Food Service - Cook, Manager

Food Service - Cook, Manager

The Associate Food Service Manager assists the Director of School Nutrition in providing direct operational oversight of multiple school kitchens and food service managers, ensuring compliance with USDA regulations, state requirements, food safety standards, financial accountability, and district policies. The Associate Food Service Manager serves as a key leader in supporting high-quality meal service, staff development, menu implementation, procurement, inventory management, and continuous operational improvement.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct supervision, training, evaluation, and support to food service managers across assigned schools.
• Monitor daily meal service operations to ensure efficiency, consistency, and customer satisfaction.
• Conduct regular site visits to assess food quality, service standards, sanitation, and regulatory compliance.
• Respond to operational concerns and assist with resolution of kitchen issues.
• Assist managers, especially newly assigned food service managers, with opening and closing schools, staffing transitions, and operational troubleshooting.
• Promote a positive workplace culture focused on teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a liaison between school food service managers, food service employees, the Director of School Nutrition, school administrators, and students.
• Monitor recipe adherence, portion control, and product utilization at assigned school sites.
• Assist with forecasting and order submission activities, as needed, at assigned school sites.
• Review inventory management practices at assigned school sites to ensure they meet district policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with menu planning staff to ensure successful implementation of district menus.
• Ensure compliance with all USDA Child Nutrition Program regulations, including meal pattern requirements, offer versus serve, production records, meal counting and claiming, civil rights, procurement, and professional standards requirements.
• Ensure all kitchens comply with HACCP-based food safety plans, local health department regulations, and district sanitation standards.
• Conduct food safety audits and monitor corrective actions.
• Conduct internal on-site compliance reviews and corrective action follow-up.
• Ensure schools maintain required records and documentation to support federal reimbursement claims and USDA program participation.
• Assist with Administrative Reviews, Resource Management Reviews, and state agency monitoring visits.
• Coordinate professional development and USDA Professional Standards training.
• Support catering functions and district initiatives as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of School Nutrition.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Must possess a current Illinois Food Protection Manager Certificate (e.g., Serv Safe).
• Knowledge of USDA Child Nutrition Program requirements, including meal patterns, portion sizes, production records, and reporting requirements.
• Previous experience preparing large-scale meals in a school, hospital, or institutional food service setting preferred.
• Previous supervisory or leadership experience preferred.
• Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills, including maintaining inventory, ordering, meal count, and compliance records.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to supervise employees and work effectively with students, staff, and administrators.
• Ability to meet the physical requirements of the position, including standing for extended periods, lifting up to 50 pounds, and working in temperature extremes.

Compensation:
Per the  Associate Food Service Manager Salary Schedule, the starting pay range is $23.95 per hour to $32.29 per hour and is based upon experience.