Kettle Tender

Mom's Meals in Ankeny, IA is seeking a 1st shift Kettle Tender to support our mission of delivering nutritious, ready-to-heat meals nationwide. In this role, you'll operate large-batch cooking kettles, accurately measure and load ingredients, and monitor temperatures and cooking times to ensure safe, high-quality meals. You'll follow strict food safety, HACCP, and workplace safety procedures in a fast-paced, refrigerated production environment. Working closely with production and quality teams, you'll help keep operations running smoothly while contributing to a compassionate, service-focused culture.

Responsibilities

• Operate and monitor kettles to cook large-batch meals following standardized recipes and food safety procedures
• Measure, load, and mix ingredients to ensure consistent product quality and portion accuracy
• Monitor cooking times, temperatures, and product appearance, making adjustments to meet quality standards
• Perform routine equipment checks, basic cleaning, and sanitation of kettles and surrounding work areas
• Follow all HACCP, USDA, and company food safety, GMP, and workplace safety policies
• Complete production logs, batch records, and labeling requirements accurately and on time
• Work closely with production, packaging, and quality teams to maintain workflow and resolve issues
• Lift, move, and stage ingredients and finished product in a fast-paced, refrigerated environment
• Report equipment issues or safety concerns promptly to leads or supervisors
• Support continuous improvement efforts to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality

Required Skills

• Industrial kettle operation
• Batch cooking
• Food safety and HACCP knowledge
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Basic equipment troubleshooting
• Production documentation and recordkeeping
• Ingredient measuring and scaling
• Time and temperature monitoring
• Sanitation and cleaning procedures
• Safe material handling and lifting