Production Kitchen Manager in Milwaukie, Oregon at Elephants Delicatessen

Salary:

$29 -$30 /hour (DOE)

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

Schedule:

Full Time, Monday – Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm

Required:

Current Oregon Food Handler’s Card

Location & Transportation:

Elephants Milwaukie Kitchen is located at 2600 SE Mailwell Dr. Milwaukie, OR 97222. Reliable transportation is required. Due to our location, dependable transportation to and from our store is essential.

About Elephants

A locally owned company since 1979, Elephants Delicatessen pioneered the gourmet food industry in the Pacific Northwest and now operates seven Portland-metro retail locations and a thriving catering company. As a certified B Corporation, we are committed to sustainability, transparency, and using business as a force for good — while serving exceptional, scratch-made food rooted in our local community.

Elephants Delicatessen is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion.

What We Offer

• Employer contributed vacation and sick time
• Kaiser Medical coverage, with alternative care as a bonus (acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, etc.)
• Mental Health Services
• Dental, FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts), and 401(k) with 4% company match
• Training that will fast-track your culinary/hospitality career
• Free counseling and financial services
• Opportunities for advancement
• Discounts on our delicious made-from-scratch food
• Pet insurance
• Chance to win employee raffles
• Discounts at Sketchers, Shoes for Crews, Verizon, Sprint, select B Corporations, and many more
• A commitment to inclusion, diversity, community involvement, employee well-being, and environmental protection

Elephants Delicatessen provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Elephants Delicatessen participates in the E- Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Please see the following notices for more information:

E-Verify Participation Poster (English/Spanish) Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish)

About the Role

The Production Kitchen Manager oversees daily kitchen operations within our USDA certified production facility, ensuring food quality, consistency, and timely production across all departments. Working closely with the Executive Chef and production staff, this role is a great fit for a proven kitchen leader who thrives in a high-volume, fast-paced environment — someone who can balance operational excellence with team development, and who takes pride in running a tight, efficient, and people-first kitchen.

This position is a great fit for someone who thrives on operational excellence, leads with integrity, and is committed to upholding the highest food safety and USDA compliance standards at scale.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, train, and develop kitchen staff, ensuring adherence to company standards, policies, and procedures.
• Plan and manage kitchen schedules, labor budgets, overtime justification, and break compliance.
• Supervise production operations to meet daily volume, quality, and safety standards across all production areas.
• Monitor inventory, order necessary supplies, track waste, and participate in quarterly/seasonal menu planning.
• Conduct staff meetings, one-on-one reviews, and performance evaluations; mediate conflicts and provide servant leadership.
• Maintain and enforce kitchen sanitation, cleaning, and food safety protocols.
• Ensure proper documentation including employee files, certifications, recipes, and production checklists; maintain compliance with USDA certification requirements in collaboration with the QA team.
• Support catering and special event production needs, ensuring timely and accurate completion of orders.

What We’re Looking For

• 3-5 years of production kitchen experience; 1-2 years in a leadership role overseeing a large kitchen (30+ employees).
• Proven ability to manage and motivate diverse teams of 15–40+ staff in a high-volume food production environment.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation standards, and USDA regulatory compliance.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook); experience with inventory management or production tracking software preferred.
• Solid math skills for recipe scaling, yield calculations, cost analysis, and labor reporting.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work cross-functionally.
• Culinary degree or AA/BA in Business Management, Food Production, or related field preferred.
• Fluent in English (required); intermediate proficiency in Spanish preferred to support diverse staff.

If you love building strong teams, holding high standards, and creating memorable guest experiences, we’d love to meet you!