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About the Role

Lead a mission-driven kitchen that fuels young minds and futures by overseeing daily operations, ensuring compliance with nutrition guidelines, and fostering a positive, student-centered culture.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and lead the food service team to deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to students and staff
• Oversee all aspects of daily operations: scheduling, inventory, compliance, and food safety
• Partner with school staff to ensure meals support student health, learning, and well-being
• Ensure compliance with state and federal child nutrition program guidelines (NSLP, SBP, etc.)
• Manage budgets, staffing, vendor relationships, and performance goals
• Foster a positive, student-centered, and inclusive kitchen culture

Requirements

• 3–5 years of experience in food service management (K–12 or institutional preferred)
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills
• Knowledge of USDA school meal guidelines and food safety regulations
• A hands-on leader who builds strong teams and models accountability
• ServSafe certification (or ability to obtain)
• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in restaurant or food service operations
• Minimum 3-5 years of general management experience with full P&L responsibility
• 3 years’ experience in Food Service Management as a Manager/Director required
• Minimum 1 year experience in K-12 programs required
• ServSafe Mandatory – Local food safety certification if required in jurisdiction of employment
• Must be knowledgeable of all local health and food safety ordinances
• Yearly mandatory training in accordance with USDA Professional Standards requirements as well as mandatory Whitsons training requirements
• Strong business acumen including financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management
• Proficiency in POS platforms, scheduling software, and reporting tools
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) for business planning, analysis, and communication
• Understanding of marketing strategies, and customer relationship management as they relate to school nutrition dining
• Demonstrated success in driving sales growth, controlling costs, and achieving profitability targets
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams
• Experience in multi-unit oversight or area management a plus
• Working knowledge of cooking procedures and recipe adherence and scaling
• Bi-lingual in Spanish highly desirable
• Manages location-level budgets, P&L, and cost controls — including food cost, labor, and operating expenses — to consistently achieve financial targets and sustain profitability
• Directs all daily operations including production, procurement, inventory, and quality control with a disciplined focus on efficiency, consistency, and brand standards
• Recruits, develops, and retains high-performing teams by providing clear direction, consistent coaching, and a supportive work environment aligned with company values
• Ensures all location operations meet or exceed HACCP standards, health codes, sanitation requirements, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations at all times
• Builds and sustains strong client and guest relationships through consistent service quality, proactive communication, and a commitment to exceeding expectations
• Executes company marketing initiatives and develops local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation, increase revenue, and strengthen brand presence
• Maintains rigorous internal audit readiness, monitors quality metrics, and drives year-over-year operational improvements across food production, service, and compliance standards

Skills

• Leadership
• Communication
• Organizational skills
• Food safety
• Budget management
• Staffing
• Vendor relations
• Performance goal management
• Financial analysis
• Budgeting
• Forecasting
• P&L management
• POS platforms
• Scheduling software
• Reporting tools
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Marketing strategies
• Customer relationship management
• Sales growth
• Cost control
• Team building
• Multi-unit oversight
• Area management
• Cooking procedures
• Recipe adherence and scaling
• HACCP standards
• Health codes
• Sanitation requirements
• USDA Professional Standards

Location

• Onsite at assigned school district

Work Type

• Full-time
• Exempt

Experience Level

• 3-5 years of food service management
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in restaurant or food service operations
• 3-5 years of general management experience
• 3 years' experience in Food Service Management
• 1 year experience in K-12 programs

Education Level

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or similar
• Bachelor’s degree in any field plus either a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate or at least 1 year of relevant food service experience
• Associate’s degree in a related field plus at least 1 year of relevant food service experience
• High school diploma/equivalency plus at least 3 years of relevant food service experience

Salary/Compensations

• $1530/week

Benefits

• Performance bonus opportunities
• Family-friendly schedule – no nights or weekends
• Health, dental, and vision benefits
• Paid holidays
• Time off
• Retirement plans

About the Company

• At Whitsons, we believe that every school meal is an opportunity to fuel success.
• As our General Manager, you’ll lead a team dedicated to serving nutritious, student-approved meals with care, efficiency, and pride.
• Your leadership will help create a kitchen that’s more than a workplace—it’s a hub of health, learning, and community.
• Whitsons' mission is Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™.