Fy 26-27 Director Of Child Nutrition

Director Of Child Nutrition

Vaughn Next Century Learning Center ("Vaughn"), located in Pacoima, is a large urban public school within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Since the early 1970s, low student achievement had been a pattern. In 1993, tired of being helpless and hopeless, Vaughn became the first conversion charter school in the nation and was authorized by LAUSD. The charter was renewed most recently in 2018.

Vaughn has over 25 years of experience as a successful independent charter school serving the district's low-income students. This previously failing elementary public school is now a full-service, community-based, TK-12 charter school that assures all students are college/career ready, digitally literate, and globally competent.

In addition to its TK-12 program, Vaughn also operates a State Preschool Center that provides early childhood education services for preschool-aged children and their families. The preschool program offers a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate learning environment focused on school readiness, early literacy, language development, social-emotional growth, and family engagement. Through play-based and structured learning experiences, the program helps prepare children for a successful transition into kindergarten while supporting the needs of the surrounding community.

The Director of Child Nutrition provides strategic leadership, management, and oversight of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center's Child Nutrition Program, ensuring that all students have access to nutritious, appealing, and compliant meals that support student health, wellness, and academic achievement. The Director is responsible for the administration of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Universal Meals Program, and other federal, state, and local nutrition initiatives.

This position oversees all aspects of food service operations, including program compliance, budget development and management, menu planning, procurement, food safety, inventory control, staff supervision, training, and program evaluation. The Director works collaboratively with school leaders, families, vendors, government agencies, and community partners to maintain a high-quality nutrition program that is financially sustainable, operationally efficient, and responsive to student needs. The Director serves as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies and ensures compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal requirements governing child nutrition programs.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides strategic leadership and oversight of Vaughn's Child Nutrition Program, ensuring high-quality meal service that supports student health, wellness, and academic success.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and requirements governing child nutrition programs, including USDA and California Department of Education regulations.
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Child Nutrition Program, ensuring efficient meal service, staffing, scheduling, inventory management, and operational continuity across all program sites.
• Plans, coordinates, and provides ongoing training and professional development opportunities to Child Nutrition staff to ensure compliance with USDA Professional Standards requirements, strengthen job performance, and support continuous program improvement.
• Develops, implements, and monitors department goals, policies, procedures, and operational standards to promote program effectiveness and continuous improvement.
• Oversees program budgets, financial performance, reimbursement claims, purchasing activities, and cost-control measures to ensure fiscal sustainability.
• Directs menu planning and nutrition services to ensure meals are nutritious, appealing, cost-effective, and compliant with all meal pattern requirements.
• Oversees procurement, inventory management, vendor relationships, and contract administration in accordance with applicable purchasing regulations.
• Ensures food safety, sanitation, and workplace safety standards are consistently maintained throughout all food service operations.
• Supervis…