Food Service Lead

Advocate Health • Milwaukee, WI

4d • $21 - $31

About The Position

The Food Service Lead provides day-to-day direction and guidance to food service employees, supports training and orientation, and monitors work quality, accuracy, productivity, and staffing. The role helps oversee department operations and maintains efficient, timely, and high-quality food service for patients, cafeteria customers, and special functions. The lead may assist with employee-related responsibilities, interpret department procedures, and address customer concerns, workflow issues, staffing needs, and equipment failures during a shift.

The position supports food preparation and service, including recipe standardization, cashiering, infection control, fire safety, and cleanup. Responsibilities also include forecasting food needs, maintaining meal census and usage records, responding to purchasing and service requests, and inspecting equipment and work areas for proper use, maintenance, and sanitation. The Food Service Lead applies food safety and sanitation standards to support safe food handling and prevent contamination.

The role may also perform Food Service Assistant or Food Ambassador duties, such as assembling and delivering patient meals, dish room and cleaning work, assisting patients, cash handling, food production, serving cafeteria customers, and maintaining food and utensil supplies. This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week rotating position covering first and second shifts, with start times between 5:30 a.m. and noon. Work includes every other weekend and holiday.

Requirements

• High school graduate.
• Typically requires 3 years of experience in food preparation, service techniques, cashiering, sanitation standards, general and modified diets, in a large hospital or hotel/restaurant food service environment.
• Must obtain ServSafe Food Handler certification issued by the National Restaurant Association within 1 year.
• Strong knowledge of food service in a hospital, restaurant, or related environment.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills, including the ability to work closely with nursing personnel.
• Ability to read and understand written and oral communications.
• Self-directed and able to work independently and make decisions with minimal supervision.
• Ability to maintain a friendly, cheerful demeanor reflecting a culture of healing.
• Excellent phone etiquette.
• Strong knowledge of food/drug interactions and food allergens.
• Good organizational and time-management skills.
• Intermediate computer skills using Microsoft Office or similar products, with ability to use email and the internet.
• Ability to safely and effectively operate necessary power equipment, including dish machines, tray lines, and garbage disposals.
• Ability to stand, walk, reach above the shoulders, squat, bend, twist, kneel, and climb throughout the shift.
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds from the floor to a maximum height of 5 feet and to lift and carry up to 40 pounds at waist height for a reasonable distance.
• Ability to push or pull with 20 pounds of force.
• Ability to wear protective clothing as necessary and enter patient isolation rooms wearing appropriate coverings when delivering or picking up meal trays.
• Ability to work around fumes, odors, dust/dirt, mechanical, electrical, and chemical hazards, sharp knives and utensils, and heat from ovens.

Responsibilities

• Provide training, orientation, day-to-day work direction, and guidance to employees and students.
• Assign, monitor, and review work for progress and accuracy; monitor productivity and maintain appropriate staffing levels.
• Assist with interviewing and selecting employees, staff development, resolving employee concerns, and supporting employee morale.
• Help interpret department policies and procedures and communicate procedural changes to staff.
• Monitor department operations, adjust schedules, maintain essential records, and ensure work is completed on time.
• Check staffing daily and make adjustments or substitutions as needed; assign non-routine tasks and duties.
• Direct food service staff and assign tasks to support efficient, timely service and quality food production.
• Help resolve customer complaints, workflow problems, staffing issues, and equipment failures during a shift.
• Train and assist employees in food preparation, food service, recipe standardization, cashiering, infection control, fire safety, and cleanup.
• Forecast food requirements for patients, cafeterias, and special functions; maintain meal census and food usage records.
• Respond to purchasing, tray-line, cafeteria, and special function requests.
• Inspect equipment and work areas for proper use, maintenance, and sanitation, and correct deficiencies as required.
• Apply production safety and sanitation standards to support safe food handling and prevent bacterial contamination.
• As needed, perform Food Service Assistant or Food Ambassador duties, including patient meal assembly and delivery, dish room and cleaning work, patient assistance, cash handling, food production, cafeteria service, and maintaining food and utensil supplies.

Benefits

• Paid time off programs.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Premium pay such as shift and on-call pay, based on teammate status.
• Incentive pay for select positions.
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED