General Manager - Shelton School Nutrition
About The Position
Whitsons is hiring a General Manager to lead school nutrition operations and a food service team serving students and staff. The role oversees daily operations, including scheduling, staffing, procurement, production, inventory, quality control, food safety, compliance, budgets, vendor relationships, and performance goals. The General Manager partners with school staff and clients to support student health, learning, and well-being, and fosters a positive, inclusive, student-centered kitchen culture. The position requires financial and operational leadership, including managing location-level budgets and P&L, controlling costs, supporting sales growth and profitability, executing marketing initiatives, and building community relationships. The General Manager develops and retains high-performing teams, maintains regulatory and audit readiness, and drives continuous improvement. The role is full-time and exempt, with daily onsite presence at the assigned school location and travel within the school district. The position follows the school district calendar where possible, but may include summer work when summer feeding or other operations are offered. Availability during operational hours and extended or flexible hours may be needed to meet business demands.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field; or a bachelor’s degree in any field plus a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate; or a bachelor’s degree in any field plus at least 2 years of relevant school nutrition program experience; or an associate’s degree in a related field plus at least 2 years of relevant school nutrition program experience.
- Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in food service operations management.
- Minimum 3–5 years of general management experience with full P&L responsibility.
- Three years of experience in food service management as a manager or director.
- Minimum 1 year of experience in K–12 programs.
- Mandatory ServSafe certification and local food safety certification where required; must know local health and food safety ordinances.
- Strong financial and business skills, including budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and P&L management.
- Proficiency with POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Knowledge of cooking procedures, recipe adherence, and recipe scaling.
- Demonstrated success in driving sales growth, controlling costs, and achieving profitability targets.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams.
- Must be available during operational hours as needed, including extended or flexible hours, and maintain daily onsite presence.
- Must be able to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear throughout the facility; stand and walk for extended periods; and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in K–12 or institutional food service management.
- Additional management or hospitality certifications.
- Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management.
- Fluency in Spanish.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop the food service team to deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff.
- Oversee daily operations, including scheduling, staffing, production, procurement, inventory, and quality control.
- Ensure compliance with USDA child nutrition programs, including NSLP and SBP, as well as HACCP standards, food safety requirements, health codes, sanitation rules, and applicable regulations.
- Manage location budgets, P&L, financial analysis, forecasting, food and labor costs, operating expenses, and performance goals.
- Manage vendor relationships and support sales growth, cost control, and profitability targets.
- Partner with school staff, clients, and guests to support student health, learning, well-being, and service quality.
- Recruit, coach, develop, and retain high-performing teams, while fostering a supportive and accountable work environment.
- Execute marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation and strengthen brand presence.
- Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive ongoing improvements in food production, service, and compliance.
- Provide hands-on operational oversight during mealtimes and travel throughout the school district as needed.
Benefits
- Competitive salary.
- Performance bonus opportunities.
- Health, dental, and vision benefits.
- Paid holidays and time off.
- Retirement plans.
- Approved travel and related expenses covered by the company.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
