CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a passionate, energetic senior manager to join our team as Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, overseeing all of CWK’s food business education, training, mentoring and support programs.

About CommonWealth Kitchen

At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission.  We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ diverse start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education and training, mentoring, and coordinated market access to more than 200 diverse food companies annually, including food trucks, caterers, bakers, packaged goods companies, and restaurants.

Director of Entrepreneurship Programs

CommonWealth Kitchen uses three main levers of impact –Educational Programs, Market Access, and Kitchen Operations– to achieve our mission. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs manages CWK’s food business education programming, 1-on-1 technical assistance services, and network support. The position also oversees recruitment, permitting and start-up of businesses joining our shared kitchen, and collaborates closely with facilities, business development, marketing and fundraising teams.  

The ideal candidate is a dynamic systems thinker and detail-oriented manager, able to design and implement culturally competent, highly effective adult education and business advisory services to meet entrepreneurs where they are and support and empower them along their journey from start-up to established business. The Director is a trusted partner, advocate, advisor, and connector. They operate with empathy, emotional intelligence and diligence in breaking down barriers, dismantling roadblocks, and building pathways that advance CWK’s vision of an equitable, sustainable food economy where all of us can participate and prosper. 

CWK’s continuum of programs includes cohort-based classes and stand-alone workshops that cover topics such as business formation, insurance, sales and marketing, branding, financial management, and HR as well as topics specific to the food industry, including calculating COGs and margins, menu design, food safety, product formulation, recipe scaling, packaging and labeling. In addition, CWK provides peer coaching and mentoring, and manages strategic collaborations and fellowships with multiple industry partners. 

The Director of Entrepreneurship Programs is not expected to be an expert in every aspect of CWK’s work. However, they should have a strong working knowledge of food business operations and finance, and be a strategic thinker, excellent networker, and relentless problem-solver with excellent communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

Entrepreneurship Program Management

• Manage the strategy, roadmap, implementation and evaluation of all of CWK’s business education and technical support programs, including classes, events, webinars, workshops, peer learning, business advisory services, and meetings with mentors, coaches and partners. (Note that the majority of these programs are offered virtually.)
• Collaborate with CWK’s program and administrative teams to ensure excellent communication, coordination, support, data collection and evaluation across all program areas and impact levers.
• Regularly assess the technical assistance needs of CWK’s extended community of members, alumni and program graduates. Ensure offerings are effective and responsive to business needs and that efforts are documented (via Salesforce) and evaluated regularly.
• Manage relationships with relevant regulatory agencies to support businesses in navigating the permit process.   
• Manage CWK’s core leadership role in Santander’s Cultivate Small Business program, which provides a mini-MBA for early stage food businesses through a collaboration with Babson College.  For 2023, this program runs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami and Dallas.
• Support businesses in creating definitions of success, developing quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure progress toward that success, creating roadmaps to achieve it and systems to measure, document and evaluate progress.  
• Coordinate with CWK’s fundraising staff to provide data and other materials required for funding and reporting.
• Leverage partnerships with mission-aligned organizations, food companies, mentors, coaches, and other subject matter experts to enhance the scope of support CWK is able to offer through its educational programs.
• Maintain CWK’s virtual Resource Library, which provides templates, checklists, pro formas, and other resources and best practices for CWK’s extended food business community. 
• Cultivate a strong peer network amongst members, graduates and alumni through efforts like CWK’s local food business listserv and informal gatherings.

Recruitment & Business Success

• Develop the strategy and lead recruitment of new businesses to participate in CWK’s educational programs and shared use kitchen.  Consistent with CWK’s mission, ensure that at least 75% of Program participants are entrepreneurs who identify as BIPOC and at least 75% identify as women, transgender, and/or non-binary.
• Collaborate with the Director of Business Development to ensure recruitment strategies and educational programming align with current and future market opportunities, and help coordinate and organize market opportunities as needed. 
• Develop a plan for monitoring and assessing CWK’s extended business community members over time to evaluate impact of programming and network connections beyond specific business success. 
• Assist in the planning and implementation of CWK’s Food Show and similar events.

Community Stewardship: Core to CWK’s strategy is forging deep connections amongst CWK’s shared kitchen members, graduates and program alum, and with CWK’s extended partner and industry networks. 

• Oversee a strategy to connect members, alumni, graduates, and partners to foster a diverse, collaborative, supportive network of values-aligned food entrepreneurs working together toward CWK’s mission of a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice.
• Develop strategies to engage Community in work planning and program delivery to ensure programming is responsive to business needs.
• Manage CWK’s quarterly Town Hall meetings for shared kitchen members and similar initiatives to build and maintain open, clear communication, strong peer connections and networks for support.

People Management & Business Operations  

• Directly manage a team of up to 2-4 program staff, plus interns and volunteers. Hold regular 1-on-1 meetings, conduct performance reviews, support professional development needs, hire and document performance issues as needed. 
• Maintain key operational materials, including shared kitchen handbook, member orientation materials, and similar documents to ensure consistency with organizational goals.
• With support from the Chief Operating Officer, develop and manage an annual work plan and budget. Ensure all educational programs are completed in alignment with this plan and budget.
• Support fundraising efforts for educational programming and market access work, including CWK’s annual food show, grant applications and reporting.
• Coordinate with COO to ensure accurate and up-to-date Salesforce records and data for all programs. 
•  Participate on CWK’s senior leadership and management teams and similar efforts to ensure strong communication and coordination of all of CWK’s levers of impact.  

Qualifications and Qualities

• 10+ years of work experience in nonprofit program management or equivalent experience in adult education or small business development and operations
• Experience architecting, implementing, and evaluating adult or continuing education programming, and building, managing, and evaluating curriculum.
• Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills and demonstrated experience working in a diverse, multicultural environment. 
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills and attention to detail, as well as data and impact driven.
• Familiarity with issues and challenges facing the food industry and diverse start-up and early stage food businesses.
• Resiliency and ability to manage difficult conversations, express and meet expectations, and navigate multiple deadlines with grace, professionalism –and a sense of humor!
• Previous management experience required.
• Ability to manage up in a complex, fast-paced, entrepreneurial organization
• Enthusiasm for uncertainty and the creativity that unlocks
• Serv-Safe Manager, HACCP and PCQi certification preferred.
• An unwavering personal and professional commitment to social, racial, and economic justice
• Proficiency with cloud-based software tools, ideally including Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Asana, and Slack.

Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions

CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $85,000 and $115,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.

The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility an average of 2-3 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours to run classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.  

CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization.  We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.  

To apply 

Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is in search of an entrepreneurial senior manager to lead our signature food manufacturing social enterprise. CWK’s co-manufacturing team provides outsourced processing for a wide mix of artisan bakers and packaged goods companies to help them efficiently scale production. Products include sauces, condiments, beverages and baked goods that are packaged for retail and wholesale accounts. Equipment used for production include a multi-head filler; 100-gallon steam kettles; Vemag extruder; flow wrapper; and label line. When not providing outsourced production for our diverse businesses, CWK also provides value-added processing for regional farms, and a line of CWK-branded wholesale products. 

About CommonWealth Kitchen

At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission. We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. 

We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ diverse start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a signature small-batch food manufacturing enterprise, which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale, while creating high quality urban manufacturing jobs, supporting regional farms, and generating earned income to support CWK’s operations. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education and training, mentoring, and coordinated market access to more than 200 diverse food companies annually, including food trucks, caterers, bakers, packaged goods companies, and restaurants.

CWK launched our one-of-a-kind food manufacturing social enterprise in 2016 as a way to help artisan bakers and packaged goods companies scale by outsourcing production to CWK’s dedicated team. The model allows us to aggregate multiple part-time and seasonal jobs with our companies into full-time employment on our staff, and to leverage our nonprofit status to invest in specialized equipment to partially automate the process.

As the world recovers in the aftermath of COVID, CWK is at a key inflection point. We have built a strong foundation and reputation for effectively supporting and scaling diverse food businesses, and demonstrated the power of our vertically-integrated approach.  With clear proof of concept and rapidly growing demand from buyers looking to increase their local and diverse sourcing, we now need a senior manager able to help fully operationalize and scale our manufacturing operation to keep up with demand.  Over the next 12 months, we expect to increase production to 2 shifts/day, and to expand into a larger production space on site over the next 18 months. 

Position overview

The Director of Manufacturing Operations is a hands-on senior management role that oversees all of the day-to-day operations and strategy for our co-packing operation.  This position requires excellent culinary and organizational skills; extensive knowledge of food safety, product formulation and production methods, including HACCP plans and scheduled processes; familiarity with a range of production, filling, packaging and labeling equipment; and demonstrated managerial experience, including developing and managing budgets and managing staff.  The ideal candidate has excellent organizational skills, is data driven and results-oriented, excels in a collaborative multicultural work environment, and shares a clear commitment to CWK’s mission.  

Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee all day-to-day operations of CWK’s contract manufacturing team, including managing production team and schedule; managing client and vendor relations; managing budgets; and ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations and good manufacturing processes.
• Work with CWK program staff to assess, develop a pipeline and on-board new projects and clients for the manufacturing operation;
• Work directly with customers to scale up recipes, develop/tweak formulations and processes, adjust sourcing and packaging, and similar efforts as needed;
• Manage intake assessment and onboarding process for all new projects and products including assessing financial viability to CWK and the prospective client and consistency with CWK mission, program and financial goals; 
• Work with Chief Operating Officer to develop and manage annual budgets and reporting and review/adjust financial models, fee structure and organizational policies as needed to achieve mission and financial goals;
• Work with CWK finance and admin team manage all ordering, billing, inventory, vendor relationships, A/P and A/R and similar management functions and ensure adherence to budgets; 
• Directly supervise team of 5-10+ kitchen team members, including training, coaching, professional development, and annual performance reviews; 
• Coordinate with facilities team to ensure all equipment is properly maintained and facilities are clean and sanitized; 
• Provide support to CWK’s Program teams to provide culinary support and mentorship to CWK’s food business community.

Organizational Management

• Serve as a member of CWK’s senior leadership team, providing strategy and advice on overall operations and strategy; 
• Develop and manage annual work plan and budget for all manufacturing operations; 
• Lead and facilitate department meetings;
• Lead culinary operations in a respectful, inclusive manner that fosters team cohesion and accountability, and a culture of learning, collaboration, respect and transparency. 
• Supervise kitchen team, providing regular coaching and support, establishing professional development goals, and completing annual performance reviews.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in food manufacturing with a record of excellence, including at least three years of management experience in a food production setting;
• Experience in recipe development and scaling, working through shelf life testing, scheduled process approval and similar;
• Thorough understanding of food safety and the regulatory environment for commercial kitchens and food manufacturers;
• Serv-Safe, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCQI), and Better Process Control School certifications required;
• Strong business acumen and analytical skills; 
• Strong leadership, organization, communication and project management skills; 
• Ability to work independently, in a fast-paced, collaborative, and diverse environment, while maintaining a strong sense of ownership, a commitment to quality and results, and unwavering attention to detail;
• An unwavering personal and professional commitment to social, racial, and economic justice
• Proficiency with cloud-based software tools, ideally including Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Asana, and Slack.
  

Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions
CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the annual salary range to be between $85,000 and $115,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.

The selected candidate will need to work on site at our Dorchester facility 5 days/week, and must have some flexibility for intermittent remote evening and/or weekend hours to participate in classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.  

CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization.  We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization. 

To apply

Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a passionate, energetic program manager to join our team as Entrepreneurship Program Manager.  Working with the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, this position is involved in the implementation and management of CWK’s core food business education, training, mentoring and support services

About CommonWealth Kitchen

At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission.  

We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education and training, mentoring, and coordinated market access, reaching more than 250 diverse food companies annually.  We pair this education programming with coordinated market access to help food businesses scale, and advance our mission toward building a food economy grounded in racial, social and economic justice.

Entrepreneurship Program Manager Role

This position reports to the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs and provides day-to-day oversight and implementation of our core food business education and technical assistance work. The Program Manager oversees recruitment and onboarding of businesses to our shared kitchens, and organizes business education and training programs and events to support our diverse community of food trucks, caterers, bakers, restaurants and product companies.  

The Entrepreneurship Program Manager also supports and engages our network of graduates, mentors and industry advisors to build a values-aligned ecosystem.  As CWK shifts and grows, the Program Manager will integrate new initiatives into our program offering, adjust programs, recruit for those initiatives, support program participants, and track and evaluate progress and impact.  

Primary Responsibilities 

• Work with the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs and Director of Business Development to recruit and maintain a robust pipeline of mission aligned entrepreneurs and food businesses in support of all of CWK’s programming.  
• Coordinate recruitment, application review and internal decision-making process for all new shared kitchen members.
• Manage on-boarding for new kitchen members in coordination with CWK facilities team. 
• Conduct regular check-ins with members to help them develop SMART annual business goals, track progress toward goals, make connections to resources, and collect feedback and data that will inform programs. Ensure that information and data is carefully tracked. 
• Manage strategic community partnerships in support of CWK’s programs. 
• Plan and execute regular information sessions and tours- virtual and in-person.  
• Manage and ensure timely response to all informational requests and inquiries from prospective members and program participants 
• Support the recruitment, application and evaluation processes for CWK’s other programs, including our annual Food Show and Cultivate Small Business. 
• Other activities as directed by the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs

Qualifications

• This position is ideal for someone who loves supporting, empowering, and coaching others from all walks of life. 
• You have high emotional intelligence, are able to manage and adapt to a range of projects and relationships, are not afraid of complexity, and have a passion for equitable food systems. 
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, and attention to detail are a must. You can explain just about anything to anyone, and you are comfortable communicating in writing and verbally. You are empathic and value honest and clear communication. 
• You are impact focused and data driven, are comfortable juggling multiple projects and not easily overwhelmed by competing priorities.  
• 6+ years work experience in nonprofit program management or equivalent experience in adult education or small business development and operations
• You work well in a collaborative environment while maintaining a strong sense of  ownership and accountability. You are a self-starter, able to work independently.
• You have a deep personal commitment to CWK’s mission around racial, social and economic justice.  
• Strong working knowledge of G Suite (google apps) and MS Office, experience with  Salesforce, Asana and Slack experience preferred 

Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions

CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $60,000 and $75,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance. The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility an average of 2-3 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours to run classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.  

CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization.  We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.  

To apply 

Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a dynamic go-getter to join our team as Entrepreneurship Program Associate.  Under the direction of the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, this position will provide administrative and program management for support implementation of CWK’s core food business education and market access work. 

About CommonWealth Kitchen

At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission.  

We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education programming, reaching more than 250 diverse food companies annually.  We also integrated coordinated market access to help food businesses scale, and advance our mission of building a sustainable  food economy grounded in racial, social and economic justice.

This position reports to the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs and provides day-to-day support for all of CWK’s core food business education and market access work. The Program Associate assists with recruitment and onboarding of businesses to our shared kitchens, and helps organize business education and training programs and events to support our diverse community of food trucks, caterers, bakers, restaurants and product companies.  

Primary Responsibilities 

• Assist the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs to implement core business education programming, including providing administrative and program support for our Virtual Tours and Info Sessions, Ready to Start, Ready to Launch and Cultivate Small Business classes. 
• Support the recruitment, application review, check-ins, data collection and evaluation for all CWK programs. 
• Provide strategic support for core programs including CWK Food Show, Friday Night Bites, and CWK’s role in Santander’s Cultivate Small Business class. 
• Coordinate CWK participation in partner events, including the New England Food Show, NYC Fancy Food Show, and the Minority Business Expo. 
• Other activities as directed by the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs

Qualifications

• 3+ years work experience in nonprofit program management or equivalent experience.
• Strong working knowledge of G Suite (google apps) and MS Office, experience with  Salesforce, Asana and Slack experience preferred 
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, and attention to detail are a must. 
• Ability to work well in an entrepreneurial, collaborative environment, while maintaining a strong sense of ownership and accountability. 
• A self-starter who is not afraid to ask questions, take on challenges, and work both independently and collaboratively. 
• Impact focused, data driven and able to juggle multiple projects.  
• A deep personal commitment to CWK’s mission around racial, social and economic justice.  

Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions

CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $50,000 and $65,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.

The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility an average of 3 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours to run classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.  

CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization.  We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.  

To apply

Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a detail-oriented person to join our team as Finance and Admin Associate.  Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer or designee, this position plays an essential role in supporting all of CWK’s core finance, administrative and data management and reporting work. 

About CommonWealth Kitchen

At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission.  

We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education and training, mentoring, and coordinated market access, reaching more than 250 diverse food companies annually.  We pair this education programming with coordinated market access to help food businesses scale, and advance our mission toward building a food economy grounded in racial, social and economic justice.

Position Overview

The Finance and Administration Associate is an essential part of CWK’s core business operations team, managing organizational finance, administrative functions, data management and reporting. The ideal applicant has excellent organization and communication skills, loves numbers and systems, shares CWK’s commitment to equity and inclusion, and is energized by working in a fast-growing social enterprise.

Responsibilities

Working directly with the Chief Operating Officer or designee, the primary responsibilities include: 

• Assist with core day-to-day organizational finances, including billing; managing accounts receivable and accounts payable; assisting with payroll and benefits; and supporting the annual audit process. 
• Support CWK facilities and manufacturing operations with inventory management and ordering. 
• Support CWK’s data management, fundraising and communications needs by managing data entry through CWK’s Salesforce database. 
• Assist in managing all required compliance documentation and reporting, including Secretary of State filings, workers’ comp audits, health permits, and similar.   
• Provide administrative support for the CWK staff and program meetings and Board of Directors’ meetings, including scheduling meetings, taking minutes, distributing agendas, and coordinating food. 
• Provide administrative support for other internal and external meetings and events, including managing catering, and organizing material packages, logistics, meeting notes, and files.
• Other duties as assigned at the discretion of the COO. 

Qualifications

This is a position for a passionate changemaker who loves systems and structure, is a relentless  problem solver, and has the analytical mindset, organizational skills, and attention to detail needed to support our fast-paced, entrepreneurial nonprofit. 

• 5+ years of professional experience in finance or administrative roles;
• Experience using Quickbooks and bill.com; 
• Comfortable working with Google Apps and/or MS Office (especially spreadsheets); 
• Experience with Salesforce customer relationship management platform desired;
• Ability to work independently with excellent time-management skills and attention to detail;
• Comfortable working in a collaborative, multicultural, fast-paced work environment;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Deep personal commitment to CWK’s work and mission;
• Spanish/Portuguese/Creole language a plus.

Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions

CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $50,000 and $65,000/year. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.

The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility a minimum of 3-4 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours on occasion.

CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization.  We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.  

To apply 

Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.