NUTRITION MANAGER

The D C Central Kitchen Inc•Washington, DC

30d•$65,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The Nutrition Manager serves in a leadership role across DC Central Kitchen’s Food Access programs, under the direction of the Associate Director of Nutrition. The role drives menu management, nutrition education, and nutrition-informed community engagement. The Manager develops compliant menus that meet regulatory and contract standards and collaborates with nutrition, procurement, culinary operations, and school food operations teams on chef-driven menus and recipes aligned with local sourcing, cultural inclusivity, sustainability, and financial goals. The position also works with culinary and school food operations on monitoring, evaluation, training, continuous quality improvement, and innovation. With support from the Associate Director, the Nutrition Manager serves as the organization’s subject-matter expert for technical nutrition needs, maintaining recipes, menus, nutrition labels, and allergen data in menu software. The role oversees planning, implementation, and evaluation of strategic, menu-aligned nutrition education and nutrition-related community engagement. Strong attention to detail, initiative, communication skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively are essential.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 4 to 6 years of experience in Nutrition, Dietetics, or a related field.
Registered Dietitian credential.
Familiarity with related USDA programs and regulations.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and menu-planning software.
Demonstrated cultural competence and commitment to DC Central Kitchen’s mission and values.
Excellent oral and written communication and strong interpersonal skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with management at all levels, front-line personnel, and clients.
Highly organized, self-motivated, and detail-oriented, with strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
Ability to obtain DCPS clearance.
Current ServSafe Manager certification.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check and drug test.
Ability to travel locally independently.
Ability to attend occasional night and weekend events.
Ability to move lightweight items weighing up to 20 pounds and perform occasional moderate physical activity involving office equipment.
Ability to move around office and commercial kitchen spaces, operate office productivity equipment, position oneself to access computer equipment, and remain stationary for at least 50% of the time.
Ability to work in an environment where exposure to extreme temperatures, fumes, dirt, smoke, loud noise, and varied odors is common.

Nice To Haves

School nutrition experience is preferred.
Experience with Mosaic or Gaia K12 menu-planning software is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop cycle menus that meet meal pattern requirements, operational needs, and financial benchmarks for schools and other contract meal programs, in collaboration with culinary, school food operations, procurement, and community meals teams.
Collaborate across departments on menu management processes and systems to improve quality, efficiency, and operational excellence.
Coordinate recipe testing with Executive Chefs, including identifying products, recipes, and packaging to test; setting deadlines; supporting recipe development and product research; conducting taste tests; and monitoring progress.
Maintain current knowledge of USDA Child Nutrition Program regulations and applicable programs, including SBP, NSLP, SSO, DC Healthy School Act, CACFP Supper, NSLP Afterschool Snack, FFVP, and SFSP Breakfast and Lunch.
Coordinate promotional menus and events to support student engagement, including theme days, International Food Days, National School Lunch and Breakfast Weeks, and Farm to School events.
Create cycle dietary-accommodation menus for common restrictions, including top-nine allergens, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and texture-modified diets.
Provide ongoing training and technical assistance to staff at the central kitchen and school- and community-based satellite kitchens to support planned menus.
Oversee FFVP planning, including monthly menus, required nutrition education materials, fund spend-down monitoring, and periodic informal program audits.
Monitor and evaluate menu performance using production records, observations, surveys, plate-waste studies, and other metrics to inform culturally responsive, data-driven menu development.
Oversee planning, implementation, and evaluation of organizational nutrition education and nutrition-focused community engagement in alignment with grant and contract deliverables.
Support the Nutrition Specialist with nutrition education program development and execution, and maintain working knowledge of nutrition engagement activities.
Develop annual nutrition education and engagement plans with the Nutrition Team, aligned with contract deliverables and organizational goals.
Support cross-departmental nutrition programming, including basic nutrition instruction for Culinary Job Training, youth volunteer groups, and other events.
Develop program logic models and evaluation metrics with the Associate Director; monitor and evaluate programs using rigorous and validated methods as applicable; and prepare written and oral reports of results.
Mentor, coach, train, and develop team members across direct and indirect reports.
Set annual performance goals for direct reports, monitor progress, and conduct midpoint and annual performance reviews.
Foster a positive, collaborative work environment that supports professional growth and development.
Precept dietetic interns and Culinary Job Training Tracks students.
Attend internal and external team, client, and community partner meetings as needed.
Maintain Registered Dietitian credential and District of Columbia licensure through continuing education.
Perform other duties as required to maintain partner relationships and advance DC Central Kitchen’s mission, vision, and values.