more information about the organization and the hiring process below.

About the Loaded Ladle

The Loaded Ladle is a non-profit open food cooperative based out of the Dalhousie Students’ Union Building. The Loaded Ladle provides accessible, sustainable, locally-sourced free food on the Dalhousie University campus. Our collective of students and workers manages this alternative food service.

Key Terms

Food justice: The acknowledgment that our food system is not neutral; we do not have a level playing field. The rules, who gets to set the rules, and the functioning of our food systems contain oppressive and colonizing forces that create and sustain inequities.

Anti-oppressive framework: This framework actively works against oppression. Oppression is the use of power to disempower, marginalize, silence, or otherwise subordinate one social group or category, often in order to further empower and/or privilege the oppressor. An anti-oppressive framework actively fights against racism, ableism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism, and all other forms of intersecting oppressions.

Consensus-based decision-making: A creative and dynamic way of reaching an agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports, or at least can live with. This ensures that all opinions, ideas, and concerns are taken into account. Through listening closely to each other, the group aims to come up with proposals that work for everyone.

Non-hierarchical framework: A flat management structure, where employees work towards a common purpose, without a designated management team.

food sovereignty: Emerged from La Via Campesina, a global peasant movement, as the right of people to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, as well as the right to define their own food and agricultural systems.

Employment Equity

The Loaded Ladle commits itself to an equity-based approach to hiring, which prioritizes hiring people from historically marginalized groups. The Loaded Ladle commits itself to an anti-racist, equity-based approach to hiring, which incorporates an awareness of systemic oppression. The Loaded Ladle will prioritize applications from people who face racist, ableist, classist, homophobic, transphobic, colonialist, and other forms of oppression. We value lived experience and an interest in food justice. We value people's histories, identities, and backgrounds and encourage people to self-identify in their application form. People who have lived experience of disability or barriers to accessibility will be given priority in the hiring process.

Roles of Community Kitchen Coordinator

The following roles will be shared between the Co-Kitchen Coordinators. Division of tasks will be determined by kitchen staff within the first two weeks of the roles.

Kitchen Duties

Oversee prep, cooking, and clean-up of regular Loaded Ladle meal servings when scheduled in the kitchen.
Create a welcoming environment in the kitchen and work with volunteers and other staff to collaboratively cook meals. Help direct volunteers.
Remain open to the wellbeing of other staff and volunteers in the kitchen. Support others in the kitchen and intervene in the event of an unsafe situation.
Ensure Food Safe standards are met at all times in the kitchen.
Complete cleaning tasks (dishes, sweeping, mopping, taking out garbage/compost) in order to close the kitchen after serving and prep shifts.
Coordinate with kitchen co-facilitators on how to divide up kitchen tasks, create an action plan and check-in structures for capacity, preferred tasks, and breaks.

Planning Duties

Develop meals with local, plant-based, and ethically sourced ingredients.

Adapt menu for 200-300 servings, taking local ingredients, capacity, and budget into consideration.

Work with other kitchen team members to create opportunities for collaborative menu planning, inviting volunteers and community members to share recipes.
Uphold structures for kitchen organizations such as storage, cleaning scheduling, task management, etc.

Order and coordinate cleaning supplies and other kitchen products.
Keep an updated inventory of food and supplies.
Coordinate repairs and maintenance in the kitchen through the DSU.

Organize meeting times and overall communication with the Kitchen Committee, work with committee members to set goals for the year, and create a report at the end of the year

Food Sourcing Duties

Work with the Finance Coordinator and board members to organize kitchen budget and expense tracking.
Research and maintain a list of suppliers and food sources.
Organize and submit weekly food orders with local farmers.
Organize weekly pick-up of food from markets if delivery isn’t feasible.

Working Environment

The kitchen’s physical environment is consistent with most commercial kitchens, the Community Kitchen Coordinator will be expected to operate large appliances (steam kettle, oven, stove, industrial sanitizer) which generate intense heat and noise. They will be working with sharp objects and, at times, heavy equipment.

Many activities necessary for this position require heavy lifting (40+ lbs)
Standing (2+ hours before breaks) for extended periods of time. Floor mats are available to reduce strain on the lower back and knees, and staff are welcome to sit down/rest whenever needed.
The Ladle kitchen uses primarily non-abrasive chemicals for cleaning, and provides gloves to protect against possible irritation.
The kitchen’s lights are bright and cool-toned, and may become difficult on the eyes.

Location: Our collective is student-funded and based in the Student Union Building of Dalhousie University. Our volunteers and program attendees are primarily university students. Our kitchen is rented from the Student Union Building - events occur outside of the kitchen that may impact kitchen members (eg. Dal Security presence in building, public piano being used, student tours).
Open kitchen with volunteers with varying levels of experience and needs. Staff members coordinate multiple moving parts and respond to unexpected situations as they arise. Common examples include answering questions from people outside of the kitchen, providing emotional support to community members, etc.

Availability/Schedule

Kitchen Shifts - Candidates must be available and able attend on-site food preparation and shifts in person. Although prep and administrative hours are flexible, reliable in person work is expected. This may include some evenings and weekends.

Servings occur 4 times per week (Tuesday through Friday) from September to April, with the exception of Dalhousie’s reading weeks and Winter Break.

The Kitchen Coordinator is expected to be available on Mondays for staff meetings (1-2 hrs), and scheduled for kitchen shifts 2-3 times a week.

Kitchen shifts are Tuesday through Friday from 9:30am - 3:30pm.
A set weekly schedule will be determined with the rest of the staff collective.

Board meetings usually take place in the evenings, determined by board/staff availability.

Requirements

Relevant kitchen experience and cooking skills.

Previous work experience in a professional kitchen environment or culinary training is an asset, however, professional kitchen background is not required.
Able to plan nourishing meals for 200-300 people per serving.
Ability to work in a kitchen with a lot of moving parts: interacting with and directing volunteers, other team members, & program users while ensuring kitchen protocol and timing is maintained.

Interest in food justice, food sovereignty, and fighting food insecurity and a commitment to our Mission, Vision, & Values.
Active ongoing commitment to anti-oppression and social justice through direct action, change, and self-education.
Interest in making plant-based meals using local and sustainable ingredients that suit a wide range of accessibility needs.
Able to work in a collective environment with other staff and board members, and complete work independently and without direct oversight and instruction.
Willingness to work with and instruct volunteers with kindness and patience.
Basic computer skills.
Able to lift 40+ lbs.

Assets

Valid Driver’s Licence (no car required).
Strong organizational skills.
Experience with consensus-based decision making.
Experience working collectively.
Experience working with volunteers.
Knowledge of local food systems and food vendors.
Interest in building relationships with local growers.

Employment Benefits

2 weeks of paid vacation per contract.
Additional paid vacation when the Student Union Building is closed for statutory and university holidays.
Paid days off for illness and to help maintain mental health.
Paid days off for emergencies or major life events:

Including but not limited to moving, family member's graduation, citizenship, fire or flood, terminally ill family member, death of family or friend, termination of pregnancy, and child care.

Access to professional development funds ($125/semester).
Paid Foodsafe certification.

Responsibilities of all Loaded Ladle Staff

Staff meetings are mandatory unless stated otherwise. Staff members must send regrets and read minutes if they are unable to attend.

Operational decisions are determined in staff meetings.
Operational staff meetings are open to board & community members unless stated otherwise.

Staff members should be aware of the board meeting agenda and read the minutes. It is recommended that staff attend board meetings.

Organizational decisions are determined in board meetings.
If staff members would like to participate in board meetings but do not have hours to do so, they should notify other team members.

Work with staff and board members to help run the Loaded Ladle collective. This includes fair contribution in leading meetings, taking initiative in maintaining the function of the organization and ensuring its mandates are followed.

All staff members are encouraged to bring new ideas, feedback, and changes to working structure and organization.

Attend trainings:

Attend anti-oppression training offered by the organization or seek out anti-oppression if a training is missed.
Mandatory Food Safe certification (every 5 years)
Seek out professional development opportunities and utilize professional development funds.
Participate in learning opportunities for systemic change to be able to better uphold Ladle values.

Sit on various committees as needed, as interest and time/capacity allows.
Log hours on a shared spreadsheet and keep track of spending, following Loaded Ladle’s financial procedures.
Document tasks and instructions on how to do them in order to retain institutional memory when there is staff turnover.
Assist the Board of Directors (scheduling meetings, follow-up with committees, encouragement/support, etc.)
All staff members are encouraged to make connections with community to provide solidarity servings and participate when capacity allows.
Take collective responsibility for ladle programming and staff well-being.
Remain welcoming, friendly, and supportive to all volunteers and staff.

Non-Hierarchical & Consensus Based Decisions

Open communication and access to institutional information.
All board and staff members have equal say in decision making for the collective.
No direct supervision of responsibilities, each member of the collective is responsible for the completion of self-directed work.

Collective Care (time-off, rest, community care)

Staff have the ability to take time-off and dedicated vacation time.
Participate in community work and care that matters to you.
Utilize serving down-times (reading week, exam season) to build collective power, have deeper conversations around anti-oppression.
The collective may choose to pause programming to address internal issues for long-term sustainability of the collective.

Hiring Process

Apply through our Google Form (instructions below)
One hour interview if short-listed.

Candidates are financially compensated for their interview if not selected.
Interviews often take place over Zoom, tech support is available.

Successful applicants may be asked to participate in a trial kitchen shift.

Serves as an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions and acclimatize to the kitchen’s energy and operations.
Candidates will be financially compensated for their time in the kitchen regardless of the hiring decision.

Cover Letter and Alternative Applications

Apply using this google form: https://forms.gle/2SMXmdi7THDdR8Cw5

Please let us get to know you and share any life experience that you feel is relevant to this position. We value lived experiences that may not traditionally go on a resume. Feel free to use a communication style that is comfortable for you.

Alternative application formats are welcome (i.e. video or phone call); contact us to discuss hiring@loadedladle.com