Riverdale Country School, a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent all-gender school in New York City, is dedicated to inspiring students to live meaningful and purpose-driven lives. The school achieves this by fostering a culture of academic excellence, critical thinking, and curiosity, supported by a diverse and inclusive community. Riverdale emphasizes both high challenge and high support in its approach to education, encouraging students to engage deeply in interdisciplinary learning, research, and experiential education, both inside and outside the classroom and beyond our campuses. This holistic approach aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared to make a positive impact on the world.
At Riverdale, we strive to reflect the diversity of the New York metropolitan area in our students, faculty, and staff. We believe that a diverse and inclusive community enriches the educational experience and is integral to our mission. With a student body of approximately 1,300 students from 117 different zip codes, Riverdale is a vibrant community where 48% of our students identify as students of color.
We seek to employ educators and leaders who bring a student-centered approach, passion for their work, a commitment to DEIB, and a desire to contribute to the growth and development of our entire school community.
Job Summary:
The cook is to assist in the preparation of meals in the kitchen under the guidance and direction of the Executive Sous Chef and the management team. The person will perform routine kitchen tasks such as setting up workstations and ingredients so that food can be prepared according to recipes. To be successful in this job, you will need thorough experience with hot and cold food preparation.
General Food Service Employee Expectations:
Comply with all state food handling laws. Comply with state and federal regulations. Comply with the school’s policies and building procedures. Follow the health, safety, and emergency procedures of the department. Work as a team member and assist co-workers with varying levels of food preparation and service. Willingness to flex or extend work schedule to assist the needs of the school’s event schedule. Demonstrate professionalism through conduct, punctuality, and minimal absences. Promote and practice professional growth and development. Demonstrates good judgment, discretion, and strict confidentiality regarding student and personnel information. Establish and maintain positive working relations with building staff, administrators, students, and parents. Work cooperatively and communicate successfully with building staff, administrators, students, and parents. Demonstrate a commitment to the educational success of Riverdale Country School Community.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Knowledge of various cuisines and cultural foods with an emphasis on sustainable sourcing. Communicate with team and management. Attend in-service training. Responsible for preparing and executing meals and understanding the timing of food production. Responsible for expediting and maintaining the amount of food produced based on forecasted demand during service times. Ability to cook and prepare food according to production guidelines and recipes. Knowledge of various food products from a variety of cultures and ethnicities, identification, and acceptable level of food quality. Must know methods of food preparation, cooking times, and portion sizes to ensure food is prepared in the prescribed manner. Evaluate food quality and preparedness by tasting everything. Ensure food is stored at the appropriate temperature for the appropriate length of time and follows all food safety standards set up/breaks down the kitchen. Responsible for the overall cleanliness of the kitchen, including floors, counters, walls, etc.. Maintains a clean, safe, and sanitary workstation, equipment, and utensils. Ability to safely operate all kitchen equipment (choppers, slicers, ovens, steamers, a variety of knives, etc.). Assist Chef in maintaining production records (food usage, overages, shortages, customer counts, etc.). Communicate with management regarding food product that needs to be ordered for upcoming productionReport safety hazards discovered in the location to management immediately additional job functions able to provide outstanding customer service and get along with coworkers, the Riverdale community, and the management team. Ability to communicate to our guests the important information pertaining to allergens and food knowledge (culture, ethnicity, procurement).Responsible for receiving deliveries and proper storage of all items.Knowledge of diet-restricted meal components, preparation, production, and service. Perform other related duties as assigned.
Types of Machines, Tools, and Specific Equipment Used:
Basic knowledge of cooking utensils and equipment, but not limited to: pots, pans, dishware, silverware, glassware, food slicing machine, knives, oven, grill/stove burners, microwave appliances, brazier, steam kettles.
Physical Demands:
Ability to stand for long periods of time, bend, kneel, and reach to store/retrieve supplies. Ability to lift, carry, and push supplies and boxes up to 40 pounds.
Work Environment:
Occasional environment exposures to cold, heat, and water.
Language Skills:
Ability to read, interpret, and follow directions in the English Language. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from students and community members.
Reasoning Skills:
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete and abstract variables. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Certificates, Licenses, Registration:
ServSafe Certification- Preferred. NYC DOH Food Protection Certificate- Willing to maintain a current certification.
Primary Working Relationships:
Executive Sous Chef, Assistant Director of Food ServiceStudents, Faculty and Staff
Term of Employment:
Monday-Friday 6:30 am - 2:30 pm - some evenings and weekends required, subject to change with notice. 10-month full-time position, side work possible, when available during summer months.
Education and/Or Experience:
3-5 years experience in a professional kitchen environment.Proficient with a French knife and commercial cooking equipment. High School Diploma.
To apply for this position, please click on the red “Apply for this Job” button. Please submit a resume and cover letter. If there are pronouns we should use in potential future communications, we invite you to share that information with us. For information about this position and all open positions, please visit the
Careers page of Riverdale’s website.
Benefits of Full Time Work at Riverdale Country School
Working at Riverdale Country School is a purposeful and meaningful career choice that comes with many benefits including:
Transportation: Shuttle service is available to/from the 242nd St / Broadway subway station. Limited stops are also available near transit hubs in Manhattan including the Metro North Harlem Station and subway lines – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, A, B, C, and D. If there is need in the community, we can also run a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway / 246th St bus stop which connects to the #7, #10, and Express Buses to/from Manhattan.
Professional Development: A generous professional-development budget provides for conferences, skills training, and onsite training in areas such as mindfulness, coaching, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Grants and Stipends: All employees are eligible for Frankel Fellow grants, known as “passion grants,” which pay for enrichment activities. More than 120 grants have been made to faculty and staff since the program started in 2014. Stipends are available for coaching, affinity group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips (including global trips!).
Sabbatical: Full time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.
Health Benefits: Riverdale offers and subsidizes health, dental, and vision insurance. In addition, the school offers a flexible spending account through which employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses.
Retirement: Employees are eligible to join our Defined Contribution retirement plan through TIAA. The school contributes 7% of an employee's annual salary to their retirement account.
Vacation: Riverdale Country School has a generous time-off policy for staff in addition to vacations afforded by the school calendar.
