Culinary & Quality Assurance Trainer (5231U), Berkeley Dining - #88881

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Departmental Overview

In the Division of Student Affairs and under the Residential Student Services Programs portfolio, Berkeley Dining is a self-operated dining program focused on culinary excellence, social responsibility and supporting the living/learning environment of our customers.

With more than 12,000 meal plan holders, Berkeley Dining serves over 5 million meals per year in 14 facilities with a combination of residential "all you care to eat" dining, retail "a la carte" dining, training table, early childhood education meal production, and catering. Berkeley Dining services the campus seven days per week, seventeen hours per day employing 450 full and part-time staff and approximately 400 Cal student workers across multiple locations.

Position Summary

Under the general direction of the Compliance & Food Safety Officer, the Culinary & Quality Assurance Trainer is responsible for training the trainer, providing hands-on training support and collaboration for new hire and existing support across the department to ensure food safety practices, occupational safety, and departmental and University standards are met. Reporting to the Compliance & Food Safety Officer, this position works closely with the Training Coordinator, Dietitian, Culinary and unit leadership, and other external stakeholders to provide hands-on training support across all dining units.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: September 30, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities

Training & Development - 40%

• In collaboration with the Compliance & Food Safety Officer, Training Coordinator, and unit leadership, develop training materials and provide hands-on training to senior staff and supervisors in the unit. Provide spot training as needed during walkthroughs.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert and provide instruction on knife skills, cooking techniques, station management, just-in-time cooking, speed/efficiency, plating standards, and other relevant culinary and food service training needs as identified and communicated by supervisor.
• Conduct new hire culinary training, including food safety and operational procedures. Work with the Dietitian to ensure allergen training needs are addressed.
• Facilitate ongoing skill development workshops based on operational standards, seasonal menus, culinary trends, or operational needs.
• Evaluate staff performance and create individualized training plans to support growth in collaboration with unit and senior leadership.
• Assess training programs regularly and make changes or improvements, as necessary.
• In collaboration with the Training Coordinator, Dietitian, and Compliance & Food Safety Officer, and vendors or other external stakeholders to deliver food safety and other training to all levels of staff.

Culinary Quality & Standards - 35%

• In collaboration with the Compliance & Food Safety Officer, conduct regular audits of culinary execution, product consistency, and station setup.
• Ensure adherence to standardized recipes, portioning, and presentation across all dining locations.
• Promote high standards of cleanliness, sanitation, and food safety in alignment with Berkeley Dinings HACCP plan(s) and local health regulations. Promote occupational safety standards to ensure work safety expectations and best practices are met. Provide spot-training as needed and make recommendations on additional corrective actions to unit leadership.
• May support culinary leadership in testing and refining new recipes under a training lens; train the trainer on approved menu items and production methods. Perform spot training to staff, as needed.
• Investigate non-compliance and/or potential concerns or issues as identified by the incumbent and/or the Compliance & Food Safety Officer.
• Recommend standard policies or protocols to the Compliance & Food Safety Officer to address concerns.
• Investigate and address food waste inconsistencies or the food waste gap in collaboration with the Sustainability Manager and Compliance & Food Safety Officer.

Operational Support - 10%

• Collaborate with culinary leadership and unit managers to identify training gaps and operational inefficiencies.
• Help implement workflow improvements and best practices for high-volume environments.
• Serve as a resource for troubleshooting common operational challenges (equipment usage, production timing, menu transitions, etc.).
• In collaboration with Compliance & Food Safety Officer, Dietitian, and The Hub, address missing service records, time and temperature logs, and overproduction/waste trends. Continue to train and reinforce as needed.
• Under the oversight of the Compliance & Food Safety Officer, provide in-person support before and after location openings, collaborating with senior leadership and unit managers to ensure training and documentation needs are met; support training with new kitchen equipment, as needed; and ensure staff and trainers are equipped to open new locations with new recipes
• Learn relevant kitchen management systems and software, including but not limited to Jamix, LeanPath, etc. May consult with the Hub on the development and planning of software and system trainings, as assigned.
• Assist dining units during special events, as needed.

Leadership & Communication - 10%

• Coach and mentor culinary staff to build confidence, teamwork, and professional growth.
• Provide constructive feedback and encourage a positive kitchen culture rooted in learning and accountability.
• Communicate training needs, progress, and outcomes to leadership teams.
• Participate in staff meetings, menu planning sessions, and university dining initiatives.
• Report disciplinary concerns and trends to the Compliance & Food Safety Officer and the unit leadership, as appropriate.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, hospitality, and accountability

Professional Development - 5%

• Attendance at assigned meetings and trainings, completion of required trainings, professional development, and other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge of commercial kitchen equipment and culinary techniques in high-volume environments.
• Thorough knowledge of large-scale food production, including forecasting, preparation techniques, and cooking techniques at scale.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety standards & ability to implement HACCP plans.
• Ability to learn and adhere to Cal OSHA standards in 6 months and/or ability to obtain.
• Ability to identify training gaps and make recommendations to address them.
• Familiarity with adult-learning theory and/or previous experience training in a large-scale food service environment.
• Thorough verbal and written communication in the English language, active listening, dynamic flexibility, critical thinking, and the ability to multitask and ensure effective time management.
• Thorough decision-making and reasoning skills, and the ability to develop original ideas to solve problems, including operations analysis and quality control analysis.
• Thorough and effective interpersonal and work leadership skills to provide guidance to all levels of personnel.
• Ability to work with diverse teams
• Intermediate financial acumen demonstrating the ability to translate production techniques to financial savings.
• Intermediate computer application skills.
• Prior experience in culinary food service operations.

Education / Training

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Hospitality Management, and / or equivalent experience / training (Preferred)

Licenses / Certifications

• Certified culinary educator through the ACF or equivalent.
• Food Protection Manager Certification or ability to obtain within first 6 months of employment (Preferred)
• ANAB-Accredited Food Allergy Certificate (Preferred)
• General Industry, OSHA 30-Hour DOL Completion Card (Preferred)

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $77,800.00 - $85,700.00. The full pay scale for this classification is $64,900.00 - $111,700.00.

• This is an exempt, monthly-paid position.
• This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is an on-site position at the University of California, Berkeley.
• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.