Culinary Curator and Procurement Lead, CAU

Cornell University welcomes candidates for the position of Temporary Culinary Curator & Procurement Lead in our Alumni Affairs and Development division, based in Ithaca, NY. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to Cornell's Adult University (CAU) 2 week summer program.

Position Summary

CAU Summer is an annual 2-week, on-campus, residential program offering faculty-led courses for the alumni, family, and friends audience. CAU Summer 2026 runs from July 5, 2026 - July 18, 2026. This Position begins before the program start date for training and prep work on May 26, 2026.

The Temporary Culinary Curator & Procurement Lead is the architect behind the delicious and thoughtful provisions that fuel CAU Summer participants. This role is responsible for sourcing, managing, and tracking all food platters and beverage supplies for the dorm lounge and coffee breaks, ensuring they align with dietary preferences and program standards. From overseeing box lunch orders for specific courses to making strategic shopping trips, this role requires meticulous organization, attention to detail, and a passion for hospitality.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Program Inventory & Ordering (Starting May 26th)

• Conduct a detailed inventory of available supplies, including coffee cups, napkins, utensils, and other hospitality essentials.

• Assess gaps in supplies and place advance orders to ensure a fully stocked operation before guests arrive.

• Coordinate with CAU leadership to procure social lounge alcohol and necessary service supplies, ensuring compliance with program policies and regulations.

• Online orders of Social Lounge alcohol.

Procurement & Inventory

• Curate and purchase high-quality, on-brand provisions for the dorm lounge and daily coffee breaks.

• Utilize the Wegmans app for advance orders while making strategic in-person shopping trips to Wegmans & Greenstar as needed.

• Maintain a detailed inventory to ensure supplies are consistently stocked while avoiding waste.

• Ensure all food and beverages meet CAU's dietary guidance and guest preferences.

Box Lunch & Special Order Coordination

• Oversee box lunch orders, ensuring accuracy and adherence to dietary requests.

• Work closely with the CAU team and vendors to guarantee smooth order fulfillment and delivery.

Financial Tracking & Reporting

• Utilize a p-card for purchases and maintain meticulous financial transaction logs.

• Record every expense daily, keeping detailed receipts and documentation for budget tracking.

• Submit timely and accurate reports to the CAU administrative team.

Collaboration & Communication

• Work closely with the Morning Hospitality & Coffee Captain to anticipate supply needs.

• Communicate with the Guest Experience Coordinators to adjust purchases based on guest feedback and requests.

• Ensure smooth coordination between vendors, CAU staff, and program leadership.

About Cornell's Adult University

CAU (Cornell's Adult University), Cornell Alumni Travel, Alumni Wine by Cornell Alumni Affairs are revenue-generating engagement programs that seek to drive increasingly meaningful engagement with the alumni, family, and friend audience, as well as to maximize revenue generation on behalf of Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD). In that, these programs have a meaningful impact related to AAD's strategic vision and lead initiatives in support of the Cornell Alumni Engagement Strategic Plan. These programs also work toward the campaign engagement goal of engaging 200,000 unique alumni, and annual engagement goals of overall alumni engagement, number of volunteer and alumni donors, new, re-engaged and retained alumni.

Required Qualifications

• Must have a valid U.S. driver's license

• High school diploma and up to 2 years relevant experience, or equivalent combination. Comprehensive training for each position will be provided.

• Ability to advocate for individuals from a broad range of backgrounds.

• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

• Highly detail-oriented and organized-able to track and document every purchase with precision.

• Food-conscious and hospitality-driven-excited about curating high-quality provisions that enhance the guest experience.

• Strong communicator-comfortable coordinating with vendors, staff, and leadership.

• Financially responsible-able to manage a p-card and reconcile expenses accurately.

• Proactive and solution-oriented-sees what's needed before anyone asks.

• Able to lift and transport food supplies during shopping and delivery runs.

Work Location

This position is fully on site on the Ithaca Cornell Campus.

Pay Rate

Starting pay $22.70

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