Lead Driver

Lead Driver – Fresh Meal Delivery | $23.00/hour - DOE

Gourmet Gorilla
• Chicago, IL (Goose Island)
• Full-Time, Hourly

Gourmet Gorilla delivers fresh, healthy meals to daycares and schools across Chicagoland. Our drivers are the last step between our kitchen and thousands of kids every day, so we take on-time, safe, and accurate delivery seriously.

The Lead Driver is a hands‑on leader on our logistics team. You'll be able to run any route in any truck, and you'll split your time across the operation: training and re‑training drivers, covering routes during PTO and call‑outs, owning a key focus area, and supporting continuous improvement projects. You'll set the standard for performance and professionalism across the fleet. This is the first step on our logistics leadership ladder, and Lead Drivers who excel here build the skills needed to move up to Fleet Coordinator.

• Run any route in any truck, covering for PTO, call‑outs, and route changes, and set the benchmark for on‑time, in‑full delivery whenever you're on the road.
• Support continuous improvement projects that make our routes, load‑outs, and processes run better.
• Dispatch and update routes in Routific, record route and audit data, and keep in touch with the team by Slack and email.
• Train and onboard new drivers on routes, trucks, delivery standards, and our apps (Routific and Slack).
• Be the first point of contact for issues on the road, such as vehicle trouble, delivery problems, or customer site issues. Triage them and
  * escalate* to the Fleet Coordinator with clear information.
• Model food safety and temperature compliance on every route.
• Perform daily product audits and report findings the same day.
• Communicate professionally and promptly on Slack throughout your shift.
• Own an assigned focus area, such as:
  Fleet & Maintenance: vehicle audits, maintenance tasks, fleet tracking, and parts and tools inventory Product & Load‑Out: load‑out accuracy, milk date checks, and keeping load‑out under 30 minutes per truck

• Valid driver’s license and a clean driving record
• Delivery or route driving experience
• Willingness to run any route in any vehicle, including a box truck (no CDL required, and we’ll provide training)
• Solid computer skills: comfortable using routing and dispatch software, entering and tracking data, and using Slack, email, and smartphone apps
• Reliable, punctual, and comfortable leading by example
• Able to lift over 75 lbs and work in a fast‑paced environment
• Leadership, training, or food delivery experience is a plus

Monday–Friday, 5:00 AM – 1:00 PM

• $23.00/hour
• Full health benefits
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Clear growth path into Fleet Coordinator

You'll help get fresh food to kids across Chicago, work with a tight-knit team, and have a real path to grow into logistics leadership.