Food Service Coordinator
About The Position
The Food Service Coordinator provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight for the District’s Child Nutrition Program. The role is responsible for operating the department as a fiscally self-sustaining entity while maintaining nutritional integrity and student satisfaction, innovating programs, managing personnel, and ensuring compliance with USDA, DESE, and local Board of Health regulations. This is a 10-month school-year position of 202 days and may require work outside regular school hours. The Coordinator oversees food service budgeting, purchasing, financial accounting, menu development, kitchen operations, food safety, staff recruitment and supervision, required professional education, and collaboration with Culinary Arts instructors and the school community. The position works under the direct supervision of the Business Manager and supervises full-time and part-time cafeteria staff. The usual work environment is a kitchen or cafeteria, with exposure to high noise levels and temperature variations, including walk-in freezers and commercial ovens.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food & Nutrition, Food Service Management, Culinary Arts, or a related field, or an associate degree with significant relevant experience in school nutrition.
- At least five years of progressively responsible supervisory experience in institutional food service management, ideally in a K-12 environment.
- Current ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification.
- Thorough knowledge of National School Lunch and Breakfast Program requirements.
- High proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, and food service point-of-sale software.
- Familiarity with menu planning and food preparation.
- Knowledge of budgeting and fiscal responsibility.
- Ability to manage complex budgets and financial records.
- Ability to learn and safely and effectively use facilities, equipment, and materials.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for interacting with students, staff, vendors, school employees, teachers, and parents.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships, recognize school-wide priorities, and work cooperatively to support them.
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and handle interruptions, occasionally under time pressure.
- Sensitivity to the needs of a diverse student population and to different personalities and community dynamics; respect for the role and authority of school leaders.
- Ability to serve as a role model and mentor to young students and to supervise, manage, and motivate hourly employees.
- Ability to meet the physical demands of the role, including use of sensory skills and office equipment, and occasional climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, and repetitive motions; may need to lift up to 50 pounds.
Responsibilities
- Prepare and monitor the annual food service budget, including food costs, labor, and capital equipment, and conduct monthly profit-and-loss analysis.
- Manage acquisition of food, supplies, and equipment in compliance with Massachusetts procurement laws (Chapter 30B) and local school committee policies.
- Oversee accurate accounting of program funds, including federal and state reimbursements, à la carte revenue, and daily bank deposits.
- Identify grant opportunities, such as equipment or farm-to-school grants, and complete required DESE financial reporting.
- Lead the development of creative menus, emphasizing scratch cooking to improve food quality and student participation.
- Establish standardized recipes and portion controls to support consistency and cost-efficiency.
- Oversee a comprehensive HACCP-based food safety plan and ensure kitchen facilities meet or exceed Board of Health standards.
- Implement systems for receiving, storing, and distributing food and supplies to prevent waste and ensure freshness.
- Recruit, train, and evaluate food service staff; establish performance standards and foster professional accountability.
- Enforce cafeteria protocols and procedures and employee guidelines and expectations.
- Ensure staff complete the six hours of annual continuing education required by USDA Professional Standards.
- Manage staff schedules, payroll timesheets, and staff evaluations.
- Partner with Culinary Arts instructors to coordinate ordering and shared resources.
- Participate in the District Wellness Committee and collaborate with school nurses and parents to accommodate students with documented food allergies or special dietary needs.
- Perform other duties as required.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
