Food Program Supervisor

Food Program Supervisor

Modular Housing, 321 Dovercourt & 11 Macey Avenue

One (1) Non-Unionized, Permanent Full-Time Position

Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Compensation: $30.77/hour

About Cota

Cota is an accredited not-for-profit organization that has been providing community-based support to people living with mental health and cognitive challenges for over 50 years. At present, our wide array of services delivers much needed support to over 4,000 people/year who live with mental health challenges, psychogeriatric mental health conditions, acquired brain injuries, developmental disabilities, dual diagnoses and/or the experience of homelessness. These services include, but are not limited to, case management, supportive housing and adult day program services. A full listing of our services can be viewed on our website at  https://cotainspires.ca/

Cota is presently seeking a dynamic and innovative individual to join our amazing team in the capacity of the role outlined within this posting. Followed by our mission to support individuals with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities, we strive toward a vision of a supportive, inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. If you feel you have the skills and qualifications to perform the duties of this role while consistently exemplifying Cota’s values Hope, Respect, Dedication, Equity, Accountability, Collaboration and Innovation, we would love to hear from you.

Role Overview

The Supervisor works as part of the Modular Housing (321 Dovercourt &11 Macey) leadership team to: 

• Coordinate all aspects of Cota’s opt-in meal program for participating tenants at each site; and
• Develop and implement other food security initiatives for the broader tenant community of each site.

The Supervisor is to work within a continuous quality improvement framework, which reflects Cota's vision and mission of services, while promoting and maintaining positive relations with clients, Cota staff, partner agencies, funders and other stakeholders.

About the Team

We require experienced Food Program Supervisor to work as a team member in our Modular Housing program at 11 Macey Avenue & 321 Doverocurt. These sites are  part of the City’s Phase 1 Modular Housing Initiative. These sites provide permanent affordable housing with supports to people who are exiting chronic homelessness.

Primary Responsibilities:

Operational Support:

a. Cota’s Opt-In Meal Program: 

• Develop and maintain opt-in meal program operational guidelines and/or requirements for frontline bargaining unit staff and/or contracted staffing agency personnel to follow.
• Manage opt-in meal program enrollment for new and existing participating tenants, including payments and liaison with ODSP, OW, etc.
• Keep accurate and up-to-date database records of the opt-in meal program participants.
• Ensure that participating tenants enrolled in the opt-in meal program have access to the weekly menus and that those with dietary needs receive appropriate meals.
• Ensure opt-in meal program orders are placed and/or groceries are ordered on time and meet the dietary restrictions for the participants.
• Coordinate the opt-in meal program’s meal and/or grocery deliveries, including communication with any external agency staff and coordination of program schedules.
• Ensure the opt-in meal program invoices are sent to the manager of the Modular Housing sites for approval.
• Ensure there are sufficient supplies in stock for the kitchen staff to serve and prepare the meals for the opt-in meal program.
• Oversight and scheduling of the kitchen staff/cooks have appropriate training, mentoring and support to fulfill their roles in a safe and effective manner.
• Oversee and direct the day-to-day operations of the meal program and the work of the kitchen staff/cooks, whether directly employed by Cota or contracted through a third-party staffing agency.
• Ensure that the kitchens at each site are clean, receive regular pest control treatments, have functioning equipment and pass all necessary public health and safety inspections.
• Coordinate public health inspections in accordance with required frequency and deadlines.
• Ensure the opt-in meal program remains within budget, fulfills its intended mandate and achieves established targets and outcomes. 

Other Food Security Initiatives: 

• Ensure that tenants receive appropriate information and referrals to alternative food programs, such as food banks and community meal services, to expand their access to food resources.
• Create a resource center for tenants to access food-related services.
• Work to integrate other community food programs into the programming for the site.
• Establish partnerships with local food programs to integrate additional resources.
• Develop a “Cooking Club” to teach tenants cooking skills, meal planning, and budgeting.
• Use on-site programming to promote healthy eating habits and community engagement.
• Supervise the distribution of food donations through external agencies (e.g. Second Harvest), taking into account personal choice, health and cultural needs where possible.

People Management: 

• Supervise and support the kitchen staff/cooks at both sites, addressing performance issues in conjunction with the Managers of the sites.
• Provide regular training for staff and volunteers to maintain safe food-handling certification.
• Ensure the kitchen staff completes all mandatory training.

Other Responsibilities:

• Exemplify Cota’s values through their day-to-day work.
• Promote and facilitate effective communication across the organization.
• Observe Cota rules and regulations, policies, procedures, practices and current legislation, in particular, the Ontario Human Rights Code.
• Ensure all food-related activities adhere to applicable safety standards.
• Comply with all Health and Safety policies and procedures to ensure every reasonable precaution is taken for the protection. of workers and clients and that health and safety concerns or incidents are responded to promptly.
• Address operational and/or performance management issues in collaboration and consultation with the Manager.
• Work cooperatively and constructively with all Cota employees.
• Ensure the confidentiality of client, employee and Cota information is maintained.
• Undertake other related and/or delegated duties, as assigned.

The Successful Candidate Requires:

EDUCATION:

• Post secondary education in a field relating to food/nutrition or social services, or 5 years experience in a relevant field.
• Safe food handling certificate.

EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in hiring, training, supervising and retaining qualified staff.
• Experience in networking and working in partnership with other groups/agencies.
• Two years of supervisory or program management experience with an interdisciplinary team will be considered an asset.
• Experience working in a unionized environment in a supervisory capacity will be considered an asset.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Demonstrated excellence in organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with individuals with complex needs and multi-system involvement.
• Ability to maintain a positive, solution-focused approach when responding to conflicts or problems.
• Proven cultural competence and ability to work effectively with diverse populations.
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail in preparing and/or reviewing reports and financial data.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office - Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint.

Other Requirements and Working Conditions:

• The majority of the working hours fall into the regular business hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. 
• Flexibility is required to attend evening and early morning meetings, as well as possible weekends.

Benefits:

Upon successful completion of a three-month period of employment, permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week will be eligible for employer-paid group insurance benefits. These employer-paid benefits will include:  

• Extended health care 
• Life insurance 
• Accidental death and dismemberment insurance 
• Dental care 
• Travel assistance 
• Vision care 

Permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week are also required to enroll in employee-paid long-term disability coverage.

Application Details:

Please complete the application below before May 7, 2025 at 4:00pm.

Additional Information:

Interview Process: Cota may choose to conduct parts/all of the hiring process virtually. Please note that as part of maintaining an agile workforce, all Cota staff may be required to be reasonably reassigned to support the operational needs of our essential services.

Screening Process: Please note that Cota uses AI to screen potential applicants for all roles.

We would like to thank all those that apply; however, due to high volumes of interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Thank you, Cota's HR Department.

______________________________________________________________________ 

Hope, respect, dedication, equity, accountability, teamwork, and innovation are key values of Cota. We are dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace, upholding dignity, and acknowledging each person's individual contributions and potential as an equal-opportunity employer. We uphold the Ontario Human Right Code and strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ people, and others who provide various viewpoints. Cota ensures an accessible hiring process in line with the AODA principles, providing accommodations for applicants with disabilities. For any accommodation requests, please contact hr_recruitment@cotainspires.ca