Job Posting: Origins Kitchen – Café Staff

About The Exploration Place:

As the largest museum and science centre outside of the lower mainland, The Exploration Place has taken a leadership role in the region and has offered quality programs and services for over two decades. The Exploration Place is a charitable organization with a mission to provide learning opportunities that foster an understanding of significant past and current issues shaping our community by linking experiences within the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George to the world in a unique, participatory Museum of regional history, science, and technology. You will be joining a team of enthusiastic and passionate individuals whose goal is to work together for the success of all departments and have fun doing it! This position is ideal for a detail-oriented, energetic, creative person who has a passion for supporting the meaningful programs and services we offer and wants to be a part of a team that makes a positive impact in our community.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for high functioning individuals who can become leaders but also work within our parameters. We are willing to train, so the ideal candidates must be teachable, love a challenge, be highly organized and personable, and have a passion for excellent service! These roles will significantly grow and develop within the first year. There will be many staffing and scheduling changes, so we envision quickly promoting the right person to Front End Lead. Those applying for these positions could be barista, cashier, expeditor, ice cream station, and dishes until clear roles and responsibilities are established. There will always be some element of these tasks present in the role, but more so in the first 6 months. To be successful, you’ll need creativity, attention to detail, management skills, a wide range of social and organizational skills, and a serious knack for multi-tasking or willingness to learn.

What are the hours and benefits?

These are permanent 40-hour/week full-time positions. A regular workday is 8 hours, plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. Occasional extended hours and evenings for events will also be required.

After a 3-month probationary period, benefits include:

• Extended health and dental benefits
• Vacation accrual of 2 weeks (80 hours) annually
• Sick leave of 10 days (80 hours) annually
• Annual Membership to The Exploration Place
• Staff discount in Origins & Elements
• Professional Development opportunities related to this position and the museum and science centre industry

Job Summary:

We are looking for those who can work closely with others and that have a desire to have a customer-forward position within our kitchen. They will be responsible for making quality beverages, generating specialty hot drinks, preparing food orders, working the cash register, and cleaning and stocking the store. They must do all of these tasks quickly and efficiently while also forming good customer relationships. An excellent employee must be able to follow instructions and be reliable and forward-thinking. Experience in these areas is always an asset. 

The successful applicants will be responsible for the following:

• Reporting to and working with the Manager – Food Programs & Services to meet company goals
• Opening and/or closing Origins according to guidelines
• Delivering excellent customer service
• Preparing and serving a variety of tea, coffee, drinks, and ice cream by following specific recipes and preparation techniques
• Preparing ingredients and food items such as children’s lunch boxes
• Serving a variety of prepared food items such as soup, sandwiches, salads, and baked goods
• Working towards learning all aspects and duties of Origins
• Providing ongoing quality control (food, coffee, and the physical environment of the café and kitchen)
• Ensuring each order is completely fulfilled before handing to guest
• Educating customers with a superior understanding of products
• Promoting products and meeting sales targets
• Producing exemplary product to sell in our café and retail space
• Monitoring inventory and maintaining grocery list.
• Assisting in processing, checking, and stocking inventory shipments
• Estimating future needs for goods, kitchen utensils, and cleaning products
• Liaising with the manager to ensure the café is stocked with ingredients and prepared goods
• Meeting performance goals
• Maintaining a clean and orderly cafe by washing dishes, sanitizing surfaces, sweeping and mopping the floor, and taking out garbage and recycling
• Heavy-duty cleaning once per shift (rotating schedule of areas)
• Helping train new employees on operations, protocol
• Attending staff meetings.
• Ensuring compliance with sanitation and safety regulations, including communicable illness protocols
• Being an advocate of our brand and facility
• Processing transactions, handling cash, and processing debit/credit cards, as needed
• Maintaining the physical appearance and cleanliness of the store, ensuring that the facility and all equipment remain in good repair, and creating a polished aesthetic
• Ensuring accurate reporting of sales figures and other financials as required
• Representing the Museum with the utmost integrity, exemplifying the values and mission of our organization
• Aiding with various special events as necessary
• Other duties as assigned 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities we are looking for:

• Canadian Citizenship or permanent resident status
• Possess a minimum of Grade 12 Graduation Diploma, Dogwood, or equivalent
• Must be willing to present a BC Vaccine Card showing full COVID-19 vaccination and abide by all COVID-19 regulations. If, over time, Health Canada updates its definition of “fully vaccinated” (such as requiring “booster” vaccine doses), employees will be expected to comply to maintain fully vaccinated status
• Possess strong oral and written communication skills
• Able to perform basic math, writing, and reading tasks without supervision
• Some kitchen or customer-facing experience required.
• Ability to handle stressful situations while working in a fast-paced, customer-orientated facility, in cooperation with other staff and departments
• Ability to work closely and communicate respectfully with The Exploration Place team at large
• Be a self-motivated team player
• Possess excellent time management and multi-tasking skills
• Be familiar and comfortable with software, including Point of Sale Systems
• Be familiar and comfortable with communication and collaboration tools such as Zoom and SLACK
• Must show flexibility when asked to perform other tasks as needed
• Ability to work evenings, holidays, and weekends as scheduled
• Be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds on select occasions and stand for long periods 

The following will be considered an asset for this position:

• Positive, forward-thinking
• Teachable, receiving critique and taking direction with decorum
• Flexible, early riser
• Quick mover, high functioning multitasker
• Cafes are high energy, fast-paced environments with tight deadlines, and the successful candidate must thrive in these conditions
• Approachable yet firm, tactful, and diplomatic
• Detail-oriented
• Reliability and punctuality are a must

The Exploration Place is an equal opportunity employer.

We do not discriminate against ability, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic background, or sexual orientation. We strongly encourage applications from racialized individuals, under-represented communities, diverse backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We’re looking for motivated, compassionate people who can execute from the ground up. The Exploration Place is committed to providing our team members with safe, quality work experience, employability skills, and access to career development through professional development opportunities and mentoring. We use an in-depth, hands-on training program that allows our new employees to learn by doing, working closely with all departments and with our leadership team.

All offers are subject to the satisfactory completion of reference, police criminal record checks, and proof of vaccination.  Only successful applicants will be contacted. Please email your resume, cover letter, and three references to Jeni Arnott, Manager – Food Programs & Services.

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