Kitchen Coordinator at The Delores Project – Denver Metro, Colorado

Position: Kitchen Coordinator

Reports To: Operations Manager

Salary Range: $56,000-$60,000 DOE

About us:

Founded in 2000 as a winter-only, overnight shelter for women, The Delores Project has grown to offer low-barrier, housing-focused 24-7 shelter for unaccompanied adult women, transgender and nonbinary people, supportive housing for formerly chronically homeless individuals with a disability, and a robust suite of wrap-around services including on-site behavioral healthcare. The organization also provides community-based aftercare services for clients who have transitioned from homelessness to housing.

At The Delores Project, we believe community and belonging are essential to healing from the trauma of homelessness and this is one way we differentiate ourselves from many other homeless service providers. In addition to a shelter, we are a community that not only meets people’s basic needs and provides access to housing resources, but we also provide clients with a supportive community in a fully therapeutic environment so they can begin to heal from the trauma of homelessness and are more successful in maintaining housing and stability once they graduate from our programs. We are client-centered and strengths-based in our approach and practice of harm-reduction and trauma-informed models of care in all our programs. Our engagement with one another is rooted in our values of kindness, integrity, collaboration, transparency, accountability, respect, and dignity for each community member, including staff and volunteers. Those who share these values, are passionate about working with people in crisis, and ending homelessness may be a great addition to our diverse and talented team.

Job Description:

The Kitchen Coordinator (KC) oversees the meal program at TDP’s 24-7 shelter. This includes managing on-site volunteers and groups, ensuring proper food safety protocols are followed, ensuring the pantry is stocked, organized, and clean, and filling any meal holes not provided by donors including menu creation, food ordering, and meal preparation. The KC acts in assistance to, and in partnership with, the Shelter team. This role is a good fit for someone with well-developed organizational and communication skills, who enjoys setting others up for success, and who has a commercial kitchen and culinary experience. The KC also works closely with the Community Engagement Manager to track and coordinate donations, meal provision, and support TDP’s community of volunteers.

Core Competencies: Kitchen & food safety expertise, culinary expertise, Adaptability & flexibility, Budgetary oversight, Multitasking, Creativity, Diverse stakeholder engagement.

TDP Competencies: Ethics & integrity of practice, Organization & Time management, Commitment to TDP’s Principles of Care, Cultural humility, Teamwork & Collaboration, Critical thinking & problem solving.

Role Responsibilities:

• Managing all kitchen operations, including but not limited to inventory, ordering, volunteer oversight, food safety, equipment maintenance, etc.
• Keeping regular inventory of kitchen staples and breakfast items and ordering and organizing on a regular basis.
• Maintaining refrigerator and freezer organization and cleanliness on a regular basis
• Developing & maintaining written policies for standard operating procedures for the kitchen.
• Consistently maintaining the meals manual.
• Developing and maintaining a volunteer guide to meals
• Creating menu items for meals not being provided by donors, including receipt creation/identification, ordering, prepping, and/or directing staff on preparation.
• Updating shelter menu weekly.
• Responsible for kitchen food safety, including cleanliness, organization, labeling, health inspections etc. on a regular basis.
• Proper maintenance and cleanliness of kitchen equipment including commercial ovens, flat top grills, garbage disposal, and sanitizer on a regular basis.
• Oversight of guests or residents who are cleaning, doing dishes, and/or preparing food.
• Working in partnership with shelter leadership to ensure all meals are provided and staff/guests/volunteers understand all food safety and storage requirements.
• Ongoing supervision and support of meal donors and volunteers.
• Working in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager to ensure volunteer groups are supported and there is a warm handoff of new volunteers from the development to shelter team.
• Coordinating regularly with the Community Engagement Manager and meal volunteers to meal plan and fill open meal-providing and serving gaps throughout the month.
• Track and enter all In-Kind food donations in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager
• Developing and maintaining a system to ensure accurate meal count collection.
• Ensuring all shelter staff members complete basic food safety training.
• Collaborate and leverage community partnerships with food providers such as We Don’t Waste.
• Managing the shelter food budget and seeking out affordable food options.
• Ensuring all meal gaps are fulfilled with a prepared meal on hand.
• This position may require you to be available to work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays based on business needs.
• Additional responsibilities as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing a program budget
• Culinary, commercial kitchen, and food safety experience
• Degree in relevant field (human services, social work, marketing/ communications, human resources, finance, nonprofit management, etc. depending on role); • Lived experience relevant to, or shared identities, with those The Delores Project serve including Indigenous people, communities of color, LGBTQIAI+ individuals, those with disabilities, and transgender and nonbinary people.
• The desire to work as part of a team- to make decisions creatively and collaboratively and to act in the best interest of one another and the organization.
• Lived or work experience with people who have been victims of trauma, those with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, those with traumatic brain injuries, and/ or disabilities.
• High emotional intelligence and self-awareness, commitment to assuming the best intent of others.
• Prior training in mental health first aid, de-escalation, vicarious trauma, harm reduction, and crisis intervention.
• Ability to be non-judgmental of other people’s identities and life choices; • An understanding of professional boundaries and how to model and maintain them with colleagues and people with diverse needs and from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to positively and professionally represent The Delores Project to a diversity stakeholder.
• Ability to speak Spanish or American Sign Language fluently.
• Good problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills, and the ability to take initiative and work independently.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing work environment, ability to switch priorities and gears as necessary.
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging.
• Ability to pass a background check (TDP is a second-chance employer and encourages all interested candidates to apply).
• Schedule flexibility based on the needs of the role/ team/ organization, including some evening and weekend and holiday hours when necessary and the ability to attend quarterly all-staff meetings on Saturday mornings

Additional Preferred Qualifications for direct-service staff:

• Understanding of client-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and housing-first models of service and care.
• Work or educational background in human service, social work, and/ or customer service with diverse communities.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain accurate and timely documentation; • Prior training in harm reduction, mental health first aid, vicarious trauma, de-escalation, crisis management, and conflict resolution.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to work with and support volunteers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to positively engage with staff, clients, volunteers and donors in person and on the telephone.

Benefits:

The Delores Project offers a generous benefits package including 13 paid holidays, birthday pay, generous Paid Time Off, medical/ dental/ vision/ life/ an optional flex-spending account, free RTD Ecopass, and an optional Simple IRA/Roth IRA with a 3% employer match. Kindly human, NB Pet Telehealth, Pet Care, Optional Voluntary life insurance, Optional Legal Shield, Optional ID Shield, WFH Flexibility. Plus receive $150 signing bonus before your first paycheck. This signing bonus is subject to all applicable state and federal taxes and withholdings

Working Conditions:

Work is performed primarily in an office setting and requires sitting for extended periods. This position works with and supports a residential environment including walking, standing, sitting, lifting up to 30 pounds, carrying, pushing, pulling, bending, reaching, balancing, stopping, and kneeling. Work also includes manual dexterity for typing and operating a computer, holding, grasping, and turning objects.

The Delores Project is an equal-opportunity employer dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants. People with disabilities, BIPOC individuals, Hispanic/ Latin individuals, Indigenous people, LGBTQIA+ candidates, and/ or those with lived experience of homelessness and poverty are strongly encouraged to apply.

All applications must be submitted by Wednesday, April 15th, 2026.