Program Manager Culinary Production NS

Houston Independent School District•Houston, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Program Manager, Culinary Production, Nutrition Services is responsible for overseeing daily culinary production and café operations within the Nutrition Services Department. This role provides in-the-moment operational authority over the catering production floor, café and Starbucks operations, and all hot line, cold prep, bakery, and batching functions. The Manager ensures production pacing, sequencing, timelines, and quality standards are executed consistently in accordance with district policies, food safety regulations, and established culinary standards.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Hospitality Management, Foodservice Management, Food Science, Nutrition/Dietetics, Business Administration, or Operations Management.
At least 3 to 5 years of experience working in the culinary field.
Experience in a large-scale, institutional, or public-sector food service environment is preferred.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
City of Houston Food Handler Certification.
Experience with office equipment (e.g., computer, copier).
Manages. Accomplishes the majority of work objectives through the management of direct reports. Provides day-to-day directions to staff; may become directly involved, as required, to meet schedules and resolve problems. Responsible for assigning work, meeting completion dates, interpreting and ensuring application of policies and procedures. Receives assignments in the form of objectives, with goals and the process by which to meet goals. Provides input to hiring, performance and budget.
Work is substantially complex, varied and regularly requires the selection and application of technical and detailed guidelines. Independent judgment is required to identify, select, and apply the most appropriate methods as well as interpret precedent. Position regularly makes recommendations to management on areas of significance to the department. Supervision received typically consists of providing directions on the more complex projects and new job duties and priorities.
Analyzes and interprets data and figures.
Decisions are made on both routine and non-routine matters with some latitude but are still subject to approval. Job is occasionally expected to recommend new solutions to problems and improve existing methods or generate new ideas.
Information sharing - gives and receives information such as options, technical direction, instructions, and reporting results. Interactions are mostly with customers, own supervisor, and coworkers in own and other departments.
Follows through with customer inquiries, requests, and complaints. Forwards difficult and non-routine inquiries or requests to appropriate level for resolution.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a large-scale, institutional, or public-sector food service environment.

Responsibilities

Oversees daily culinary production across catering, café, and beverage operations to ensure accuracy, quality, and timeliness.
Provides in-the-moment decision-making authority for kitchen execution, staffing adjustments, production sequencing, and service pacing.
Assists with monitoring food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness standards in compliance with health regulations and HACCP guidelines.
Assists staff with implementation of new products, recipes, processes, and catered events.
Direct and oversee Culinary Leads for hot lines, cold prep, bakery, batching, and café stations to ensure standards are enforced.
Provides exceptional customer service to students, parents, team members, administrators, and other key stakeholders.
Assists with documentation related to deliveries, service logs, incident reports, and operational records as required by district policy.
Monitors production accuracy, waste, and corrective actions to maintain operational efficiency.
Communicates operational needs, delays, or service issues to internal stakeholders and escalates non-routine issues as required.
Responsible for maintaining accurate inventory levels through proper counting, receiving, storage, and rotation, and for investigating and resolving inventory variances.
Other duties as assigned.