Employee Experience and Workplace Specialist

ABOUT ALBERT USTER IMPORTS

Albert Uster Imports, Inc. (“AUI”) is a privately held gourmet food company headquartered in the Washington, DC area (Gaithersburg, MD) with warehouse locations in Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Gurnee and Gaithersburg. AUI falls under the Vestar Capital Partners portfolio with affiliate organization, Roland Foods, LLC.

Founded in 1968, the company offers over 1,400 products from around the world. We serve leading hotels, restaurants, casinos, cruise lines, airlines, and manufacturers with innovative, high quality products and solutions to their most demanding culinary challenges. We operate a network of distribution centers across the U.S. and serve select international markets as well. AUI has a national direct selling organization of over 60 sales professionals and a staff of culinary experts (chefs and food scientists) adept at custom product solutions.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Employee Experience and Workplace Specialist is a highly visible, in-office role responsible for creating a positive, engaging, and highly functional workplace environment at AUI Fine Foods. This position is responsible for planning and executing monthly employee engagement programming as well as managing workplace operations to ensure that the Gaithersburg Headquarters office runs smoothly day to day. This role sits at the intersection of employee experience, events, workplace operations, and hospitality. The ideal candidate is organized, service‑oriented, proactive, and energized by creating thoughtful experiences—from large‑scale engagement events to daily office operations—while partnering closely with internal teams and external partners. This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative, food-focused organization passionate about the diversity of cuisines and the power of food to bring people together.

As a response to the pandemic, Albert Uster Imports office employees have transitioned to a hybrid working schedule, requiring employees to report in-person Monday through Wednesday, with the option to telework on Thursday and Friday each week. Due to the collaborative, cross-functional nature of the organization, employees at the Gaithersburg office are required to work in-person for the abovementioned days, outside of any People & Culture-approved disability accommodation request.

***This role is a flexi-hybrid and at times may require more in office days outside of the forementioned hybrid work schedule depending on business needs.***

RESPONSIBILITIES

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  Workplace Operations:

  
  
  
  
  • Serve as the primary point of contact at the front desk by welcoming and assisting visitors, managing deliveries, sorting and distributing mail, coordinating outgoing shipments, and maintaining a professional, positive, and well-kept front-of-house environment that reflects our company culture.
  
  
  • Manage in-office needs by coordinating meetings, preparing conference rooms, and assisting with team lunches and on-site gatherings to ensure smooth execution. Responsible for restocking, tidiness, and cleanliness of communal spaces, including the employee dining room, dishwashers, fridges, snacks and bathroom amenities.
  
  
  • Responsible for coordination and day-to-day management of office facilities including maintenance requests, building security, vendor interactions, and ad hoc requests. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Maintain office supplies and serve as a point of contact for ad-hoc office and operational requests.
  
  
  • Work closely with IT to ensure all office technology is operational and running smoothly, including new-hire setup and support for employee events.
  
  
  
  

  Employee Engagement:

  
  
  
  
  • Execute a broad range of office activities and events in accordance with the annual engagement calendar that positively influence our company culture such as planning the annual holiday party, monthly food celebrations, employe engagement initiatives, internal office meetings, etc.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Partner with P&C to deliver an elevated employee recognition and experience program, including anniversary and birthday gifts, life-event recognition, and internal communications and posts for holidays, updates, and events.
  
  
  • Manage and deliver recruitment marketing posts on LinkedIn, focused on sharing the employee experience and culture with potential candidates.
  
  
  • Serve as support for Marketing Team during high event volume periods.
  
  
  
  

  Administrative Support:

  
  
  
  
  • Support administrative needs of the team as requested, including booking travel, coordinating internal meetings, and assisting with expense reporting.
  
  
  • Serve as a point of contact for employee questions and requests, addressing issues directly when possible and escalating concerns to the Senior Manager as appropriate.
  
  
  • Assist with additional ad-hoc projects as required.
  
  
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• 2+ years of experience in administrative support, events, office operations, project management, or hospitality


• Strong organizational, time-management, and administrative skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain a high level of attention to detail


• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a warm, professional presence and comfort serving as a front-facing representative for employees, candidates, and visitors


• Ability to proactively anticipate needs (i.e. inventory and event preparations, etc. when needed) throughout the day to adapt to a fluid work environment


• A self-starter who is willing to “roll up their sleeves” and perform multiple tasks independently as a resource for employees and the business


• Strong sense of follow-through and commitment to timely and accurate completion of tasks


• Have a hospitality‑first mindset

Preferred

• Experience with Microsoft Applications (Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Slack, Canva, Monday.com, or Jotform


• Passion for building an intentionally diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace


• A passion for food and people!

SALARY RANGE

We hire exceptional people to perform a wide variety of important functions that contribute to the success of the Company. One of the ways we do that is through a competitive compensation package. The base salary for this role will be $55,000 - $65,000. This role will be bonus eligible.

Based on your qualifications, previous experience, and transferrable skills, the Company will determine at its sole discretion, the salary offered.

Founded by immigrants, AUI & Roland Foods knows that diversity is the spice of life. We believe in the power of food to open minds, spark adventure, and bring diverse people together.  All are welcome at our table! We know the transformative value of food in individual lives and communities. Because of this, we insist on obtaining the highest-quality ingredients and talent!

AUI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. AUI considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. AUI is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected].

Please read Albert Uster Import’s California Job Applicant Privacy Policy here.