Interim Food Service Director

QUEST FOOD MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC•Chicago, IL

1d•$65,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Quest Food Management Services, Inc. is a privately owned, full service, foodservice management company located in Lombard, Illinois. Founded in 1985, Quest has served schools (elementary, middle, high schools, college/universities) throughout the Midwest guided by its mission to provide the communities we serve with fresh, high-quality food, exceptional responsiveness and intensely personal service. It has been Quest’s team members who have been the cornerstone of our growth. Quality people, quality food, and quality clients are our recipe for success. Led by our vision to create the most enduring relationships in the industry by what we do and how we do it; with integrity, responsiveness, accountability, respect and excellence. Our Promise: Balance - Quest fosters a fun, supportive environment that puts people first and strives for both culinary excellence and enduring relationships. Our flexible work opportunities encourage a healthy life balance for all of our valued team members. Meaning - Quest believes that every aspect of what we do has significance, and therefore, our food is fresh and made from scratch, using high quality and responsibly sourced ingredients. We nourish our communities with wholesome meals and through our genuine and personal connections. Recognition - Quest provides competitive compensation and benefits and celebrates the fulfillment of our collective values at all levels of the organization. We support professional growth through training, development and access to highly visible leadership. Position Summary: Responsible for leading the Quest nutrition and guest experience efforts, in order to provide vision, leadership and strategic guidance to the company in these areas. Ensures that Quest vision, values and founding principles are effectively communicated and practiced. Manages assigned company locations and team members.

Requirements

Dietetics, Nutrition, Hospitality Management, or any field with equivalent work experience
K12 food service experience strongly preferred
Three years of experience in food service management
Experience in developing and managing budgets
Experience in food safety leadership within a food service or restaurant environment
Experience in building and leading a high performing team
Strong client relations experience
Proficient in MS Office
Strong knowledge of the food service and hospitality industry
Requires extensive hours at times and frequent local travel
Responsible for meeting and maintaining state and local certification requirements (Food Service Manager)
Demonstrated commitment to Quest vision, values and mission through actions on a daily basis
Ability to maintain professionalism and a positive attitude in the workplace
Demonstrated skill with developing long-term strategic plans and lead/participate in short-term operational implementation (ability to be both strategic and tactical)
Keen analytic, organization and problem-solving skills
Demonstrated ability to consistently communicate a clear understanding of internal and external customer expectations and adapt as appropriate to exceed their needs
Proven ability to focus attention on determining what can be done to make progress
Proven skill to anticipates the needs of coworkers and proactively assists them to meet a common goal
Demonstrated ability to understand and determine priorities, effectively manage time and develop work plans in order to accomplish tasks and/or projects
Ability to read, write and speak English

Responsibilities

Cascades the vision of Quest Food Management Services ensuring the Quest vision, values and founding principles are effectively communicated, understood and practiced.
Demonstrates commitment to Quest vision, values and missions through actions on a daily basis.
Manage staff to include selection, work allocation, training, coaching and mentoring, problem resolution, performance evaluation and feedback, and corrective action.
Lead development of the food experience offered by Quest, including developing Quest’s food “brand” via recipes, menus, concepts, and merchandising.
Lead development of systems and processes to ensure all food experiences are operationally and financially executable.
Champion and advance Quest's nutritional standards in recipe, menu, and brand development.
Provide expertise in nutrition and wellness throughout Quest, including nutrition counseling for customers, operational advice and guidance regarding dietary needs, and nutrition and allergen information sharing.
Support Quest’s purchasing efforts to ensure product selection is aligned with food experience.
Lead Quest’s food safety and sanitation efforts, ensuring every meal is served with the highest levels of attention to safety for our guests.
Provide leadership in Quest’s corporate marketing and sales strategies.
Serve as Quest’s internal subject matter expert on sustainability, identifying ways for Quest to partner with clients to deliver onsite sustainability solutions and participate in industry best practices regarding sustainability.
Provide hands-on support as needed for special events and coverage for gaps in management presence at the account level.
Provide support in sales and marketing efforts for account retention and acquisition.