Do you enjoy cooking food for big groups of people ? Do you want to work in an organization that is supporting students being on wilderness expeditions? We are looking for a kitchen manager, who will be responsible for planning and prepping food for the students while there on campus or road meals. Work within a small team at NOLS NZ and at times help other departments. 

Key Information

• Please upload your cover letter and resume as one PDF document when you are prompted to upload your CV/resume.

• Applicants need to hold the legal right to work in New Zealand (or eligibility for a working holiday visa) to be considered for this position. 

• Class 1 driver's licence with excellent driving record required. Must undertake and meet NOLS driver training requirements. 

• Target Start Date: 1 September 2025

• Location: NOLS New Zealand

• Questions: contact peopleteam@nols.edu

What does a Kitchen Manager do?

This role is at our New Zealand campus and will be involved in the following activities:

• Plan and prepare all meals in the kitchen to support courses while they are on campus and road meals. 

• Work closely within a budget using different menu planning and retailers as needed. 

• Work through dietary requirements and needs for the meals. 

• Support rations manager with tasks in the rations room that support courses in the field. 

• Help manage laundry associated with courses.  

• Assist the Operations Manager with other course support and related tasks as needed.

• Participate constructively in team meetings and staff performance evaluations.

• Actively contribute to a positive and healthy community living environment while striving to maintain balance between work and life. Must role model excellent teamwork by collaborating with staff members. 

• Help NOLS foster a strong local presence in New Zealand.

Please note this list is not inclusive of all duties and responsibilities, but rather covers the more frequent tasks of the role.

In your first 6 months, you will: 

• Successful cooked nutritious and budget friendly meals for the NOLS courses coming through the campus. 

• Participated in other tasks and community events at NOLS NZ. 

• Successfully provide road meals for courses as they go and come back from their expeditions. 

What makes a great Kitchen Manager at NOLS? 

We are looking for people who share our values and are keen to learn and develop their expertise. While our ideal candidate comes with the skills listed below, we expect to provide training and development support in some of the areas.

• A keen interest in cooking for large groups and nutrition 

• A positive attitude and calm demeanour.

• Organised, hardworking, attentive to detail, and able to work independently.

• Must be able to work flexible and, at times, irregular hours, including some weekends and public holidays.

• Able to perform periodic heavy lifting of up to 20kg

Additional Information

Part time fixed term between 1st September 2025 and 23 April 2026. Over the duration of the contract, weekly hours will vary but will average 30 hours per week, exclusive of 3 weeks unpaid time off over the christmas/new year period.

How to Apply

It’s super easy! Just enter your email and click the “start your application” button at the top of the screen and upload your cover letter and resume as one PDF document when you are prompted to upload your CV/resume.

At NOLS we use the Applied platform for our recruitment. The Applied platform will ask you some demographic questions before you start your application. We at NOLS never see the responses to these demographic questions with your application. We only see summary statistics to help us check if our candidate pool is balanced and if everyone has an equal chance to get hired irrespective of their background. If you prefer, you can easily opt out of answering these questions.

Who is NOLS?

NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that strives to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Our community—staff, students, trustees, and alumni—shares a commitment to wilderness, education, leadership, safety, community, and excellence. 

We believe that anyone can be a leader; it is our role to provide the environment and training to help people discover their full potential. We do that in classrooms close to home and in remote wilderness areas around the world. We are an organization with heart, expertise, and wildness, and these qualities help us support powerful, authentic experiences.

Why is NOLS a great place to work?

• We have locations in seven U.S. states, and six countries; and courses in all 50 U.S. states and over 10 countries.

• We have fantastic employee discounts on top outdoor gear brands

• We offer discounts on NOLS Courses for you and your family

• All employees can benefit of free outdoor equipment rental" at our various locations

• Insurance Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits are available at a special NOLS rate to seasonal employees. Full-time employees are eligible for benefits package. 

• Wellness Time: Accrued leave that may be used for many HR-approved reasons throughout the season.

• Employee Assistance Program: Access to counselors that are available 24/7 to assist employees with work-life balance concerns.

Additional Information

Please note in order to ensure pay transparency and pay equity the range posted is non-negotiable. If you are unwilling to accept an offer within the posted range, please review our other opportunities to see if one better aligns with your salary expectations.

• A criminal background check is required from all NOLS employees.

• NOLS participates in e-verify for U.S. employees, Certificado de Antecedentes for Chilean or Mexican employees, and other relevant employment verification systems based on location.

• Current NOLS employees please note it is NOLS policy to conduct an internal reference check with People Team and/or your current supervisor as part of the reference check process. If you have any questions or concerns about this process please contact peopleteam@nols.edu.

NOLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetics information, disability unrelated to job or admission requirements, or status as a protected veteran. The school’s nondiscrimination policy applies to all phases of its employment process.

Reasonable accommodations may be requested for disability; limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; religion; and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or harassment by emailing peopleteam@nols.edu with your request.