Comprehensive Kitchen Operations & Fulfillment Specialist

Company & Role Overview

PrideStaff is working with a Seattle company that provides delicious meals from chef-to-consumer and serves top-tier chefs. We are seeking fast, meticulous, energetic, detail-oriented, and hardworking individuals to join our dynamic culinary and fulfillment team.

There are multiple roles available with this custom across three locations in the Seattle area. While there is a tidbit about each role below, there are also safety standards and expectations that apply to each position. If you feel you would be a good fit for any of these positions but lack experience in a kitchen, please do not let that deter you from applying! A great attitude and willingness to learn goes a long way.

Employment Details

Employment Type: Temp-to-hire
Location: Seattle
Pay: $21.30/hr
Shift/Schedule:
- Variable, but set schedule once onboarded with customer
Advancement: Opportunities for advancement within the company are available.

Key Responsibilities

1. Order Fulfillment & Packaging

Order Fulfillment: Accurately read and fulfill daily chef, restaurant, and consumer orders using digital inventory scanners or pick tickets. Ability to read complex orders and pick exact quantities and weights accurately.
Careful Packaging: Pack products properly and per requirements for shipping or delivery. Securely pack fragile items (like fresh herbs, berries, and micro-greens) alongside heavier items to prevent damage during transit.

2. Receiving & Inspection

Shipment Verification: Verify incoming shipments against delivery invoices, purchase orders, and manifests for accuracy in quantity and item type.
Quality Control: Inspect all incoming and outgoing products/ingredients for ultimate freshness, proper temperature, and pristine condition before packing or storing.
Discrepancy Handling: Reject damaged, expired, bruised, subpar, or incorrectly priced items and document the discrepancies for credit.
Compliance Standards: Ensure all deliveries meet strict food safety and HACCP standards (e.g., checking that refrigerated delivery trucks are operating at the correct temperatures).

3. Inventory & Storage Management

Unloading & Organization: Unload deliveries and safely transport, load, and organize food deliveries, kitchen supplies, and equipment into designated cold storage areas (walk-in coolers, freezers), dry storage, and other areas.
Stock Rotation: Assist with and enforce stock rotation using the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method to minimize food waste and ensure peak freshness.
Space Maintenance: Organize and clean storage spaces daily, ensuring items are stored off the floor and labeled correctly.
Audits: Assist management with routine physical inventory counts and stock audits.

4. Shipping & Outbound Logistics

Logistics Handling: Package, label, and log any outbound food products or equipment (common in central commissary kitchens, catering companies, or multi-unit restaurant groups).
Coordination: Coordinate with delivery drivers or couriers to ensure timely departures.

5. Kitchen Stewardship & Cleanliness

Dish & Equipment Maintenance: Operate and maintain the commercial dishwashing machine. Wash, sanitize, and properly store all pots, pans, utensils, plates, and glassware using both the dishwashing machine and the 3-compartment sink method.
Facility Cleanliness: Sweep and mop kitchen floors, wipe down prep tables, clean walls and baseboards daily as needed to maintain a pristine, immaculate environment. Maintain a clean, organized, and safe receiving dock and storage area.
Waste Management: Break down boxes, manage recycling, and dispose of waste properly. Manage all trash, recycling, and compost generated outside of chef team operations (chef teams handle their own waste). Routinely empty and maintain all shared waste stations, including break rooms, dishwashing stations, QA desks, manager offices, Marketplace bins, and other support departments. Ensure strict compliance with Seattle's local sorting and composting regulations.

6. Safety & Regulations

Compliance: Maintain a clean, organized, and food-safe work area, adhering strictly to OSHA, FDA food safety guidelines, King County Department of Health regulations, and company standards.
Temperature Monitoring: Monitor and log temperatures of walk-ins and freezers daily.
Team Support: Provide kitchen-related services as directed by kitchen leadership and work well with partners or teams.

Requirements & Qualifications

Experience: Previous experience in a high-volume fulfillment center, warehouse, grocery, commercial kitchen, or culinary environment is highly preferred but not required.
Certifications: Must possess (or be willing to complete online food handling training to obtain within 14 days of hire/starting the work assignment) a valid Washington State Food Worker Card / Certification.
Food Knowledge: A basic understanding of different types of produce, cuts of meat, and specialty culinary ingredients is a major plus.
Tech-Savvy: Comfortable using computers, handheld RF/digital inventory scanners, and digital inventory management systems.
Skills & Attributes:
- Excellent communication skills and a willingness to help out wherever needed.
- Punctual, dependable, reliable, and capable of managing time effectively during busy rushes and strict delivery departure deadlines.
- Able to work fast and accurately.
Flexibility: Open availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays as required by the hospitality industry.
Language: Bilingual Spanish is a nice skill to have, though it is not a requirement for the job.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

Refrigerated Environment: Must be comfortable working your entire shift in a temperature-controlled cold storage warehouse, refrigerated environment, and/or cold storage units. You should be prepared to wear multiple layers of warm, comfortable clothing.
Hot/Humid Environment: Capacity to also work in a hot, humid, and frequently noisy kitchen environment when performing stewarding duties.
Stamina & Repetitive Motion: Ability to stand and walk for extended periods (8-10 hours or more per shift). Capacity to perform repetitive motions, including bending, reaching, twisting, and crouching.
Lifting & Moving: Ability to consistently and comfortably lift, carry, and move items, crates, and boxes weighing up to 50 lbs.
Pushing & Pulling: Must be able to consistently push or pull weights up to 100 lbs.
Chemical Handling: Ability to safely handle cleaning chemicals and hot water.