About the position
Ridge Maine's mental health residential treatment center is dedicated to providing healing and peace to adolescents aged 12-18 who are suffering with depression and anxiety, often accompanied by dual diagnoses such as ADHD, ASD, PTSD, OCD, and Personality Disorders. The Assistant Chef works in cooperation with the Head Chef to provide for the nutritional needs of clients. As an integral member of the Ridge Maine team, qualified candidates are highly organized, collaborative individuals who are motivated to have a positive impact in the lives of teenagers. The Assistant Chef works in coordination with the Head Chef to accomplish the following core responsibilities: all aspects of providing for the nutritional needs of clients, cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen space, building rapport with clients within appropriate professional boundaries, creating opportunities for clients to rediscover values and develop life skills, and working collaboratively with the Ridge Maine team to meet client and programming needs.
Responsibilities
- Meal planning and preparation
- Meeting special dietary needs
- Maintain standards for food storage, rotation, quality, and appearance
- Kitchen cleaning and sanitation, including washing dishes, routinely sweeping, mopping, and ensuring surfaces and appliances are cleaned and sanitized
- Ensure compliance with health codes and regulations
- Engage with interested residents by teaching/role modeling culinary tasks
- Working on the floor as Residential Clinical Assistant when not needed in the kitchen
- Actively participates in training, supervision, and professional development
- Maintain program expectations and encourage healthy growth in our clients
- Review and maintain familiarity with client notes and record daily observations
- Oversight of daily routines including, but not limited to: meals, chores, school, and enrichment activities
- Maintain 100% supervision at all times, providing constant emotional and physical support to clients
- Respond to program, behavioral, and medical needs in accordance with Ridge Maine policies and procedures
- Maintain and role model professional boundaries
- Collaborate with the team to provide information/ideas that will lead to a positive therapeutic relationship with the clients
- Guide, Teach, Role Model, skills, tasks, coping strategies for clients
- Demonstrate and role model healthy relationships
- Address behaviors in a trauma informed approach in conjunction with Behavior Support Plans developed by the treatment team
- Routine cleaning as needed, sweeping, dusting, washing
Requirements
- Strong interpersonal skills, ability to give and receive appropriate and timely communication
- Ability to write client notes/reports in a timely manner, using objective, clinically appropriate language
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Ability to dependably serve as a positive role model to clients and peers at all times
- Strong collaboration skills & teamwork ability
- Demonstrates empathy and compassion to support diversity and inclusion
- Proven success operating in dynamic and changing environments
- Demonstrates sound judgment & professionalism
- Must be able to traverse irregular, uneven, and steep terrain
- Must be able to lift and carry up to 40 pounds
- Must be able to complete tasks in a noisy environment
- Must be able to adhere to process protocol
- Must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner
Nice-to-haves
- 1+ years' experience with dietary requirements and meal preparation for 12+ people preferred
- Experience with behavior and group management preferred
- College degree in related fields preferred (recreation therapy, behavioral health, etc)
- Current CPR, Safety-Care, CRMA, First-Aid Certifications, and Certified BHP a plus
Benefits
- Must be able to pass extensive background checks, including fingerprinting
- High School Diploma/GED required
- 1+ experience working directly with youth required
