General Manager - Lancaster School Nutrition
About The Position
The General Manager leads school nutrition food-service operations for Whitsons, overseeing daily service and a team responsible for preparing and serving nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff. The role partners with school personnel to support student health, learning, and well-being, and fosters a positive, inclusive, student-centered kitchen culture. The position oversees staffing, scheduling, procurement, inventory, production, quality control, budgets, vendor relationships, performance goals, and financial results. It ensures compliance with USDA child nutrition programs, including NSLP and SBP, as well as HACCP standards, food-safety requirements, health codes, sanitation rules, and other applicable regulations. The General Manager also maintains client and guest relationships, executes marketing initiatives, develops community partnerships, and drives participation, revenue, cost control, quality, and continuous improvement. This is a full-time exempt position requiring availability during operational hours and the time needed to meet business goals, which may involve extended hours and flexible scheduling. The role follows the assigned school district calendar, with planned time off generally scheduled during school closures where possible; summer work may be required when summer feeding or other operations are offered. Daily onsite presence is required, with approximately 80% of the workday spent in schools observing and supporting the team. Travel throughout the school district is required, with some travel for corporate meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support; approved travel expenses are covered by the company. Work takes place in office and food-service operational areas, including hands-on oversight during mealtimes. The environment involves varying temperatures and noise levels, and frequent interaction with staff, customers, and vendors. The job requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, talking, and hearing; extended standing and walking; and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds. Salary is $110,000–$115,000.
Requirements
- At least 5–7 years of progressive restaurant or food-service operations experience.
- At least 3–5 years of general management experience with full P&L responsibility.
- At least 3 years of food-service management experience as a manager or director.
- At least 1 year of experience in K–12 programs.
- Education meeting one of the listed pathways: a bachelor’s degree in a related field; a bachelor’s degree in any field plus a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate or at least 1 year of relevant food-service experience; an associate degree in a related field plus at least 1 year of relevant food-service experience; or a high school diploma/equivalency plus at least 3 years of relevant food-service experience.
- Mandatory ServSafe certification and knowledge of local health and food-safety ordinances; local food-safety certification if required in the jurisdiction.
- Complete annual training in accordance with USDA Professional Standards and mandatory Whitsons training requirements.
- Strong financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, business, and P&L management skills.
- Proficiency with POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Understanding of marketing strategies and customer relationship management in school nutrition dining.
- Demonstrated ability to grow sales, control costs, and achieve profitability targets.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams.
- Working knowledge of cooking procedures and recipe adherence and scaling.
- Ability to meet the job’s physical demands, including extended standing and walking and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to work onsite daily, travel throughout the school district, and devote the time necessary to meet operational goals, including extended hours or flexible scheduling as required.
Nice To Haves
- Additional management or hospitality certifications.
- Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management.
- Spanish bilingual ability.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop the food-service team to provide nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff.
- Oversee daily food-service operations, including scheduling, production, procurement, inventory, quality control, and food safety.
- Partner with school staff to ensure meals support student health, learning, and well-being.
- Ensure compliance with state and federal child nutrition guidelines, including NSLP and SBP, and with HACCP standards, health codes, sanitation requirements, and other applicable regulations.
- Manage location budgets, full P&L, food and labor costs, operating expenses, forecasting, and financial performance targets.
- Manage staffing, vendor relationships, and operational performance goals.
- Build and maintain positive client, guest, staff, and community relationships through reliable service and proactive communication.
- Execute company marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships to increase participation and revenue and strengthen the brand.
- Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive continuous operational improvement.
- Provide daily onsite oversight, including travel throughout the school district and support for summer operations when required.
Benefits
- Competitive salary of $110,000–$115,000 and 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
