Area Director - K-12 School Food Service

Lunchtime Solutions•Lincoln, NE

About The Position

Lunchtime Solutions is seeking an Area Director to join its Operations leadership team and support continued growth in the Nebraska area. The Area Director provides strategic direction and leadership to Food Service Directors (FSDs) in an assigned geographic area, building strong teams and ensuring that operational systems and procedures are implemented and executed effectively at K-12 school districts. The role is guided by the company’s mission and values and calls for an authentic, collaborative, and energetic leadership style. The Area Director develops operational goals and strategies, works with FSDs on budgets and financial performance, manages customer relationships, and oversees compliance, service quality, and school operations. The position also directly manages new school start-ups, prepares and delivers presentations and training, and contributes to company-wide projects and growth. The schedule is Monday through Friday with flexibility. The employee may work from a home office when not traveling to assigned districts. Travel within the assigned territory may take up to 50% of work time and includes some overnight travel; a company-issued vehicle is provided for business travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
For external hires, 5–7 years of multi-site food service management experience.
Proven experience leading teams of professionals within a decentralized organization.
Extensive food service industry experience, including substantial knowledge of establishing and maintaining customer relationships.
Exemplary leadership skills.
Strong communication and customer management skills.
Analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Training and development skills.
Ability to read and analyze P&L statements, develop budgets, and interpret trends in operational metrics.
Ability to develop long-term strategic plans and lead or participate in short-term operational implementation.
Ability to determine priorities, manage time effectively, and develop work plans to complete tasks and projects.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including writing business correspondence and developing and presenting business presentations and training.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 Suite.
Ability to travel within the assigned territory, up to 50% of the time, including some overnight travel.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate and communicate the company’s mission, culture, and values, ensuring they are understood and practiced by team members in the assigned area.
Lead and manage a productive, motivated team through regular meetings, communication, empowerment, recognition, and coaching.
Engage consistently with Food Service Directors and maintain open, two-way communication that supports collaboration and trust.
Manage customer relationships to support customer satisfaction and business retention, including regular meetings and transparent relationship management.
Develop short- and long-term operational goals and strategies with assigned Food Service Directors and monitor progress.
Develop operating budgets with assigned Food Service Directors and support achievement of operating goals and profitability through P&L and performance-metric analysis.
Conduct audits and ensure schools meet operational-policy, safety, and regulatory requirements, as well as standards for menu planning, food production, ordering, recipes, service, point of sale, team-member management and training, inventories, promotions, and customer-feedback evaluation.
Directly oversee and manage the start-up of new schools.
Prepare and present business presentations and training as required.
Serve on company project teams or committees and support the company’s overall growth and development.