New York
Job Description RMH-NY is launching a new, in-house culinary program supported by newly renovated kitchens opening this spring. The Head Chef will play a foundational role in building, shaping, and leading this program from the ground up. This is not a role stepping into a fully established operation — it is an opportunity for a chef who thrives in program-building, is highly hands-on, and is energized by mission-driven work. The Head Chef will initially work alongside existing catered meal partnerships and volunteers while gradually building an internal kitchen team capable of delivering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and grab-and-go offerings daily. This role requires a unique blend of culinary excellence, leadership, operational discipline, and comfort working with volunteers and community groups. The Head Chef will be a visible and welcoming presence in the House, helping steward volunteers and donors while ensuring high-quality, nutritious, and family-friendly meals. This program represents a major evolution in how RMH-NY supports families. By transitioning to an in-house culinary model, the organization aims to: • Provide fresh, high-quality meals families can look forward to, • Reduce reliance on external catering, • Lower overall costs and food waste, • Redirect donor dollars directly back into family care The salary range for this role will be 100K - 120K. This will be an onsite schedule Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM. Role/Responsibilities Program Development & Culinary Leadership • Build and launch RMH-NY’s in-house meal program in partnership with internal stakeholders, • Design and implement kid-friendly,culturally responsive. nutritious, and comforting menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and grab-and-go offerings, • Adapt menus to serve a diverse and constantly changing population, including children of all ages. RMH-NY serves a diverse population of families with approximately 40% of families being international., • Collaborate closely with the Family Support team to understand family needs, preferences, and cultural considerations, • Ensure meals are allergy-aware, clearly labeled, and offer reasonable accommodations when possible, • Partner closely with the Volunteer Department to host and support:, • Regular weekly volunteers trained in specific kitchen tasks, • Corporate and community volunteer groups participating in meal prep, service, and kitchen support, • Create positive, engaging, and well-organized volunteer experiences that feel meaningful and mission-aligned, • Confidently supervise volunteers in the kitchen, including guided meal preparation when appropriate, • Oversee daily kitchen operations in newly renovated facilities, • Ensure strict adherence to NYC Department of Health food safety standards, licensing, and sanitation requirements, • Maintain a clean, organized, and welcoming kitchen environment at all times, • Establish systems for:, • Inventory management and ordering, • Donation tracking and utilization, • Food storage and rotation, • Waste reduction and sustainability, • Initially operate as a highly hands-on chef while helping design the future staffing model, • Hire, train, and manage additional kitchen staff as the program scales, • Build a collaborative, supportive, and mission-driven kitchen culture, • Develop and manage the food program budget in partnership with leadership, • Track costs, manage vendor relationships, and identify efficiencies, • Support the organization’s long-term goal of creating a more cost-effective and sustainable meal program than traditional catering, • Minimum 5–7 years of professional culinary experience, including leadership or supervisory responsibility, • Experience building or scaling a kitchen or food program strongly preferred, • Current NYC Food Protection Certificate (or ability to obtain upon hire), • Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance, • Experience working with volunteers, community groups, or nontraditional kitchen environments preferred, • Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, emotionally sensitive, and mission-driven setting, • Excellent interpersonal skills and comfort working with diverse populations, • Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in ambiguity and growth, • Warm, patient, and collaborative leadership style, • Highly organized with strong attention to detail, • Creative problem-solver who can balance quality, budget, and donations Equal Employment Opportunity Ronald McDonald House New York believes that all employees are entitled to Equal Employment Opportunity. We do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veterans, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic while meeting the mental and physical requirements for the job. Physical Demands The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • Work for this job is performed in a hospitality environment with guests or in mechanical/maintenance rooms. Some outdoor work is required. The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • This job is located in the same facility where RMH-NY provides temporary accommodations to pediatric patients and their families while the patients are undergoing active medical treatment at area hospitals. For some RMH-NY guests, medical treatment may include radiation therapy. While radiation therapy is never administered at RMH-NY, there is the potential for some radioactive material to be present in guests who have undergone radiation therapy. Based on radiation measurements performed throughout RMH-NY, it is not expected that individuals working at RMH will receive radiation doses that would exceed the general public limit (100 millirem per year)., • The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud. Noise levels often increase with families and children who have temporary residence in the building as well as guests and musical performers for special events as well as mechanical equipment, • Some weekends and evening hours may be necessary for this job Travel • This job description is an overview or major duties, activities and responsibilities required for the role, • This description is not intended to be a complete listing of all tasks required for the role, • Responsibilities will change with the needs of the organization