Job Description
School Nutrition Culinary Coordinator
School Overview
Over Drew Charter School’s twenty-year history, the school has grown to serve grades PreK-12 with nearly 1,900 students in a “cradle-to-college” pipeline, including two onsite early learning partners. Drew implements a rigorous and supportive educational continuum, which includes tailored Response to Intervention (RTI) support, a rigorous STEAM/Project-Based Learning (PBL) instructional model, and a robust College and Career Readiness program. Every element has been thoughtfully designed to ensure all students succeed and to eliminate opportunity gaps and inequities in educational outcomes for our diverse population of students. More than just a school, Drew is at the heart of a community-wide commitment to launching all students on a pathway to health, impact, and prosperity.
Drew Board of Directors Commitment to Equity Statement
As part of our steadfast efforts to ensure equitable outcomes for ALL Drew Charter School students, we, the Board of Directors, individually and collectively, make an explicit commitment to identify, acknowledge, and dismantle policies and practices that reinforce systemic racism, and to educate and equip ALL of our students with the ability and opportunity to be leaders in the continuous work of creating a true, beloved community.
Position Description
- The School Nutrition Culinary Coordinator provides overall leadership and management for Drew’s Nutrition Department. They coordinate menu planning, procurement, commodity management, training, and adherence to all departmental policies and procedures. Maintains and/or improves industry-related knowledge, skills, and/or abilities targeting organizational and operational effectiveness. The School Nutrition Culinary Coordinator provides general supervision of performed work that plays a vital role in providing reliable and high-quality service while implementing sound financial practices and regulatory compliance. While responsible for providing on-site and classroom culinary training for other school nutrition staff, the School Nutrition Culinary Coordinator will support the development of new recipes to meet the needs of students and enhance the menus, executing culinary promotions that create excitement and drive participation, testing new products for menu placement, and working with distributors to supply new products . This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.
Performance Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, engage, and develop School Nutrition Teams to maximize their contributions, including recruiting, assessing, training, coaching, and managing performance.
- Establish and maintain a high level of food quality and menu satisfaction through well-developed culinary and production practices, with a focus on variety, trends, and healthy dining options.
- Create value through efficient operations, appropriate cost controls, and revenue management.
- Facilitate partnerships with instructional leaders to provide learning opportunities for students.
- Maintain open communication with school leaders in planning, developing, and utilizing food services for the maximum benefit to the area campuses and the Drew community.
- Prepare, implement, and monitor annual operating budgets; prepare timely cost accounting reports analyzing the budget status.
- Ensure the development of menus, pricing, and operational guidelines maintain guest satisfaction and a positive budgetary balance.
- Coordinate the purchasing of food, non-food products, and equipment for all campus foodservice operations and cafeterias.
- Monitor systems in menu planning, purchasing, inventory and recipe development.
- Coordinate with the Director of Facilities & Risk Management regarding any upgrade or renovations to campus eating facilities.
- Maintains high sanitary conditions in cafeteria area via the implementation of all HACCP procedures including employee cleanliness and food handling, receiving, storage, and preparation and cooling;
- Maintain a safe and healthy environment for students, staff and guests..
- Provide oversight to all operations of School Nutrition Services
- Ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations related to all USDA feeding programs, and school policies and procedures.
- Serve on the schools' emergency management teams.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Operating Officer.
Education Qualifications
Must have a combination of the following:
- A bachelor's degree, or equivalent educational experience, with an academic major or area of concentration in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or a related field; or
- A bachelor's degree, or equivalent educational experience, in any academic major or area of concentration and a State-recognized certificate in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, or business (additional information on this educational attainment option will be further clarified in guidance); or
- An associate’s degree, or equivalent educational experience, with an academic major or area of concentration in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or a related field; and at least one year of relevant school nutrition program experience; or
- A high school diploma or equivalent (such as the general educational development diploma), and at least five years of relevant school nutrition program experience.
Experience
- Minimum of five (5) years of administrative School Nutrition and/or related industry experience as a school nutrition administrator and/or food service director or supervisor within a high-volume food preparation organization (e.g., schools) required.
- A minimum of three (3) years school nutrition administrative experience in a school system preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies concerning the USDA Child Nutrition Programs
- Knowledge of menu development, marketing, and cost controls;
- Knowledge of principles of nutrition, food chemistry, and scientific application in recipe development;
- Knowledge of general food and balanced menu preparation;
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to school meals and child nutrition programs;
- Knowledge of food handling, safety, and sanitation standards and techniques in accordance with the principles of Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP);
- Knowledge of safety regulations and practices applicable to food production facilities and equipment;
- Ability to read, understand, and create recipes and convert recipe ingredients in order to yield desired quantities of food;
- Ability to train staff in food preparation;
- Ability to interpret budget data, monitor financial results, and take corrective action when necessary to help ensure financial goals are met;
- Ability to develop and test recipes and/or techniques for food preparation/presentation;
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships;
- Ability to work independently with little direction;
- Excellent culinary skills including recipe manipulation and adherence, food preparation, and/or implementing creative garnishing techniques;
- Ability to work as a team in a collaborative environment with all administrative and school-based staff;
- Effective computer skills w/knowledge of Microsoft Office suite required; Possesses necessary skills to effectively operate or learn automated food service software system; Ability to learn other applicable software;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Excellent customer service skills;
- Professional appearance, attitude, and demeanor.
License & Certifications
- Valid ServSafe certificate or equivalent food safety certificate or the ability to attain certification within three months of employment required.
- Certified Executive Chef (CEC) certification preferred.
Benefits
- Work Days: 242 (Annual)
- Salary Range: $48,085 - $71,885
- Drew Charter School offers our full-time staff members a broad, generous benefits package.