Utility Associate

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation's finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who we are:

Swarthmore Dining is a self-operated dining program which consists of Residential Dining, Catering, and three Retail Locations. We are proud to offer our students, faculty, and staff a diverse menu made from high quality ingredients which are sourced locally whenever possible. We are a team of 110 individuals who come from various backgrounds and ethnicities. If you are passionate about food and have great customer service, this is the place you want to work! We pride ourselves in offering our team a work-life balance not typically found in the restaurant industry. We hope you will join our team and work in our Dining Center's state of the art, all electric kitchen as well as one of our other many positions across the campus.

The Opportunity:

The Utility Associate provides timely and reliable cleaning and maintenance support for Swarthmore's dining services. Scrubs, sanitizes and rinses pots, pan and utensils throughout the day to ensure cooks have constant availability of cooking vessels, Ensures the availability of a clean and sanitary supply of dishes, glassware, trays, throughout each meal period. Maintains and sanitizes the dish machine & pot area. Ensures a clean dining service facility. Must interact well with customers, co-workers and supervisors. Must work effectively, both independently and as a team member.

This is a 9-month position, expected to work between the months of August and May.

Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Scrapes foods from pots and pans
• Scrubs, rinses and sanitizes according to Serv-Safe procedures
• Air dries all and returns to proper storage locations
• Continually monitors pot wash sinks for proper water temperatures, detergent and sanitizer levels
• Continually check in with cooks to see they have needed vessels.
• Cleans and sanitizes utensils and return to proper locations
• Scrapes food scraps from dishes and places them in designated racks for ware washing
• Empties liquids from cups/mugs and places in racks for ware washing
• Transports silverware bins from front of house and transfers to wash racks
• Places clean small wares in proper transport racks after they go through dish machine
• Place clean silverware on the sorting table .
• Transport clean small wares to serving lines in a timely manner to insure plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, silverware are available throughout the meal periods.
• Sorts silverware
• Keeps work area wiped clean of garbage and excess water.

What You Bring:

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• 2 years of experience in a high-volume food establishment
• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple concurrent tasks
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Communicate clearly

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Ability to carry and lift objects weighing up 25-40 lbs.
• Ability to carry heavy objects in close quarters. Ability to carry objects for a long period of time.
• Ability to perform kneeling, bending, squatting and reaching motions for extended times.
• Standing on a hard surface for extended periods of time.
• Involves repetitive motion.
• Fast paced, high volume environment.
• Seven-day operation, including nights and weekends.
• Must be able to adapt to the ever-changing demands of college Swarthmore Dining.
• Must work in inclement and severe weather conditions.
• Could be a noisy environment.
• Floors could be wet, non-slip shoes required.
• Temperature changes: variations in temperature, which are sufficiently marked and abrupt to cause noticeable bodily reactions.
• Interact with heated equipment, steam, and other at risk conditions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Culinary program certificate with 3-5 years of experience in high-volume food establishment.
• Serv-safe certification.
• Food Allergen knowledge/certification.
• Valid PA driver's license.

What You Will Get:

As a member of the Swarthmore Dining department, you will work in an environment that requires outstanding customer service, interacting and effectively communicating with customers who vary between residential students, faculty, staff, co-workers, and supervisors. You will work effectively, both independently and as a team member of the Dining Center. Working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, having a passion for food, enjoying being part of an energetic team and the opportunity to make a difference in the student's dining experience on Swarthmore's campus.

PA Criminal Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Review the Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee's salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

Tuition Grant Program

Paid Time Off (Staff) 

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.