Food Services Team Lead (SH)

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!

We are hiring for an individual to join our Housing Services, Supportive Housing program team as a Food Services Team Lead. This role will prepare meals and snacks according to Canada’s Food Guide using donations and food inventory. This role is also responsible for assisting in maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen area. This role supports volunteers and staff by providing on-the-job training, oversight and guidance during shifts, and engages with and supports program participant volunteers.

This is a permanent, part-time (25 hours per week) position with personal days and vacation pay; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan. Schedule is generally Monday to Friday, from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) required pre-employment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Menu and meal planning based on Canada’s Food Guide

• Food preparation for meals, snacks, bagged lunches

• Assist with receiving, sorting and distribution of food donations, including regular rotation of food inventory

• Assist with maintaining the organization and cleanliness of the kitchen area, cooler, freezer and dry storage

• Daily use of industrial kitchen equipment and industrial cleaning products

• Administrative tasks to ensure smooth and efficient operation of the kitchen, such as inventory, email communications, etc.

• Provide back-up support to the Food Services Coordinator

• Train new team members

• Provide oversight, guidance and support to volunteers to ensure safety and service excellence

• Build strong relationships with volunteers in a manner that aligns with our mission, vision and values to ensure respectful, supportive and effective volunteer engagement

• Supervise and work with program participant volunteers in the kitchen to support life skill building.

• Provide relationship-centred coaching and training for program participant volunteers in collaboration with the Participant Experience Specialist

• Engage program participant volunteers in meal planning and food preparation and ensure they are performing their roles as instructed

• Work alongside program participant volunteers in sorting of food donations, organizing and maintaining the kitchen area

• Address behavioural concerns while working alongside program participant volunteers

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Sensitivity to and knowledge of issues relating to and impacting on all genders and all marginalized populations

• Strong understanding of interpersonal skills and the ability to engage in meaningful conversations to develop rapport with individuals who use drugs using a strength-based approach

• Knowledge of and training in substance use including associated health risks

• Ability to intervene in overdose and drug poisoning crisis situations and willing to learn how to respond in a drug induced crisis situation; through administering oxygen, Naloxone, CPR and working with Emergency Responders

• Demonstrated capacity for accurate and efficient documentation and computer data entry

• Willingness to learn and be adaptable as the program develops and evolves

• Demonstrated ability to calmly problem-solve in a fast-paced, sometimes stressful environment

• Must be able to provide a current Vulnerable Sector check at own cost

• Good communication skills and strong listening skills

• Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team;

• Ability to accept and apply feedback and take initiative

• Knowledge of community services, resources, and strong advocacy skills is considered an asset

• Commitment to ongoing professional development and training

• Support with conflict de-escalation and risk mitigation to promote safety and participants’ wellbeing.

• In collaboration with the Participant Experience Specialist and Food Service Coordinator, document participant progress and evaluate impact of kitchen programming

• Document incidents in the kitchen while working with program participants and volunteers

Education/Experience:

• Minimum Grade 12 high school, required

• Post-secondary education in a related culinary field preferred

• Food Handlers Certification required

• At least two years previous experience in an industrial kitchen setting, with experience in meal planning and preparation

• Previous experience working with volunteers or program participants is an asset

Critical Skills

• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem-solving skills required

• Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff, participants and community members

• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs

• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery

• Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude

• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges

• Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics, planning and detailed record keeping

Compensation:

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

• Time off includes 3 weeks' vacation and 3* paid personal days yearly (2 for remainder of 2026)

• Part-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program

• We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members, including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $2,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

• We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 4

Min: $23.43

Mid: $26.45

Max: $29.48

Working Conditions:

• Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

• Working alongside both program participants and volunteers is required

This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy.

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/food-services-team-lead-sh-kitchener-on-3vbHKk

By end of day November 27, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.