Chief Operating Officer at CommonWealth Kitchen

Are you a systems builder who thrives in entrepreneurial hands-on environments and believes food is one of the most powerful levers for economic equity Do you have the operational chops to help a growing social enterprise scale whats working and build whats next

Riverwalker Talenthas been retained byCommonWealth Kitchento lead this search.

Job Type: Full-Time Exempt On-Site in Boston MA (min. 34 days on-site / 12 days remote per week) $175000$200000 annually

At CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) FOOD is our passion and EQUITY is our mission.

CommonWealth Kitchen is a nonprofit business development social enterprise working to build a more just equitable and resilient food economy. CWKs market-driven approach harnesses the power of inclusive entrepreneurship to reshape how food is grown produced distributed and valued ensuring the people who have long sustained us are at the table in shaping its future.

CWK is home to more than 50 food businesses led by entrepreneurs from a wide range of cultural racial and economic backgrounds. Our core programs include shared-use commercial kitchen space business education technical assistance coordinated market access and our own mid-scale co-manufacturing social enterprise. We are values-driven collaborative entrepreneurial and deeply rooted in community.

CWK is at a momentous inflection point and as our organization continues to grow we are deepening our impact and expanding our earned revenue model. We are seeking a mission-aligned executive leader to help strengthen our operations culture systems and organizational impact.

CommonWealth Kitchen seeks an experienced collaborative and people-centered Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee organizational operations and help lead the next phase of growth and impact.

Reporting directly to the CEO the COO will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team supervising the Chief Impact Officer Chief Culinary Officer and Chief Program Officer. The COO will provide strategic and operational leadership across finance human resources administration IT and organizational systems while partnering closely with program leadership to ensure operational excellence across all functions.

This role is ideal for a builder a leader who combines strong operational and financial management skills with emotional intelligence inclusive leadership and a deep commitment to equity and community impact. If you are energized by creating and strengthening systems building trust developing teams and guiding organizational effectiveness in dynamic hands-on entrepreneurial environments including literal kitchens this may be the right next chapter for you.

• Foster a high-performing inclusive data and values-driven workplace culture grounded in equity collaboration empowerment accountability and transparency.

• Lead and support department leaders (4-5 direct reports) and operational staff through coaching mentorship professional development peer learning and clear communication.

• Strengthen organizational practices that drive high performance and promote employee engagement belonging wellness and retention.

• Ensure equitable and inclusive HR practices across recruitment onboarding performance management compensation and advancement.

• Promote cross-functional collaboration and effective communication and accountability across teams and departments.

• Help cultivate an organizational culture that centers learning innovation adaptability and continuous improvement.

• Partner with senior leadership to support effective operations across CWKs core programs including:

  • Shared-use commercial kitchen operations
  • Business education and technical assistance
  • Market development and strategic partnerships
  • Co-manufacturing and production operations
  • Advocacy and fundraising

• Oversee management of CWKs physical space including leases and financial performance.

• Ensure operational systems workflows tools and processes support efficient data-driven high-quality service delivery and positive experiences for members staff partners and stakeholders.

• Support the development and implementation of clear operational goals work plans and performance metrics aligned with organizational priorities.

• Help identify and implement opportunities to improve operational efficiency scalability communication and coordination across the organization.

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to translate strategic priorities into actionable operational plans and measurable outcomes.

• Develop and monitor organizational performance indicators and use data to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

• Support organizational growth change management and long-term planning initiatives.

• Serve as a strategic thought partner on organizational structure staffing systems and operational sustainability.

• Contribute to strengthening internal infrastructure to support CWKs long-term mission and impact.

• Provide leadership and oversight for finance accounting HR administration IT and asset management functions.

• Manage Insperity professional employment organization contract and scope.

• Partner with the finance team and leadership to support annual budgeting audit financial planning true cost accounting for our manufacturing services forecasting and resource allocation.

• Ensure compliance with nonprofit employment operational and food safety regulations and best practices.

• Support vendor management contract oversight and organizational risk management processes.

• Collaborate with leadership on strategies to diversify and strengthen earned and contributed revenue streams.

• Contribute to grant reporting funder communications Board communications. operational reporting and impact tracking.

• A strong team culture defined by consistent communication norms clarity of roles and decision-making and staff at all levels who are engaged in the vision mission and values of the organization

• All staff have defined work plans with KPIs and are supported through regular performance reviews

• Member businesses understand and embrace organizational values and feel genuinely connected to the mission engagement extends beyond internal culture into the broader community

• A data-driven culture of learning: impact data evaluations and metrics are collected consistently across the organization used to understand impact adjust strategy and inform decision-making

• Members are at the table informing strategy their success is our success and vice versa

• Financial data is consistently accurate and timely with a streamlined close process that includes reliable data on manufacturing costs and margins inventory and member activity

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet every listed qualification. If you are excited about this role and believe your experience could contribute to CWKs mission we encourage you to apply.

• 12 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management operations finance program leadership food-related business or related fields ideally in organizations in the $6M$10M range

• A track record of building and scaling operational infrastructure in a growing or evolving organization

• Demonstrated success leading and developing diverse high-performing teams and fostering inclusive organizational culture with strong coaching and team development skills

• Experience overseeing organizational operations systems budgeting financial management and cross-functional initiatives

• A thoughtful and modern approach to human resources organizational development and talent management including experience building equitable HR systems across a diverse workforce

• Strong operational and strategic thinking skills with the ability to balance day-to-day execution and long-term planning

• Excellent communication facilitation relationship-building and problem-solving skills

• A track record of driving results in fast-paced hands-on and evolving environments including comfort being present in production kitchen or operational spaces

• A genuine commitment to equity inclusion and community-centered leadership that shows up in how youve built teams and designed systems not just in how you talk about it

Strongly Preferred (Wed really love for our candidates to have this experience)

• Experience with property and asset management CommonWealth Kitchen operates with significant capital equipment capital investments and complex operational risk and candidates who understand what to pay attention to in that context will have a meaningful advantage

• Experience in food systems manufacturing shared-use facilities workforce development or social enterprise environments

• Familiarity with tools in our tech stack: Quickbooks Salesforce Asana Slack Nexudus Donor Perfect

This is a primarily on-site role based in Boston Massachusetts. The COO is expected to be present at CWKs facilities a minimum of 34 days per week with 12 days remote flexibility. CWK operates in a working commercial kitchen environment that is open 7 days/week 12 hours/day so proper oversight to support operations manage risk and support front-line staff is key this is a hands-on dynamic workplace where leadership means showing up alongside your team.

CommonWealth Kitchen offers a competitive compensation and benefits package:

• Salary: $175000$200000 annually commensurate with experience
• 15 days PTO 10 Paid Holidays (year 1)
• Health dental and vision insurance with employer contribution at 50%
• Comprehensive benefits under Insperity PEO
• Opportunity to help shape the future of equitable food entrepreneurship and community economic development

CommonWealth Kitchen is committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of color women LGBTQ individuals people with disabilities immigrants multilingual candidates and individuals with lived experiences connected to entrepreneurship food systems and economic equity.

We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our organization and our impact.

• Applications reviewed on a rolling basis priority deadline is July 14 2026. We will accept applications until August 1st 2026.
• Initial screening interviews conducted by Riverwalker Talent in mid-July to early August
• Semi-finalist interviews with CWK leadership over Zoom in early to mid-August
• Finalists will complete acompensatedwork assessment in mid-August
• Final interviews with CWK executive team in-person in late August
• Estimated start date: September 2026

We do not require a cover letter. Instead we ask that candidates respond to the following prompts to help us understand your experience judgment and approach.

We are committed to accessibility in our hiring process. If written responses are not your preferred format you are welcome to respond via video or audio recording (up to 2 minutes per question). If you choose this option please include links to your recordings in place of written answers and ensure sharing permissions allow us to access your submission.

Application Questions:

1. Tell us about a time you helped build or significantly strengthen an organizations operational infrastructure. What did you inherit what did you change what was the impact and what did you learn

2. Describe your direct experience managing organizational finances including budgeting forecasting and working across earned and contributed revenue and managing audits Whats the largest budget youve overseen how did you approach financial decision-making with leadership What was your role in ensuring operations met the budget

3. Our work requires staff to hold multiple roles at once landlord service provider advocate and cheerleader. How have you approached situations where organizational sustainability and mission-driven support pulled in different directions What does getting that balance right look like to you in practice

4. This role requires strong presence in a hands-on production-oriented environment. Tell us about a time you led or worked alongside teams in a physical operations setting or transferable skills that would enable you to thrive in this role.

5. The COO at CWK is a close partner to the CEO and a connective thread across the organization. Tell us about a time you served in a senior leadership role where building trust with a supervisor across teams or with external stakeholders was as important as your technical expertise. What did that look like in practice

6. What draws you to CommonWealth Kitchens model specifically How has that interest shown up in your past work or choices

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis priority deadline is July 14 2026. We will accept applications until August 1st 2026.

We believe AI can be a helpful tool in work and learning and are not opposed to its use in general. We use 100% human review of these applications.

For this application process we ask that responses reflect your own thinking experience and communication style. This role requires strong independent judgment and problem-solving and we want to understand how you naturally approach real situations.

CommonWealth Kitchen is committed to building diverse equitable and inclusive teams and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

A CORI background check will likely be conducted prior to hire. Findingswill notautomatically disqualify candidates.

For accessibility accommodations or questions contact Jessye Kass Karlin at Riverwalker Talent ().

No phone calls.