General Manager - Kipp Philadelphia Elementary Academy

Whitsons Culinary Group•Philadelphia, PA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Whitsons is hiring a General Manager to lead food service operations at KIPP Philadelphia Elementary Academy. The role oversees a school nutrition program serving students and staff, with responsibility for nutritious, high-quality meals and a positive, inclusive, student-centered kitchen culture. The General Manager partners with school staff to support student health, learning, and well-being, and ensures compliance with child nutrition program guidelines, including NSLP and SBP, as well as food safety and regulatory requirements. The General Manager directs daily production, procurement, inventory, quality control, scheduling, staffing, vendor relationships, and performance goals. The position manages location budgets, profit and loss, food and labor costs, and other operating expenses; supports sales growth and participation; and executes marketing and community engagement initiatives. The role also recruits, coaches, develops, and retains teams while maintaining service quality, audit readiness, and continuous operational improvement. This is a full-time exempt position aligned with the assigned school district calendar. The General Manager must be available during operational hours and may need to work extended hours or use flexible scheduling to meet business needs. Vacation and planned time off should be scheduled during school closures when possible. Summer work may be required where summer feeding or other summer operations are offered. Daily onsite presence is required, with approximately 80% of the workday spent in schools observing and supporting the team. Some travel for district, corporate, training, conference, or multi-location needs may be required; approved travel expenses are covered by the company. The work takes place in a restaurant and food-service environment, including office and operational spaces. It involves frequent interaction with staff, customers, and vendors, varying temperatures, and noise ranging from moderate in offices to loud during peak periods. The work is primarily hands-on during mealtimes, with office work before and after. The role frequently involves sitting, standing, walking, talking, and hearing, including extended periods of standing and walking; occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds is required. Reasonable accommodation may be made for individuals with disabilities.

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 two years of relevant school nutrition program experience; or an associate’s degree in a related field plus at least two years of relevant school nutrition program experience.
The posting lists a minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in food service operations management.
The posting lists a minimum of 3–5 years of general management experience with full profit-and-loss responsibility.
Three years of experience in food service management as a manager or director.
At least one year of experience in K–12 programs.
Mandatory ServSafe certification and local food safety certification where required by the jurisdiction of employment.
Knowledge of local health and food safety ordinances.
Strong financial and business skills, including financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and profit-and-loss management.
Proficiency in POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
Knowledge of marketing strategies and customer relationship management as they relate to school nutrition dining.
Demonstrated success driving sales growth, controlling costs, and achieving 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 physical demands of the job, including extended standing and walking and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds; reasonable accommodation may be made.

Nice To Haves

K–12 or institutional food service management experience is preferred.
Additional management or hospitality certifications are a plus.
Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management is a plus.
Bilingual Spanish skills are highly desirable.
Ability to obtain ServSafe certification, as stated in the general role description.

Responsibilities

Lead the food service team in delivering nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff.
Oversee daily 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 program guidelines, including NSLP and SBP, and with applicable health, food safety, HACCP, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
Manage location budgets, profit and loss, food costs, labor costs, operating expenses, forecasting, and financial targets.
Manage staffing, vendor relationships, performance goals, and operational resources.
Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing teams, fostering accountability and a supportive, inclusive, student-centered kitchen culture.
Build and maintain client and guest relationships through consistent service quality and proactive communication.
Execute company marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation, revenue, and brand presence.
Monitor quality metrics, maintain internal audit readiness, and drive continuous improvement across production, service, and compliance.
Maintain daily onsite presence and support the team in schools; travel for district, corporate, training, conference, or multi-location needs as required.
Schedule vacation and planned time off during school closures when possible, and support summer operations when offered.