Career Services Manager

 

ABOUT HOT BREAD KITCHEN 

Since 2008, Hot Bread Kitchen has empowered New Yorkers who face barriers to economic opportunities through transformative careers in New York City’s food industry. We offer small business development programs, culinary skills training, and job placement, bolstered by individualized, wraparound supportive services. Our small business program, HBK Incubates, supports entrepreneurs as they transform their food businesses into sustainable income sources.
Culinary Fundamentals, our award-winning culinary training program, provides access to high-quality jobs for those starting their careers in the food industry. Our upskilling programs enable incumbent workers to gain further skills, leading to higher wages and career advancement. We work diligently alongside our network of over 200 food employer partners and more than 250 nonprofit and government partners to ensure our graduates are set up for success both at home and in their careers. 

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Hot Bread Kitchen’s culinary workforce development programs prepare over 500 individuals  for careers in the food industry. Through industry-aligned training and employer partnerships, we connect members to quality jobs across New York City’s vibrant food ecosystem. 

 

We are seeking a mission-driven and highly organized Career Services Manager to lead the job placement operations and professional readiness programming for our workforce development programs. The Career Services Manager will oversee the day-to-day execution of member job placement, manage the Job Placement Coordinators, and collaborate with employer engagement and training teams to ensure members are prepared for and successfully transition into employment. This role plays a key part in ensuring strong placement outcomes, positive employer partnerships, and continuous improvement of Hot Bread Kitchen’s career services model. 

 

The Career Services Manager reports to the Director of Strategic Workforce Partnerships, and supervises a team of 2 Job Placement Coordinators and a Senior Coordinator. 

 

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Career Services & Job Placement 

Lead the day-to-day execution of job placement activities to connect program members with employment opportunities across Hot Bread Kitchen’s employer partner network.

  • Oversee the job placement process from job order intake through candidate matching, interviewing, and hiring.

  • Ensure resumes and candidate materials are submitted to employer partners accurately and in a timely manner.

  • Coordinate with employer partners and Job Placement Coordinators (JPCs) to schedule and facilitate member interviews.

  • Monitor candidate progress throughout the interview process and ensure members receive appropriate preparation and support.

  • Follow up with employer partners to confirm interview outcomes and gather feedback on candidate performance and job fit.

  • Support successful member onboarding with employer partners when needed.

  • Ensure placement activities align with program goals and workforce development best practices.


Team Management

Supervise and support Job Placement Coordinators and Senior Coordinator to ensure members receive high-quality job placement support and placement goals are met.

  • Provide coaching, guidance, and performance feedback to Job Placement Coordinators and Senior Coordinator.

  • Support the team in managing candidate pipelines, interview preparation, and employer communication.

  • Ensure professional readiness curriculum remains relevant and up to date and support JPCs in delivering effective career preparation programming.

  • Monitor progress toward job placement goals and troubleshoot challenges in the placement process.

 

Hiring Events & Employer Coordination

Coordinate hiring events that connect program members directly with employer partners.

  • Plan hiring events in collaboration with the Employer Engagement Manager and Job Placement Coordinators.

  • Create event run-of-show documents and manage internal scheduling and logistics.

  • Lead day-of event operations to ensure smooth and effective member interviews.

 

Data Management & Outcomes

Ensure accurate tracking of job placement activities and contribute to the evaluation of career services outcomes.

  • Oversee job placement data collection, ensuring interviews, offers, and placements are accurately logged in Salesforce.

  • Monitor placement activity and ensure timely documentation of member progress.

  • Collect feedback from members and employer partners and communicate insights to program leadership.

 

Program Improvement & Systems Development

Support continuous improvement of Hot Bread Kitchen’s career services operations.

  • Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for job placement processes.

  • Create and refine communication templates, resource guides, and internal documentation.

  • Organize shared team resources and improve systems for tracking employer relationships and job opportunities.

  • Contribute to cross-team process improvement initiatives that strengthen member outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS + SKILLS:

  • Must have 3+ years of experience in workforce development, career services, account management, or a related field. 

  • Demonstrated ability to build relationships with employers and external partners.

  • Experience supporting individuals facing barriers to employment strongly preferred. 

  • Familiarity with the food industry or hospitality sector preferred. 

  • Experience supervising or mentoring staff strongly preferred. 

  • Must have systems and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities. 

  • Must have written and verbal communications skills.

  • Experience using data systems to track outcomes and inform decision making.

  • Proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and Salesforce preferred.  

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

  • Interpersonal relations - Exhibits respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships. Ensures trust and respect. Recognizes and owns the personal impact of their words and actions.

  • Effective listening - Builds understanding and empathy through listening to what others have to say and responding appropriately. Demonstrates understanding of another’s point of view. 

  • Results driven - Achieves goals in a timely manner and adapts to various solutions when an original solution did not work. Gathers information, seeks input, and drives work forward.

  • Detail oriented - verifies important details, ensures there are no surprises or gaps in needed information, has the ability to think a few steps ahead to answer potential questions about the data or project. Aims to leave things better than you found them. Checks work with others, plans time to review for errors and probes one’s own thinking. Addresses errors quickly and learns from them. Looks for ways to prevent similar errors.

OUR VALUES

We are driven by a feeling of commitment to support our members, teammates, and partners. Our culture of equity comes from the many cooks in our kitchen and the diversity of perspectives we each bring. We believe that respect goes a long way in making people feel welcome, accepted, and celebrated. We seek out opportunities for connection and become a stronger team by being in community and prioritizing candor over consensus. The pace of our work and velocity of change can be quick; our entrepreneurialism helps us take optimistic risks and pursue inventive solutions.

 

LOCATION

This position requires in-person presence 5 days a week at our facility in Chelsea Market when programming is in session. There is flexibility for hybrid work when programming is not in session. This role requires working from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

 

COMPENSATION

This is a full time position. The salary range is $75,000-$80,000 commensurate with experience. Hot Bread Kitchen's comprehensive benefits package includes health/vision/dental insurance (eligible from day one), 401K contributions, paid office closure days  (including holidays and staff appreciation days, and a one-week holiday break at the end of the year), flexible and generous vacation and sick time, paid parental leave, and a sabbatical program (after 5 years of service). Our organizational culture is inclusive, entrepreneurial, flexible, and civically minded (learn more about our culture on hotbreadkitchen.org/careers).

 

HOW TO APPLY

 

  • Please include a cover letter and experience-aligned resume, including your pronouns.

  • Apply here at Hot Bread Kitchen’s Applicant Tracking System. 

Due to the volume of applications, only complete applications sent via our Applicant Tracking System will be considered. Applications sent via LinkedIn or other third-party sites will not be accepted or reviewed.

 

Hot Bread Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It does not discriminate against applicants based on race, religion, color, disability, medical condition, legally protected genetic information, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), age, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. Any applicant with a mental or physical disability who requires an accommodation during the application process should contact hr@hotbreadkitchen.org to request such an accommodation.