Bakery & Training Coordinator

Overview of the organisation

Kneading Peace Social Enterprise is a refugee-supporting training café, shop and creative space based in Melaka, Malaysia, and managed by Same Skies. We train and support refugees and other marginalised community members, while selling European panini (sandwiches), pâtisseries (pastries) and gelato (ice cream), art and craft, and hosting courses and events.

Same Skies is a non-religious, politically neutral non-profit organisation, registered in Switzerland (2014), Australia (2016), Malaysia (2017) and Indonesia (2017). We are a multidisciplinary and multicultural team of people who believe that through compassion and combined action, we can create a better world.

We want to drive leadership and innovation in refugee assistance and protection to improve efficiency, effectiveness, quality and social outcomes. Same Skies’ innovation is best described through its perception of refugees and asylum seekers, who are traditionally seen as vulnerable. Same Skies refers to “capacity-strengthening”, rather than “capacity-building” because we acknowledge an existing base of capability in every community.

Overview of the challenge

According to UNHCR, Malaysia currently hosts more than 180,000 refugees, despite the fact that the Government has not signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocols. Many of these refugees become stranded under weak protection frameworks for many years if not decades, while they await the processing of their asylum claims and resettlement to a third country. They receive very little support and have limited access to basic human rights, such as education, health care, livelihood and dignity.

Due to local work restrictions for refugees, there is often a high degree of underutilised and disorganised skills in displaced communities, which we mobilise. We do not see vulnerability as a fixed condition, but perceive refugees as resilient.

Same Skies has been operating Kneading Peace since early 2020. Through this training programme, sponsored refugees and other marginalised community members, as well as paying local Malaysian trainees, practise vocational baking, they attend enterprise training, and they take shifts at the café to learn how to interact with customers. The goal of the training programme is to help participants develop informal income-generating ideas to run from home. Therefore, trainees don’t just participate in a six-month training, but should have the desire to establish something lasting. Upon graduation, alumni receive a “starter-kit” (for example an electric oven and baking equipment needed). Same Skies also provides one year of follow-up support to help with the implementation of plans, and connect alumni to the right people and partner businesses.

Overview of the assignment

Same Skies is currently looking for a qualified and motivated Bakery & Training Coordinator to assist the local team in Melaka, Malaysia. The assignment will include the following responsibilities:

Bakery coordination: Coordinate the food and beverage preparation.

• Manage the daily food and beverage preparations for the training café.
• Process online baking orders.
• Oversee quality control, make suggestions for improvements and implement approved changes.
• Manage stock.
• Manage kitchen collaboration with the rest of the team.
• Respond to catering requests, and assist with events.

Training coordination: Provide baking training to refugees, other marginalised community members, and local Malaysian trainees.

• Coordinate vocational baking training.
• Teach existing baking curriculum; complement and improve resources.

This assignment requires a full-time commitment. Usual working hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 8am – 5pm. Depending on the daily work, shifts can be longer or shorter. The Bakery & Training Coordinator will be entitled to fifteen days of scheduled time off within the six-months assignment.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Formal qualifications as a baker/ chef are not a requirement but would be a plus. Equivalent experience will be considered.

Essential:

Skills & experience

• Experience & skills as a trainer.
• Experience with customer-service, ideally in the F&B industry.

Language skills

• The working language is English.
• Additional languages might be a benefit.

Desirable:

Further attributes, experience, skills, and/or qualifications

• Experience working in a kitchen, and interest in/ experience with European-style baking.
• Experience with social work, ideally in the humanitarian/ refugee protection sector would be an advantage.
• Experience working in an intercultural setting will be helpful.

Personal attributes

Self-awareness & cross-cultural sensitivity

• Openness and non-judgmental approach
• Tolerance for others and different ways
• Awareness of effect of own behaviour on others
• Awareness of own values and cultural norms
• Listening skills
• Ability to express own opinions with sensitivity

Commitment to sharing knowledge and skills

• Interest in ongoing learning from others
• Commitment to sharing own knowledge and skills with others
• Flexibility in adapting style to assist others to learn

Flexibility, adaptability & resilience

• Patience in challenging situations
• Conflict resolutions skills
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• Ability to recognise stress triggers, deal with them and seek assistance if required
• Ability to identify and express own needs

Benefits

Same Skies is a small non-for-profit organisation with a limited budget. This is a volunteer position but individual support arrangements (accommodation & small living allowance) will be made on a case-to-case basis to support the successful candidate.

You will be provided with the following support by the local team, as well as the Same Skies Director:

• advice and support with relocation and integration as needed;
• orientation, support and guidance in relation to any work-related issues; and

monthly debriefing check-ins.