Food & Nutrition Services Manager

MaineGeneral Health•Augusta, ME

4d•Onsite

About The Position

MaineGeneral Health is seeking an experienced, people-focused leader to join our team as a Food & Nutrition Services Manager. This role is ideal for a dynamic professional who is passionate about developing high-performing teams, delivering exceptional customer service, and leading operational excellence within a complex healthcare food service environment. As the Food & Nutrition Services Manager, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for food and nutrition services, overseeing daily operations, workforce planning, quality improvement initiatives, and regulatory compliance. You will build and sustain a culture of engagement, accountability, and service excellence while ensuring patients, residents, visitors, and staff receive high-quality dining experiences. The ideal candidate is a visible and approachable leader who enjoys developing people, improving processes, strengthening employee engagement and retention, and creating an environment where team members are empowered to succeed.

Requirements

One year of proven leadership experience in food service, hospitality, healthcare nutrition services, or a related operational environment required; healthcare food service leadership experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success recruiting, developing, engaging, and retaining high-performing teams.
Strong experience in employee relations, performance management, coaching, conflict resolution, and organizational leadership.
Knowledge of food service operations, budgeting, workforce management, regulatory compliance, and quality improvement principles.
Ability to analyze performance data and use metrics to drive operational excellence and employee engagement outcomes.
Strong communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.
Proven ability to work collaboratively across departments and with Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and operational leaders to address staffing challenges, support employee relations, drive engagement initiatives, and achieve organizational objectives.
A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence, inspire, and develop others.
Associate's degree in a relevant field required.

Nice To Haves

Food service management experience in a healthcare environment preferred.
ServSafe certification preferred or obtained within six months of hire.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership for all food and nutrition service functions, ensuring daily operations align with departmental goals, organizational priorities, and exceptional customer service standards.
Build, lead, and sustain a high-performing team through effective recruitment, onboarding, coaching, mentoring, performance management, succession planning, and employee development initiatives.
Foster a positive, inclusive, and accountable workplace culture that promotes employee engagement, professional growth, recognition, collaboration, and retention while addressing employee relations concerns in a timely and effective manner.
Lead workforce planning efforts by overseeing staffing, scheduling, payroll administration, productivity, and labor management to ensure efficient and effective operations.
Develop, implement, and monitor departmental goals, operational metrics, and continuous quality improvement initiatives that support the organization's strategic plan and vision.
Partner with organizational leaders to identify opportunities to improve service quality, patient satisfaction, employee engagement, operational efficiency, and departmental performance.
Collaborate closely with Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and leaders across MaineGeneral to support workforce planning, recruitment efforts, employee engagement initiatives, employee relations matters, and departmental staffing needs.
Oversee departmental budgets, monitor financial performance, and ensure responsible resource stewardship while achieving operational and quality objectives.
Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, food safety, sanitation, infection prevention, and organizational standards.
Establish and maintain strong relationships with vendors, suppliers, and local farmers to secure high-quality products, support responsible purchasing practices, and enhance the dining experience.
Oversee inventory, equipment, and supply management to ensure operational readiness and efficient utilization of departmental resources.
Champion a culture of service excellence that delivers nutritious, high-quality meals and exceptional customer experiences for patients, residents, visitors, and staff.