General Manager - Lebanon School Nutrition
About The Position
Whitsons is hiring a General Manager to lead school nutrition operations in Lebanon. The role oversees day-to-day food service operations and leads a team in delivering nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff. The General Manager partners with school staff to support student health, learning, and well-being, and ensures compliance with child nutrition program requirements, food safety standards, and applicable regulations. The position has responsibility for location-level budgets and P&L, staffing, scheduling, inventory, procurement, vendor relationships, performance goals, service quality, and operational improvement. The General Manager builds and develops a high-performing team, supports a positive and inclusive kitchen culture, maintains client and guest relationships, and implements marketing and community engagement initiatives. The role is full-time and exempt, aligned with the school district calendar. Daily onsite presence is required, with travel throughout the district and occasional travel for corporate meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support. Summer work may be required where summer feeding or other operations are offered. The position is expected to work the time necessary to meet operational needs, which may include extended hours and flexible scheduling.
Requirements
- Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in restaurant or food service operations.
- Minimum 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.
- ServSafe certification is mandatory, along with local food safety certification if required in the jurisdiction; must know applicable local health and food safety ordinances.
- Meet one of the listed education and experience pathways: a related bachelor's degree; any bachelor's degree plus a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate or at least 1 year of relevant food service experience; a related associate degree plus at least 1 year of relevant experience; or a high school diploma/equivalency plus at least 3 years of relevant food service experience.
- Strong business acumen, including financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management.
- Proficiency with POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Understanding of marketing strategies and customer relationship management as they relate to 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, recipe adherence, and recipe scaling.
- Ability to meet the role's physical demands, including extended standing and walking and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds.
- Availability during operational hours as needed, including potentially extended work hours and flexible scheduling.
Nice To Haves
- K–12 or institutional food service management experience is preferred in the introductory qualifications.
- Additional management or hospitality certifications.
- Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management.
- Spanish bilingual ability.
Responsibilities
- Lead and inspire the food service team to provide nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff.
- Oversee daily operations, including scheduling, production, procurement, inventory, quality control, compliance, 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, as well as applicable health, sanitation, HACCP, and food safety requirements.
- Manage location-level budgets, P&L, financial analysis, forecasting, food and labor costs, operating expenses, and profitability targets.
- Manage staffing, vendor relationships, and operational performance goals.
- Recruit, coach, develop, and retain high-performing teams, promoting accountability and a supportive, student-centered, inclusive kitchen culture.
- Build and maintain strong client and guest relationships through quality service and proactive communication.
- Execute marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation and revenue.
- Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive continuous operational improvements.
- Work onsite at the assigned location and travel throughout the school district; support summer operations when required.
- Complete annual USDA Professional Standards training and required Whitsons training.
Benefits
- Competitive salary with performance bonus opportunities.
- Health benefits.
- Dental benefits.
- Vision benefits.
- Paid holidays and time off.
- Retirement plans.
- Company coverage of approved travel and related expenses.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
