Child Nutrition Director

Child Nutrition Director

Starting Date:
Aug 3, 2026

Salary Grade:
Pay will commensurate with experience/education.

Terms of Employment: 12 months.

Position Type:
Full Time.

An employee in this class is responsible for the administration of the Child Nutrition Program within a school district. The Child Nutrition Programs include the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, the After School Snack Program, the Seamless Summer Food Service Program, and other programs available through the US Department of Agriculture. Work is directed through the interpretation of federal and state regulations and a variety of nutritional, operational, and financial policies and procedures established by the US Department of Agriculture and the NC Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education.

This employee exercises considerable discretionary judgment and analysis in the identification and resolution of problems. The employee receives general direction from the LEA’s Superintendent or other designated administrator of operational and/or support services. The Child Nutrition Director is responsible for the oversight of the Child Nutrition Program on behalf of the local Board of Education and directly supervises Child Nutrition personnel including, but not limited to, supervisors, accountants/bookkeepers, data management personnel, school nutrition managers, support staff, and other school nutrition personnel.

• Personnel Management
  • Prepares job descriptions
  • Interviews candidates for employment
  • Makes hiring decisions on behalf of the LEA
  • Prepares required documents for personnel decisions
  • Supervises personnel within the Child Nutrition Program
  • Develops/implements employee performance management system
  • Maintains appropriate personnel records
  • Conducts appropriate staff meetings
  • Determines staff training/development needs
  • Develops/implements appropriate staff training and development
  • Establishes staffing formula for schools to ensure optimal productivity
  • Balances labor and food costs to promote operational success
• Financial Management and Recordkeeping/Reporting
  • Projects annual operating budget and manages the budget on a monthly basis
  • Develops, implements, and monitors internal controls to ensure financial accountability and program integrity
  • Establishes inventory management and control systems
  • Projects operating costs based on meal equivalents
  • Projects revenues and expenditures
  • Prepares justification for budget requests
  • Recommends meal and a la carte sales prices
  • Tracks revenues and expenditures by object codes
  • Implements and monitors a reliable system of cash management
  • Oversees payment of invoices in an accurate and timely manner
  • Maintains fixed asset inventory
  • Prepares required reports
  • Retains appropriate financial and participation records
• Purchasing and Contracting
  • Develops and revises (as needed) the district’s Child Nutrition Program procurement plan and ensures the plan is consistent with Federal, State and local procurement regulations and policies
  • Develops and submits product bid specifications for all foods and supplies to prospective vendors
  • Evaluates bids and product quality prior to awarding contracts
  • Recommends vendors to receive product contracts
  • Monitors the Terms and Conditions of the contracts to ensure Contractor compliance
  • Oversees testing of products
  • Develops and submits Requests for Proposals for non-food items including equipment, technology/software, and services
  • Conducts competitive negotiations with potential vendors as needed
  • Enforces the district’s Procurement Code of Ethics to ensure integrity in the procurement process and prevent potential conflicts of interest
• Food Production and Service
  • Establishes, implements, and evaluates policies and procedures for quality standards and quantity control
  • Provides leadership in developing recipes following USDA guidelines
  • Ensures production records are completed accurately each day in each school within the district
  • Plans menus for breakfast, lunch, snack, summer, and catering programs using Nuti-Kids software to complete nutritional analysis on menus
  • Ensures meals and/or snacks served to students meet USDA requirements
  • Establishes…