Food Business Lead

Comeback Kitchen · School of Second Chances · Navgurukul, Pune

About NavGurukul

NavGurukul is a not-for-profit founded in 2016, on a mission to create access to aspirational careers for students from marginalised communities. We run fully-funded residential programs in programming, finance, business, education, and design and help students land real jobs. Currently, 1,145+ students are learning across 8 campuses in India. Six of our eight campuses are women-only a conscious choice, because inclusion is core to who we are.

Our students arrive having beaten significant odds. They manage their own campuses through elected student bodies, learn at their own pace, and support each other as peers. 1,200+ alumni are now working in tech, collectively earning ₹50 crore+ annually.

About Comeback Kitchen

Comeback Kitchen is a food venture run by women graduates of the School of Second Chances (SOSC) — Navgurukul's residential program for women survivors of trauma. We run a fully-equipped food truck that serves as a real-world training ground and livelihood platform for women rebuilding their lives.

We are restarting with a new batch of SOSC students, cleared FSSAI licensing, a funded food truck, and a minimal operating budget. What we need now is the right person to lead this from the ground up.

If you're someone who wants to make a real difference in the lives of those who're seeking a new start, this role is for you!

The Role

You are the anchor who makes Comeback Kitchen real.

This is a rare opportunity to build and run a purpose-driven food business from scratch — with infrastructure already in place, a mission that matters, and creative ownership over how this grows. You will set up the kitchen operations, train a cohort of students, find venues, and create the proof of concept that unlocks the next stage of scale.

Role and Responsibilities

Operations

Lead end-to-end food truck operations from daily prep and service to close-down

Manage two external cooks; coordinate workflow between cooks and student commis

Own menu planning, food costing, portion control, and waste minimisation

Maintain FSSAI hygiene and food safety standards at all times

Handle daily procurement, vendor relationships, and inventory management

Venue & Revenue

Identify and pitch venues starting with residential society RWA stalls (2–4 evenings/week), then building toward corporate campuses and institutions

Own the outreach and relationship-building with RWA contacts, event organisers, and venue gatekeepers

Explore packaged food retail (shops, e-commerce) as a parallel revenue stream

Scout and evaluate private land or roadside locations for standalone truck parking

Student Training & Mentorship

Onboard and orient each new SOSC student batch into the Comeback Kitchen environment

Design and lead structured kitchen skills training (prep, service, hygiene, customer interaction)

Act as the day-to-day mentor for students — patient, consistent, trauma-informed in approach

Gradually build student independence so they can co-run operations with minimal supervision

Documentation & Growth

Document operations, customer feedback, and revenue data to build the evidence base for corporate pitches

Work with founder to report on progress, flag blockers, and co-create the medium-term roadmap

Manage operating budget allocated for raw materials, consumables, and minor infrastructure

What We're Looking For

Must-Have

1–3 years in food service, catering, or F&B operations
Experience running a stall, small restaurant, canteen, or food cart
Has managed a small kitchen team or worked closely with cooks
Comfortable handling end-to-end logistics independently
Based in Pune or willing to relocate immediately

Good to Have

Has run or co-run their own food venture (however small)
Has trained or mentored junior kitchen staff
Experience with packaged food or home delivery operations
Familiarity with food costing and menu engineering
Prior work with NGOs, social enterprises, or women's programs

The Person We Are Looking For

Experience matters less than the right combination of drive, ownership, and warmth. Specifically:

Entrepreneurial energy treats this like their own business, not a job
Hunger and initiative doesn't wait to be told what needs doing
Operational discipline reliable, consistent, detail-oriented in the kitchen
People orientation genuinely invested in the growth of the students they work with
Resilience comfortable working in an environment that is still being built; can handle ambiguity
Mission alignment understands and connects with why this exists

What We Offer

A compelling mission and story that opens doors with corporates, funders, and media
Opportunity to grow into a leadership role as Comeback Kitchen scales
Direct mentorship from and access to the Navgurukul founder team
The chance to shape something that directly changes the lives of women rebuilding from trauma