Intaj- Baking And Pastry Executive Chef Consultant
Background:
Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has implemented community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they emerged in the country. In 2012, the program portfolio shifted in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria and Mercy Corps in Lebanon has solidified its emergency response programming while integrating longer-term development programming by focusing on key sectors: Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Governance and Conflict, and Livelihoods.
Purpose / Project Description:
With funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Mercy Corps has initiated INTAJ (Improved Networks, Training and Jobs), a program to support vulnerable communities in the Beqaa and the North governorates in addressing their economic needs.
Mercy Corps has identified crosscutting constraints to jobs growth in Lebanon that affect market actors at the individual, business and market levels of economic production. In order to stimulate sustainable jobs growth, INTAJ will address these constraints through a series of activities during a 6-month pilot phase to identify successful intervention strategies that are potentially scalable and transferrable.
Interventions at the business level will include a significant portfolio of sub-grants and technical assistance to an expected 20 small and medium enterprise (SME) business beneficiaries, in order to strengthen the ability of beneficiaries to grow their workforce.
Mercy Corps has identified an SME in the baking and pastries industry that requires culinary expertise to improve their menu, recipes, and culinary practices. Mercy Corps is seeking a qualified executive chef with experience in bread making and gluten free baking to develop new products and recipes, and recommend improvements to existing practices where appropriate.
Executive Chef Consultant Objectives:
The objective of the consultancy is to support the INTAJ program team in assessing the needs of the relevant businesses from a culinary perspective, and designing the necessary menus, recipes, and products for improved performance.
Scope of Work:
Review menu for gluten free bakery and identify areas of strength and weakness Design new gluten free menu and develop standard recipes for all menu items including definition of costs and suggested selling price Train kitchen staff on new recipes including, preparation technique and presentation
Chef Deliverables:
The Chef will complete:
An updated menu with cost analysis and suggested pricing Detailed list of recipes including technique, preparation technique and presentation Trainings for kitchen staff and chefs on the recipes and techniques
Qualifications/Evaluation criteria:
Minimum of four years of experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience in pastry arts with focus on gluten free foods and techniques. Ability to recognize challenges and suggest solutions with a plan of action. Ability and willingness to travel to the field Fluent Arabic speaking and writing skills. Strong English writing skills preferred Demonstrated past experiences in similar contexts Positive references from previous employers Clear articulation of cost of consultancy (including transportation, incidentals, etc.)
Submission guidelines: Applicants are requested to submit the following documents by email to [email protected] with [email protected] in copy. Please mention the title "INTAJ Bakery Executive Chef Consultant” in the subject of the email.
1) Chef’s CV
2) Two references
3) Price Proposal with a clear articulation of cost per beneficiary, including consideration of other costs (transportation, incidentals, and other incentives) to be included
Selection Process
After ensuring that applicants meet the eligibility requirements, a technical review committee will score each application per criterion (see evaluation matrix). Only those applications that achieve a minimal acceptable score of 3.25(average across all 7 criteria) will be contacted by INTAJ.
INTAJ may solicit feedback from external experts and may follow up with additional questions. At any stage, INTAJ reserves the right to pose clarifying questions and conduct discussions with some, all, or none of the applicants. Other applicants do not need to contact Mercy Corps.
Mercy Corps reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted. Mercy Corps may choose to incrementally fund selected application(s). Mercy Corps will not fund applications which, in its view, will result in duplicative or redundant activities.
