General Manager - North Jersey School Nutrition

Whitsons Culinary Group • Jersey City, NJ

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Whitsons is hiring a General Manager to lead food service operations for a North Jersey school nutrition program. The role oversees daily operations and leads a team serving 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 federal, state, and local requirements, including USDA child nutrition programs such as NSLP and SBP.

The position carries responsibility for location-level budgets, profit and loss, cost controls, staffing, scheduling, procurement, inventory, quality, food safety, vendor relationships, customer experience, marketing, and performance goals. The General Manager recruits, coaches, and develops the team; maintains strong client and community relationships; and drives participation, revenue, profitability, and continuous 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 devote the time needed to meet business goals, which may include extended hours and flexible scheduling. Planned time off should generally be scheduled during school closures. The role may include summer work where summer feeding programs 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. Travel may be required for district-wide support, corporate meetings, training, or conferences; approved travel expenses are covered by the company.

Work takes place in a restaurant or food service environment, in office and operational areas. Duties are primarily hands-on during mealtimes, with office work before and after. Conditions include varying noise levels and temperatures, and frequent interaction with staff, customers, and vendors. The role involves frequent sitting, standing, walking, talking, and hearing; extended standing and walking; and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds. Vision requirements include close and distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.

The listed salary range is $100,000–$115,000, with performance bonus opportunities. Whitsons describes its mission as “Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™” and emphasizes serving nutritious, student-approved meals with care, efficiency, and pride.

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.
• At least 1 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, USDA school meal guidelines, and food safety regulations.
• Strong business acumen, including financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management.
• Proficiency in POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Understanding of marketing strategies and customer relationship management as they relate to school nutrition dining.
• Demonstrated success in driving sales growth, controlling costs, and achieving 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 physical demands of the role, including extended periods of standing and walking and occasionally lifting or moving up to 50 pounds.
• Availability during operational hours as needed, including flexible scheduling and potentially extended work hours.

Nice To Haves

• Food service management experience in K–12 or institutional settings.
• Additional management or hospitality certifications.
• Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management.
• Spanish bilingual skills.

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, and quality control.
• Partner with school staff to ensure meals support student health, learning, and well-being.
• Ensure compliance with USDA child nutrition program guidelines, HACCP standards, health codes, sanitation requirements, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Manage location-level budgets, profit and loss, food and labor costs, operating expenses, forecasting, and financial targets.
• Manage staffing, vendor relationships, and performance goals.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing teams, fostering a positive, student-centered, inclusive, and supportive kitchen culture.
• Build and maintain strong client and guest relationships through consistent service and proactive communication.
• Execute company marketing initiatives and develop local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation, revenue, and brand presence.
• Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive continuous operational improvement.
• Provide onsite operational oversight and support across the assigned school district.
• Participate in corporate meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support as required.

Benefits

• Competitive salary of $100,000–$115,000.
• Performance bonus opportunities.
• Family-friendly schedule with no nights or weekends, as described in the recruiting overview.
• Health, dental, and vision benefits.
• Paid holidays and time off.
• Retirement plans.
• Company coverage of approved travel and related expenses.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager