Director of Dining Services

Harmony Senior Services•Laurel, MD

5d•$80,000 - $83,000

About The Position

The Director of Dining Services supervises all food-service operations for the community, including staffing, food preparation and service, sanitation, inventory, budgeting, and equipment maintenance. The role ensures meals meet residents’ dietary needs and are prepared and served according to applicable health regulations and community standards. The director also provides customer service to residents, visitors, and staff, learns residents’ food preferences and dietary requirements, and ensures appropriate offerings for residents living in Harmony Square. The position involves preparing monthly menus, maintaining menu records, ordering supplies through approved vendors, managing food and labor costs, and training dining-services staff. The director meets with new residents, conducts monthly food committee meetings, supports marketing functions, and may train other staff as assigned. The role requires a flexible schedule that includes weekends and holidays and involves intermittent sitting, standing, bending, and walking, as well as regularly lifting up to 50 pounds.

Requirements

Possess a Food Service Manager Certificate and/or meet all regulatory requirements necessary to hold a Food Service Manager position.
Have working knowledge of ordering, storing, preparing, and serving food in a food-service environment, preferably in senior care.
Be a high school graduate.
Have dining-services experience with management or leadership experience.
Be ServSafe Certified.
Have strong customer-service skills and the ability to communicate effectively with residents, visitors, staff, and management.
Be willing and able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and holidays.
Have good leadership and supervisory skills.
Know and understand the nutritional needs and challenges of assisted-living residents.
Be able to sit, stand, bend, and walk intermittently during the workday.
Be able to lift 50 pounds regularly, or at least eight times per shift, and carry heavy objects up to 20 feet.
Have strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask.
Maintain a neat and clean public appearance.

Responsibilities

Supervise food-service operations, including hiring, training, supervising, and evaluating dining-services staff.
Direct and assist with preparing and serving meals to residents, associates, and guests.
Prepare monthly menus appropriate to residents’ dietary needs, ensure menus are followed, and post menus in the kitchen.
Ensure food is prepared, stored, handled, and served in compliance with policies, sanitation procedures, and applicable health regulations.
Maintain cleanliness of kitchen, dining, and storage areas and ensure equipment is clean and in good working order.
Ensure meals are served on schedule, with no more than 14 hours between the evening meal and breakfast, and make a nutritious evening snack available to residents who want one.
Keep copies of menus as served for at least three months.
Order food, supplies, and equipment through approved vendors and maintain accurate inventory.
Maintain quality standards and manage food, supply, and labor costs within budget.
Manage the department in accordance with personnel policies, control food portions, and observe amounts consumed.
Develop and maintain a preventive-maintenance program for dining-services equipment with assistance from the Maintenance Supervisor.
Attend required staff meetings and in-service sessions.
Meet with new residents within four days of move-in and learn their dietary orders, abilities, preferences, and dislikes; remain alert to changes.
Provide excellent customer service to residents, visitors, and staff and follow confidentiality policies regarding resident information.
Recognize the dietary needs of Harmony Square residents, train staff to identify those needs, and ensure appropriate food offerings.
Conduct monthly food committee meetings with resident representatives.
Plan, organize, assist with, and supervise dining-services activities that support marketing functions.
Set up and conduct in-service training for dining-services staff and, as assigned, other staff.