JOB DETAILS

Porter I

CompanyProject Open Hand
LocationSan Francisco
Work ModeOn Site
PostedMay 21, 2026
About The Company
Project Open Hand’s mission is to improve health outcomes and quality of life by providing nutritious meals to the sick and vulnerable, caring for and educating our community. Every day, we prepare 2,500 nutritious meals and provide 200 bags of healthy groceries to help sustain our clients as they battle serious illnesses, isolation, or the health challenges of aging. We serve San Francisco and Oakland, engaging more than 125 volunteers. Every day, thousands of people in the Bay Area are battling serious, life-threatening illnesses. And every day, Project Open Hand is there for them – providing healthy, nourishing meals with love. Accessing healthy food is critical for people who are too sick or frail to shop and cook for themselves. We also provide hot, nutritious meals for seniors to help them tackle the health challenges of old age. Good nutrition enables our clients to better manage the symptoms of disease, mitigate the side effects of treatment, and can speed recovery. Our registered dietitian supports and counsels our clients to help them feel better by eating right. In addition to providing life-sustaining food to our clients, Project Open Hand nourishes our entire community by engaging thousands of volunteers and donors, as well as dozens of local companies, in the important work of feeding neighbors in need.
About the Role
 

Please note: Per San Francisco's Health Order C19-07y, Project Open Hand employees are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination prior to working on-site and with others.  


TITLE: Porter I

DEPARTMENT: Kitchen Operations

REPORTS TO: Culinary Quality Service Manager

LOCATION: 730 Polk Street, San Francisco

BENEFITS: Yes                

STATUS: Union, Full-Time, Non-Exempt 

CLASSIFICATION: Service Workers

SUPERVISES: N/A

Hourly rate: $23.00


POSITION SUMMARY:

The Porter I is an essential part of our team of dedicated culinary professionals producing meals with love every day for seniors and vulnerable neighbors in the Bay Area. The Porter I works as part of the team that ensures all dishes, utensils, equipment, tools and other kitchen appliances remain sanitized and ready to use. Porters thoroughly clean kitchen floors and surrounding areas, take out the trash, recycling and compost meals in a well-maintained kitchen. Porters also participate in the packaging of meals. This position is ideal for an ambitious team player looking to support large-scale meal production in a professional and mission-driven kitchen environment.  

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

  • A commitment to Project Open Hand’s mission and operating principles
  • Ability and desire to work as a part of a cohesive team 
  • Ability to take direction and responsibility for actions
  • Ability to speak, read and write in English to facilitate communications with volunteers, peers and leadership in a fast paced kitchen environment
  • Capable of safely handling and cleaning knives and other large commercial kitchen food preparation equipment requiring heat, cleaning agents, sharp edges, and other potentially hazardous materials
  • Ability to pass CA food handling certification
  • Must be flexible to work early mornings, afternoons, weekends or holidays to meet demands      

QUALIFICATIONS DESIRED: 

  • Professional commercial, industrial or production kitchen experience
  • Experience with high volume meal production 
  • Bilingual in Spanish or Tagalog  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Follows instructions and completes assigned trainings in all aspects of Porter duties and kitchen sanitation
  • Completes assigned trainings in all aspects of porter duties and kitchen sanitation
  • Adheres to kitchen department rules, policies and procedures
  • Sets up, breaks down, maintains and fully cleans the dish machine, sinks and other porter machinery
  • Takes temperature and performs sanitizer level checks on the machines and sinks 
  • Removes trash, cardboard, compost and recycled material from the kitchen 
  • Cleans, sanitizes, maintains and replaces all assigned equipment
  • Assists with simple kitchen tasks, production and/or packing line as needed 
  • Performs laundry services 
  • Follows the posted master cleaning list and does side jobs as assigned
  • Follows inventory policies & procedures 
  • Sets up, maintains and breaks down staff and volunteer dining areas and all utensils used
  • Properly fills out all food service and inventory logs with required information and signatures per HACCP guidelines
  • Works harmoniously with peers and volunteers to complete the goals of the department
  • Maintains a clean work area and follows all local, state and federal health standard guidelines
  • Attends kitchen trainings and agency meetings  
  • Completes other kitchen tasks as assigned 

POH COMPETENCIES: 

  • Team player: Demonstrates cooperative spirit, respects professional boundaries and is successful at sharing responsibilities with others
  • Self-led: Knows and completes responsibilities in assigned timelines, asks for clarifications when needed
  • Sensitive to the circumstances and needs of the critically ill and seniors, as well as people with mental health and substance abuse issues
  • Customer oriented: Works well with all customers (internal staff and external contacts), promotes a positive image of the agency and works diligently to resolve customer issues
  • Poised: able to maintain a calm, positive and constructive attitude during interactions with diverse populations, sometimes in challenging situations
  • Ethical: Honest, accountable, maintains confidentiality
  • Knowledgeable: Understands facets of job, keeps job knowledge current
  • Well Organized: Information organized and accessible, maintains efficient work space, manages time well
  • Takes Initiative: Takes action, seeks new opportunities, strives to see projects to completion

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Physical demands: While performing duties of job, incumbent is required to stand for long periods of time and move; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employee must bend, stoop and lift and/or move up to 50 pounds unassisted on a regular basis. Employee must be able to move fully loaded carts from floor to floor for storage on a regular basis.. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus

Work environment: The noise level in the work environment will consistently vary from moderate to loud. The work environment will be ever changing with volunteers and staff members all sharing limited space and working together in the Kitchen. The work environment will consistently have wet floors, temperature extremes, moving objects and loud noises

Project Open Hand offers a generous employee benefit and wellness package. Eligibility for different programs is determined by the role and employment statuses but may include:
 
 • Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, and Flexible Spending Account
 • Long Term Disability, Life/AD&D, and Supplemental Life Insurance
 • Retirement Savings Plan 403(b), Commuter Check Subsidy
 • Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Financial Counseling, Cell Phone Discounts, and additional discounts
 • Holidays (11 per year), generous vacation and sick leave, and complimentary lunch
 
 Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and State and Federal laws, we will consider for employment qualified applicants arrest and conviction records.

Key Skills
Kitchen SanitationDish Machine OperationWaste ManagementFood SafetyHACCP GuidelinesIndustrial CleaningTeamworkTime ManagementInventory ControlMeal PackagingLaundry ServicesEquipment Maintenance
Categories
Food & BeverageHospitalitySocial ServicesTrades
Benefits
Medical CoverageDental CoverageVision CoverageFlexible Spending AccountLong Term DisabilityLife/AD&D InsuranceSupplemental Life InsuranceRetirement Savings Plan 403(b)Commuter Check SubsidyEmployee Assistance Program (EAP)Financial CounselingCell Phone DiscountsHolidaysVacation LeaveSick LeaveComplimentary Lunch
Job Information
📋Core Responsibilities
The Porter I ensures all kitchen dishes, utensils, and equipment are sanitized and ready for use while maintaining clean floors and managing waste. They also assist with meal packaging and follow strict health and safety guidelines to support large-scale meal production.
📋Job Type
full time
📊Experience Level
0-2
💼Company Size
163
📊Visa Sponsorship
No
💼Language
English
🏢Working Hours
40 hours
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