ABOUT US AND OUR HIRING PRACTICES

Midnight Kitchen is a non-profit worker and volunteer run collective dedicated to increasing food accessibility on McGill campus and beyond. We support individuals and communities by providing a working alternative to capitalist, profit-driven systems of food production. We also offer education on food politics, social justice issues, food preparation, and urban agriculture. By taking the initiative to produce and distribute food in our own communities, we act in the pursuit of social and environmental justice and support others who share these goals. Midnight Kitchen is run collectively, non-hierarchically, and using consensus decision-making. All applicants should be prepared to work collaboratively and make decisions in an English-speaking group setting. Racialized people and others from marginalised groups are overrepresented in food insecurity and poverty statistics, but are significantly under-represented in community based food organizations. We believe that those most affected by an issue must have access to paid positions in organizations tasked with challenging poverty and food insecurity.

The individual hired will work with the team to perform tasks related to cooking, cleaning, and medium-heavy lifting. We expect all employees to maintain strict sanitation protocols while they are at work. Currently our meal distribution program includes lunch services for students during the Fall and Winter academic terms and solidarity servings for community organizations year round. During the summer term, we run a community garden on McGill campus. We are also always exploring other forms of food aid and popular education. The hired individual will be required to participate in weekly meetings (currently taking place Mondays on Zoom) and perform other coordination tasks (organising workshops, trainings, and updating policies), as well as responding to emails and managing volunteers both online and in-person.

Midnight Kitchen is a fast-paced environment that often requires multi-tasking. New staff have a week of orientation at the beginning of the contract before getting involved with the programming. At Midnight Kitchen, we believe in learning through hands-on experience and seek to promote skill sharing between collective members. We also value the equitable distribution of tasks and seek to make our work place as accessible as possible.

Midnight Kitchen operates out of the University Centre at McGill (3480 Rue McTavish). The building is wheelchair accessible, with gender-neutral, single-stall washrooms on the fourth floor. The kitchen is located on the third floor and is not wheelchair accessible. Please contact us with any questions.

Job Description

MK Permanent General Staff Member [$19.47/hr, ~30 hours/week]

All collective members decide the vision of the organisation and how to put this mission into practice at weekly collective meetings, which currently take place online via Zoom on Mondays. Collective members will be required to divide tasks amongst themselves at these meetings and throughout the year. Tasks generally fall under portfolios, which include finance, administration, social media, volunteer, food bank, and meal delivery coordination, as well as garden coordination (during the summer months). Tasks are negotiated among staff collectively based on interest, skills, and the needs of the service.

Recurring tasks include but are not limited to: following strict hygiene and sanitation protocols while at work, maintaining a clean, vegan, and nut-free kitchen, cooking for our meal services and other servings, doing grocery runs, unloading food deliveries, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, coordinating solidarity servings, answering incoming emails and requests, liaising with SSMU executives and building managers, social media management, website management, and coordinating educational opportunities such as workshops and skillshares.

benefits of the job

• Flexible and accommodating work culture

• Culture of mutual support

• Freedom to design and execute your own projects

• Free meals and produce during kitchen shifts

• Union membership

ADAPTATIONS DURING COVID-19

We are continuing in-person shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic, while prioritising the safety of our members. We continue to wear masks during indoor kitchen shifts, wash our hands regularly, and complete sanitation of all spaces and materials before and after use.

REQUIREMENTS

• Availability from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm for in-person shifts (at least three 6-hour shifts per week)

• Availability some evenings and weekends 

• Available to attend weekly collective meetings on Zoom (2 hours per week, currently on Monday mornings)

• Experience in cooking and cleaning a commercial kitchen

• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment

• Experience managing administrative tasks on behalf of an organisation (i.e. phone calls, emails, messages, calendars)

• Previous or current involvement in grassroots organising

• Self-motivated and self-directed

• Ability to work closely with others

• Strong organisational and self-management skills

• Ability / willingness to actively cultivate an anti-oppressive workplace

• Ability / willingness to learn and apply new skills

• Punctual, responsible, and dependable

• Good time management

ASSETS

• Holds a valid driver’s licence, and has access to a vehicle

• Experience with / aptitude for vegan or vegetarian cooking

• Experience with / aptitude for garden care

• Experience with consensus-based decision making processes

• Familiarity with McGill

• Experience navigating university bureaucracy

• Involvement in community organisations around Montreal

• Experience coordinating events and/or workshops

• Experience with online and unstructured work

• Experience managing personal work schedule

• Experience with outreach and student engagement

• Experience with social media management

• An understanding of food insecurity and food-related political issues

• Facilitation and conflict resolution skills

• Written and/or verbal French skills

To Apply

Midnight Kitchen encourages applicants to describe in their cover letter the unique contributions they would bring to the organisation. Please make sure to detail your experience in your CV and cover letter to ensure the hiring committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role based on the content of your experience rather than based on assumptions. We welcome candidates to included answers to the following questions in their cover letter:

• How have your previous experiences prepared you to meet the requirements listed above for this role?

• What assets and qualities would you bring to this role?

• What excites you about the possibility of working at Midnight Kitchen?

As part of Midnight Kitchen’s commitment to equitable hiring practices, we do not value or prioritise paid work experience over volunteered, personal and life experience. We particularly encourage BIPOC (Black people, Indigenous peoples, and People of Color) to apply. The interview and selection committees will include BIPOC currently involved with the organisation.

If you wish to be considered for employment equity, include the following sentence in your cover letter: “I would like to be considered for employment equity.” Employment equity is designed to compensate for the nonexistence of a level playing field with regards to differences in people’s experiences and job qualifications, given the structural injustices that affect marginalised groups. We do not require applicants to specify the basis on which they are applying for employment equity; you do not need to disclose your reasons.

Please send your CV (max. 1 page) and cover letter (max. 1 page) as a single PDF to Midnight Kitchen by email at midnightkitchenhiring@gmail.com with the subject “General Staff Member Application”.

Anticipated Timeline

• The deadline to submit applications is Sunday July 21st, 11:59pm;

• Interviews will occur the week of July 29th;

• The position’s start date is Monday August 19th.

All candidates will be contacted about the status of their application. PLEASE NOTE that we will not be able to provide further feedback for candidates who are not invited to interview.

Compensation for interviews

In recognition of the time and labour of preparing for and attending an interview, Midnight Kitchen financially compensates interviewees at a fixed rate of $75 per interview. Selected interviewees will have the choice between receiving an honorarium (Social Insurance Number required) or a grocery gift card. This is inspired by hiring practices at FoodShare TO.