Job Description

Assistant Chocolate Production Manager - 16th Street  

Job Title: Assistant Production Manager 
Hours: Full-Time - On Site, 7:30am-4pm, M-F
Department: Chocolate Production 
Report: Chocolate Production Manager
Location: 16th Street Factory - 2600 16th Street
Compensation : $78,000-$86,000/year

A bout Us  
Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco's Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with the producers who grow and ferment the beans we buy. We're always on the search for good cocoa beans, and now we're looking for an Assistant Production Manager to support the Production Manager and the team in growing and shaping our production team as we scale up.  

A bout the Job  
It’s 7:30am and you’re in a lab coat walking the floor, eyeing machines for suspicious sounds, double-checking this morningʻs bean delivery, and tweaking the production when a team member calls out. At 8:00am, everyone gathers (10-12 chocolate makers) for our morning stand-up where we review the day’s sorting, roasting, conching, tempering, and packaging goals for the day and most importantly, to raise spirits! Not everyone had their morning coffee so an encouraging, “Let’s have a good day!” from you and the Production Manager goes a long way. We also focus on a different subject each day – Monday is about safety, Tuesday is about food safety, Wednesday is continuing chocolate education, Thursday is stretch day, and Friday is about bagels and donuts (yes, even at a chocolate factory we shake things up). Youʻll be tasked with keeping the morning traditions going strong.

Our goal is the same each day – to make some of the world’s best chocolate – and you’re at the center of it all. We start with beans that represent potentially twelve or more years of relationships, genetics, and trust – then bring their individual flavor nuances and quality to light with our SOPs, taste tests, experiments, and an amazing team of chocolate makers.

In your first 90 days, you’ll be tasked with managing our packaging operation (foiling, papering, labeling, and packing) while you learn the rest of the chocolate making process. You’ll analyze the workflow, room layout, and build consensus with the team on how to evaluate new ideas. Not only does packaging represent our first impression, this step is also our last line of defense to ensure any less-than-perfect bar doesn’t pass our rigorous QC standards. We’re looking for you to support the team, to codify our standards through SOPs (we use Trainual), and to ensure they have the processes, tools, and visibility into future goals to succeed.

At 3:00pm each day, we all gather again to share tips and tricks and to look at how we did against the rest of our goals and to write an end-of-day report with learnings and numbers from the day. Success in this role means a smooth day, reaching our goals, and a motivated team that is excited to continuously improve our flavor and operations. Each year, we measure ourselves based upon whether we believe weʻre making better chocolate than the year before. Itʻs up to you to add qualitative and quantitative metrics in place so we can gauge our progress.

A bout You  
There are many leadership styles that would be successful in this role. Perhaps you are a level-headed, been-there-done-that leader who loves being more hands-on and wants the joy of making chocolate without the overhead of managing people. Perhaps you have been a manager in a parallel field and are interested in rounding out your leadership skills in a new way. Or perhaps you just love the kitchen/factory environment and the joy that comes with finishing the day knowing we hit all of our goals. Regardless, a few years (or more) of leadership experience will serve you well so you can read a room and keep projects organized. 

Weʻre lucky to work with a wonderful team, in a beautiful facility, and in a city that truly appreciates craft chocolate. Our ideal candidate has three traits: drive (especially a can-do attitude when things get sticky or chocolatey), loves leading a team towards a goal, and is relentlessly positive. If you are excited to be part of the next decade of the craft chocolate movement, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities  

• Management & Team Skills – You love rallying a team together to make even repetitive tasks rewarding. The team depends upon your positivity, emotional maturity, quick thinking, and discretion to handle day-to-day personnel issues, machine snafus, spilled batches, or beans that require more finesse than expected. You know that meeting the dayʻs goals depends upon a strong morning so you r egularly check in with teammates to monitor progress. On a monthly basis, the Production Manager has 1-on-1’s to uncover each individualʻs underlying motivation, career objectives, and how their day-to-day tasks map to both the companyʻs goals and their future aspirations. While leading 1-on-1s is not an immediate responsibility for this role, you will know each personʻs career objectives, growth opportunities, and will help team members realize their full potential.
• Safety, Quality, and Cleanliness – Working with the Production Manager and Preventative Maintenance Mechanic, ensure a safe workspace with clear pathways, lock out / tag out procedures, up-to-date SOPs, good ergonomic practices (yay stretching!), and daily operator checklists. Maintain cleanliness and quality standards so team members are washing their hands, using clean tools, and maintaining a food production space that exceeds FDA standards and is representative of one of the very few public food production facilities in the country.
• Training – Onboard, train and educate Apprentice Chocolate Makers and Chocolate Makers so they can pass their knowledge and taste tests, lead chocolate experiments, and continuously improve our chocolate quality. Once a month, organize a 15-30 minute presentation, workshop, or class to educate the team on a new topic such as how to use a new tool (e.g. Brix meter, a, etc), an engaging sensory science experiment, or a deep dive on one of our origins. Of course the best training sessions are those from the chocolate makers where they have the chance to share their knowledge firsthand.
• Systems & Projects – Establish systems (e.g. checklists, schedules, SOPs, audits, training materials, etc) that ensure we have the supply availability, enforced safety protocols, and support R&D efforts o reinforce our role as a world-class, innovative chocolate maker. 
• Planning -- Assist in creating a daily production plan and ensuring that it’s adhered to and adjusted according to the team’s needs. Audit production and inventory plans on a weekly basis alongside the Production Manager. Work together with the Production Manager to organize the department to continue to grow and innovate ways that we can make things better together. You can take a nebulous goal (e.g. make sure every tool has a place) and think through the concrete steps and timeline to make achievable milestones that the team can rally behind while still taking pride in their work. 
• Internal Presentations – With the support of the Production Manager, speak regularly at the company All Hands to celebrate the teamʻs efforts and share key learnings with the entire organization.
• Public representative – There are tours and classes happening throughout the day. While our guides handle the majority of public interactions, we are also public representatives of the craft chocolate movement and occasionally, a guest may ask a question or there might be an opportunity to make a lifetime memory by sharing a spoonful of molten chocolate from the conche.
• Other tasks as needed - Know that the chocolate floor is always moving and evolving, and everyday can be different. You adapt well to change and can quickly re route the day to make it a successful one. 

Requirements  

• Leadership Experience – 2+ years of professional leadership experience in the food and beverage industry or an educational degree in the culinary arts, with a minimum of 6 months to a year in a leadership role (eg. lead chocolate maker, shift lead.) And bonus points for previous kitchen experience so you already have a “Behind! Corner!,” call-out habit and you wouldnʻt dream of entering a food production space without a hairnet and washed hands.
• Team skills – Your previous professional experience includes being a leader of a positive, team-oriented, can-do team where there are individuals from many backgrounds and skillsets working towards a common goal.
• Schedule flexibility – In the future (3-12 months) we may want to move to a weekend schedule and weʻre looking for someone who could shift their schedule to Tuesday - Saturday or Sunday  - Thursday if necessary. Nothing is set in stone right now but we want to be upfront about this possibility.
• Excellent communication skills – Your communication style is clear and approachable, helping you delegate, troubleshoot, and navigate any issues that arise. You can write a daily production passdown that is sent to the broader management with details on daily goals and targets hit or missed. 
• Technical know-how – Well-versed in computer skills that include Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Google Slides so you can build a spreadsheet to track nib yields, or craft a google doc of the morning meeting agenda. You will receive training on the specialized programs (e.g. Trainual, MaintainX, Airtable, etc) that we use daily for quality monitoring and lot tracking. You have the natural curiosity and aptitude to pick up new skills as necessary for the role.

Benefits  
Dandelion Chocolate constantly invests in its people and culture. We offer excellent perks including paid v acation and sick days, paid holidays, heavily subsidized medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the option to enroll in our 401k program. Our team members also enjoy employee discounts, commuter benefits, and lots of chocolate tasting opportunities! 

How to Apply
Dandelion Chocolate is growing and we are invested in employees who take ownership over their role in order to contribute in a bigger way with us. To stand out from the crowd, send us your resume and a cover letter that details your favorite food experience or influence. Keep in mind that we value passion, attitude, and hard work, so tell us what inspires you to join our team.

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