General Manager - North Jersey School Nutrition
About The Position
Whitsons is hiring a Food Service General Manager to lead school nutrition operations in North Jersey. The General Manager leads the food service team and oversees daily operations, including scheduling, inventory, food safety, compliance, budgeting, staffing, vendor relationships, performance goals, food production, procurement, quality control, and customer service. The role partners with school staff to support student health, learning, and well-being, and ensures compliance with child nutrition program requirements and applicable regulations. The position requires strong financial and operational leadership, including responsibility for location-level budgets, profit and loss, cost controls, sales growth, profitability, and continuous improvement. The General Manager recruits, coaches, develops, and retains teams; supports positive and inclusive kitchen culture; maintains client and guest relationships; and carries out marketing and community engagement initiatives. This is a full-time exempt position aligned with the assigned school district calendar. The role requires availability during operational hours, flexible scheduling, and potentially extended hours as needed. Vacation and planned time off should generally 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 teams. Travel within the school district and occasional travel for meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support may be required. The work takes place in school food-service settings, including office and operational areas. It involves hands-on work during mealtimes, frequent interaction with staff, customers, and vendors, and exposure to varying temperatures and noise levels. The role involves extended periods of standing and walking and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds.
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.
- At least 3 years of food service management experience as a Manager or Director.
- At least 1 year of experience in K–12 programs.
- Mandatory ServSafe certification and any local food-safety certification required in the jurisdiction of employment; knowledge of local health and food-safety ordinances.
- Strong business acumen, including financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management.
- Proficiency with POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Knowledge of USDA school meal guidelines and food-safety regulations.
- Understanding 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, with strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
- 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.
Nice To Haves
- K–12 or institutional food-service management experience.
- Additional management or hospitality certifications.
- Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management.
- Bilingual Spanish skills.
Responsibilities
- Inspire and lead the food service team in providing 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, as well as applicable health, sanitation, HACCP, and food-safety requirements.
- Manage location budgets, staffing, vendor relationships, financial performance, cost controls, and performance goals.
- Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing teams and foster a positive, student-centered, and inclusive kitchen culture.
- Build and maintain strong client and guest relationships through consistent service and proactive communication.
- Execute marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation, revenue, and brand presence.
- Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive operational improvements.
- Provide onsite operational oversight and support teams across the assigned school district.
Benefits
- Competitive salary of $100,000–$115,000.
- 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
