General Manager - Maynard School Nutrition

Whitsons Culinary Group•Maynard, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Whitsons is hiring a General Manager to lead school food service operations and a team serving nutritious meals to students and staff. The role oversees daily operations, including scheduling, production, procurement, inventory, quality control, food safety, compliance, budgeting, staffing, vendor relationships, and performance goals. The General Manager works with school staff and clients to support student health and well-being, maintain strong service, and build a positive, inclusive, student-centered kitchen culture. The position requires strong financial and operational leadership, including managing location-level budgets and P&L, controlling costs, driving sales and participation, and meeting profitability targets. The General Manager recruits, coaches, and develops teams; ensures compliance with HACCP standards, health codes, sanitation requirements, and applicable child nutrition regulations; and supports marketing, community engagement, quality assurance, and continuous improvement. The role also requires proficiency with business software and tools used for scheduling, point-of-sale, reporting, and communication. 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 needs, which may include extended hours and flexible scheduling. 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 the team. Some travel may be required for corporate meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support; approved travel expenses are covered by the company. Work takes place in a restaurant or food service environment, including offices and operational areas. Work is primarily hands-on during mealtimes, with office work before and after meals. The setting has varying noise levels and temperatures and involves frequent interaction with staff, customers, and vendors. The role involves extended standing and walking, as well as sitting, talking, and hearing; occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds; and close and distance vision and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

Meet one of the stated education and experience pathways: a related bachelor's degree; any bachelor's degree plus a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate or at least one year of relevant food service experience; a related associate's degree plus at least one year of relevant food service experience; or a high school diploma/equivalency plus at least three years of relevant food service experience.
Have 5–7 years of progressive experience in restaurant or food service operations.
Have 3–5 years of general management experience with full P&L responsibility.
Have at least three years of food service management experience as a manager or director.
Have at least one year of experience in K–12 programs.
Hold ServSafe certification and any locally required food safety certification, and know applicable local health and food safety ordinances.
Demonstrate business acumen in financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management.
Be proficient with POS platforms, scheduling software, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
Understand marketing strategies and customer relationship management as they relate to school nutrition dining.
Demonstrate success in sales growth, cost control, profitability, and building and leading high-performing teams.
Have working knowledge of cooking procedures, recipe adherence, and recipe scaling.
Complete annual USDA Professional Standards training and mandatory Whitsons training.
Be available during operational hours and as needed for extended hours, flexible scheduling, onsite work, and possible summer operations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in K–12 or institutional food service management.
Additional management or hospitality certifications.
Experience with multi-unit oversight or area management.
Bilingual Spanish skills.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop 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.
Manage location budgets, P&L, food and labor costs, operating expenses, forecasting, and financial targets.
Manage staffing, vendor relationships, performance goals, and operational resources.
Ensure compliance with USDA child nutrition program guidelines, HACCP standards, food safety requirements, health codes, sanitation rules, and applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
Partner with school staff and clients to support student health, learning, and well-being and deliver a strong guest and client experience.
Recruit, coach, develop, and retain high-performing teams and foster a supportive, inclusive, accountable kitchen culture.
Execute marketing initiatives, develop local partnerships, and support community engagement to grow participation and revenue.
Maintain audit readiness, monitor quality metrics, and drive continuous operational improvements.
Maintain onsite presence and travel throughout the school district and, as needed, for meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support.