Dietary Director

Mountain View Retirement Village•Tucson, AZ

10h

About The Position

The Dietary Director provides overall leadership and management of the Dietary Department at Mountain View Retirement Village, a senior living community serving independent living, assisted living, and memory care residents. The role oversees kitchen operations, dining services, sanitation, food safety, staffing, training, scheduling, purchasing, inventory, budgeting, regulatory compliance, and resident satisfaction. The Director develops, implements, maintains, and monitors systems, processes, and standards to ensure safe, efficient, consistent, and high-quality food service from kitchen operations through dining room service. The position supervises all Dietary Department staff and is accountable for department operations, staff performance, compliance, food quality, resident dining experiences, equipment, and collaboration with other community teams. Flexibility is required because the kitchen operates from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day of the year. Schedules may vary to cover breakfast or dinner, including weekends and holidays, but there are no late-night shifts.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience working in a commercial kitchen or restaurant environment.
At least 3 years in a relevant supervisory leadership role managing 12 or more employees.
Maintain SERV Safe Manager / Food Protection Manager Certification (FPMC) that meets state and local health department standards.
Maintain level one fingerprint clearance.
Clean driving record and valid state driver's license.
Tech-savvy mindset and a proven track record of quickly adopting and mastering new software platforms, vendor ordering portals, and performance dashboards.
Flexibility to work a varying schedule that may include weekends and holidays.

Nice To Haves

At least 2 years of leadership experience in senior living, a retirement community, or a specialized healthcare dining environment.
Degree or certificate in culinary arts, restaurant management, or hospitality.
Responsible alcohol service or management certification.
Experience using the eMenu Choice platform or a similar platform.

Responsibilities

Ensure CAPLICO Core Values and the Code of Conduct are demonstrated and upheld in the Dietary Department.
Ensure compliance with Resident Rights, HIPAA, food safety standards, infection control practices, and applicable federal, state, local, and company dietary regulations.
Lead and oversee kitchen production, dining room service, dishwashing, sanitation, storage, inventory, and special functions.
Develop, implement, maintain, and monitor department procedures, systems, checklists, routines, and standards for food preparation, meal service, cleaning, sanitation, food storage, equipment use, and workflow.
Interview, hire, train, supervise, coach, discipline, develop, and evaluate Dietary Department staff in accordance with company policy and community expectations.
Manage purchasing, food ordering, inventory controls, par levels, portion control, menu execution, supply use, waste reduction, and budget expectations.
Ensure meals follow menus and meet requirements for quality, presentation, portions, temperature, texture, and dietary needs, including special and therapeutic diets, modified textures, food allergies, and resident preferences as directed by physician orders, care plans, or community policy.
Monitor food quality, presentation, meal satisfaction, service timing, and resident dining experiences; make adjustments and respond promptly and professionally to resident, family, and staff concerns.
Maintain a service-focused dining culture that promotes resident dignity, choice, satisfaction, and a positive dining experience.
Ensure kitchen and dining equipment, smallware, and supplies are properly used, cleaned, maintained, stored, and reported for repair; coordinate with Maintenance on preventive maintenance, repairs, equipment concerns, and kitchen safety needs.
Collaborate with department heads, clinical leadership, activities, housekeeping, maintenance, and administration to support residents and community operations.
Participate in community meetings, stand-up meetings, resident-related discussions, quality assurance meetings, and other meetings as directed.
Provide administrative and functional supervision, direction, coaching, training, accountability, and performance management for Dietary Department staff.
Ensure team members understand and follow department policies, procedures, job duties, safety expectations, sanitation standards, and resident service expectations.