Senior Specialist, Operations

Full-time, Remote, Limited Term until August 2027

The Senior Specialist of Operations provides strategic leadership and technical expertise to help school districts strengthen food service operations and successfully implement sustainable, scratch-cooked meal programs.

Founded in 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) believes that all children should have equal access to fresh, healthy, delicious food providing them the foundation to thrive and meet their true potential. We ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide cook-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, we’ve reached over 19,000 schools and over 5.9 million children in all 50 states with our school food programming.

The Senior Specialist of Operations plays a key leadership role in supporting school districts as they transition to and expand scratch-cooked meal programs. Reporting to the Senior Director, Operations, this position provides strategic direction, operational expertise, and technical assistance to improve school food systems. The Senior Specialist collaborates with internal teams, school districts, and external partners to implement effective, sustainable solutions while overseeing operational initiatives and supervising assigned team members.

• Provide onsite and virtual technical assistance to school districts transitioning to or expanding scratch-cooked meal programs.
• Conduct operational reviews and onsite facility assessments to identify opportunities for improvement and develop actionable recommendations.
• Provide technical expertise on USDA regulations, procurement, school food operations, and related operational challenges.
• Lead school food operational initiatives, providing strategic direction and identifying opportunities for meaningful, sustainable improvements.

• Oversee operational initiatives to ensure high-quality, results‑driven programming aligned with CAF's mission and organizational goals.
• Collaborate with internal teams, school food operators, funders, and program partners to support effective program implementation.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with organizations and stakeholders to leverage existing resources and strengthen school food systems.
• Represent CAF in meetings with funders, stakeholders, and other partners, providing operational expertise and guidance.

• Develop and deliver presentations, webinars, conference sessions, and other educational opportunities focused on school food operations.
• Provide guidance and technical training to school food professionals to strengthen operational capacity and support scratch‑cooked meal programs.
• Supervise and support assigned team members, including establishing priorities, monitoring performance, and providing professional development opportunities.

Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced training in Culinary Arts, Nutrition, Food Service, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in school food service management.
• Minimum of four (4) years of professional culinary experience in a leadership role, such as Executive Chef, Head Chef, Sous Chef, or a comparable position.
• Demonstrated experience training school food professionals.
• Experience utilizing K–12 recipe and menu management software.
• Experience developing fiscal budgets and financial models for school food programs.
• Experience with menu planning for ingredient-based, scratch‑cooked meal…