LODGE COOK & HOUSEKEEPER

Position: Relief cook/housekeeper
Lodge: Great Bear Lodge
Dates: Ideally May-Oct. 2024 (but we can be flexible and work with your availability)
Other positions: Great Bear Lodge Jobs

Location: Remote fly-in Lodge, with floatplane access from Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island. Candidates from anywhere in Canada are welcome to apply, or people with Canadian work visas.
Housing: Accommodation and meals provided at the lodge, and shared accommodation available for your days off in Port Hardy.

Would you like to work at a floating lodge in the sublimely beautiful Great Bear Rainforest? Would you be excited to help provide a world-class wildlife tourism experience to guests? Then Great Bear Lodge would love to have you as the Relief Cook/Housekeeper. This is a great position for anyone who likes variety in their work, or for someone who would like to transition into a role of chef. Our floating lodge is on the central coast of BC, in the traditional lands of the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation, and we take people out to see grizzly bears in their natural habitat. The lodge is small, accommodating 18 guests, thus providing a very personal experience.

Job Description: As the Relief Cook/Housekeeper, you will work as the Lodge Cook when the fulltime Chef has their days off, and the Lodge Housekeeper when the fulltime housekeeper has their days off. While housekeeping you are responsible for cleaning and maintaining all guest rooms and shared guest areas of the main lodge to an exceptional guest service standard. While cooking, you will be cooking for up to 18 guests and 5-10 staff. The food at Great Bear Lodge is ‘wilderness gourmet’ and is an essential part of the experience. In addition to being passionate about preparing great food and keeping the lodge sparkling, you need great time management skills. Training will be provided, as we want you to be successful. This position offers a unique opportunity to work in ecotourism with a great team while living in an amazing wilderness setting.

Your typcial day as housekeeper involves:

• • Rising early to prepare and serve simple, nutritious breakfasts for up to 10 - 18 guests.
  • Guestroom laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning, plus guest areas.
  • Guestroom changeover (up to nine rooms, with a helper) on scheduled departure/arrival days.
  • Welcoming guests with a warm smile and freshly prepared snacks and beverages when they return from wildlife viewing.
  • Serving lunch with the Lodge Chef.
  • Weekly deep cleaning of indoor and outdoor guest spaces.

Your typcial day as Lodge Cook involves:

• • Preparing delicious and well-presented lunches, snacks, and dinners for 10 - 18 guests.
  • Preparing nutritious lunches and dinners for 8 staff members
  • Kitchen clean-up and management of food storage areas.
  • Ordering food and supplies and maintaining inventory.

Great Bear Lodge needs and supports our team members to show up every day with energy and enthusiasm for their work, their team, and the guests at Great Bear Lodge. All team members help one another throughout our days and our shifts as workloads, guest needs, and projects ebb and flow, so there will be times when you are asked to assist with other tasks onsite.

Details:

Our ideal relief chef/housekeeper is:

1. A self-starter with a strong work ethic.
2. Independent and respectful of other staff work obligations and personal space.
3. Driven to provide excellent guest service and exceed guest expectations daily.
4. Eager and willing to work in an open (to guests) kitchen
5. Interested in working and living very closely with other staff members and guests in a remote wilderness setting with limited access to communication or traditional social life.
6. Committed to working a full season (May through October), 18 days on, 6 days off.

Experience and qualifications needed/wanted:

1. Professional restaurant experience or other experience cooking for large groups of people with a range of dietary preferences and restrictions, and diverse nationalities
2. Inventory control and food ordering. Basic computer skills.
3. FOODSAFE certification
4. Communication and teamwork.

Additional details to consider:

• Daily wage is $260 plus tips – average workdays are 8 – 9 hours dependent on tasks, guest needs, and efficiency.
• We provide shared accommodations (all team members generally have their own room, but not guaranteed all season) plus food as part of your compensation package.
• Transportation to and from the Lodge is via floatplane from Port Hardy (you are responsible for getting to and from Port Hardy on schedule). We have a shared staff apartment in Port Hardy that you can use during your days off.
• We work in a rainforest. It can rain daily for two weeks. It can also be sunny for two weeks. And you’ll be onsite for 18 days at a time.
• You will be living and working on a small floating facility, which feels like living and working on a large boat. Maintaining (elevating?!) your physical and mental health is different in a remote setting. Creativity and adaptability are necessary traits.
• Internet is limited and shared – streaming and consumptive online activity is not feasible here.
• Our relief chef/housekeeper is an integral member of the guest services team and is trained and expected to interact with guests and their fellow team members with respect, professionalism, and kindness.
• Cross training allows for job sharing and/or additional days off for team members as needed and helps to foster deeper appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of all team members within a remote lodge setting.
• We also offer opportunities for additional projects related to gardening, cooking, painting, and simple maintenance if the team member is interested in expanding his/her/their skill set.

• Background:

Our ethos at Great Bear Lodge (greatbeartours.com) is threefold: to safely view bears in a natural setting while eliminating or minimizing impact on them, to make every aspect of our operation as sustainable as possible (from hydroelectricity to solar panels to green cleaning products), and to deliver a world-class wildlife tourism experience. Great Bear Lodge is a founding member of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association, and helped develop the best practices for bear viewing in BC.

Application Procedure:

Learn more about Great Bear Lodge through our website, social media pages, and TripAdvisor. If you think we’d be a great fit for you and you for us, please email a cover letter and resume with three references (at least two from current or past workplaces) to our General Manager, Marg Leehane at info@greatbeartours.com . All emails will be acknowledged and selected applicants will be contacted by email and phone for interviews by phone or in person. There is no deadline to apply, however we will be processing applications as they arrive so encourage you to apply early to be considered.

We are a safe and accepting workplace, feel free to connect if you have questions or want to learn more. To be considered for employment at Great Bear Lodge, applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

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