General Manager - Downers Grove School Nutrition

Food Service General Manager

Are you a food service leader who's passionate about people, operations, and purpose? Join our school nutrition team as a Food Service General Manager and take the lead in a mission-driven kitchen that fuels young minds and futures.

What You'll Do:

• 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
• Oversight of multi-site food service operations with LUNCH meals produced from two central kitchens and distributed to 11 elementary school locations. Must have satellite service experience. No breakfast service.
• Monitor participation trends, forecast meal counts, and communicate effectively between production sites and satellite schools.

We're Looking For:

• 35 years of experience in food service management (K12 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)
• Experience managing satellite meal programs within a large K12 school district environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of bulk food production, transportation logistics, meal holding standards, and satellite service procedures.
• Experience coordinating production schedules and delivery timelines to ensure accurate meal counts and on-time service across multiple schools.
• Ability to manage operational consistency between multiple production kitchens while maintaining USDA and state compliance standards.
• Experience supervising staff across both production and satellite serving locations.
• Knowledge of HACCP procedures, temperature control, food safety, and transportation documentation for satellite meal service.
• Experience with inventory coordination, ordering, and distribution of food and supplies to multiple district locations.
• Strong organizational and communication skills to support seamless operations between central kitchens, drivers, and elementary satellite sites.

Why Join Us?

• Competitive salary + performance bonus opportunities
• Family-friendly schedule no nights or weekends
• Health, dental, and vision benefits
• Paid holidays, time off, and retirement plans
• A chance to shape a food program that supports learning, growth, and equity

About Us:

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 workplaceit's a hub of health, learning, and community.

Apply now and bring your leadership to the lunch lineone student, one meal at a time! At Whitsons our mission is Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time.

$68,000-$70,000

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field OR
• Bachelor's degree in any field plus a state-recognized school nutrition director certificate OR
• Bachelor's degree in any field plus at least 2 years of relevant school nutrition program experience OR
• Associate's degree in a related field plus at least 2 years of relevant school nutrition program experience

Experience:

• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in food service operations management
• 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 years experience in K-12 programs required

Certifications and Training :

• ServSafe Mandatory Local food safety certification if required in jurisdiction of employment. Must be knowledgeable of all local health and food safety ordinances.
• Additional management or hospitality certifications a plus
• Yearly mandatory training in accordance with USDA Professional Standards requirements as well as mandatory Whitsons training requirements

Technical Proficiency:

• 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

Other Qualifications:

• 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

Core Competencies:

• Financial Acumen & Cost Management: Manages location-level budgets, P&L, and cost controls including food cost, labor, and operating expenses to consistently achieve financial targets and sustain profitability.
• Operational Leadership: Directs all daily operations including production, procurement, inventory, and quality control with a disciplined focus on efficiency, consistency, and brand standards.
• People Leadership & Team Development: Recruits, develops, and retains high-performing teams by providing clear direction, consistent coaching, and a supportive work environment aligned with company values.
• Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Ensures all location operations meet or exceed HACCP standards, health codes, sanitation requirements, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations at all times.
• Guest & Client Experience: Builds and sustains strong client and guest relationships through consistent service quality, proactive communication, and a commitment to exceeding expectations.
• Sales, Marketing & Community Engagement: Executes company marketing initiatives and develops local partnerships and community relationships to grow participation, increase revenue, and strengthen brand presence.
• Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement: Maintains rigorous internal audit readiness, monitors quality metrics, and drives year-over-year operational improvements across food production, service, and compliance standards.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS

Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time exempt position. The role requires availability during all operational hours as needed, as an exempt position, it is expected that Team Member will devote whatever time necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities. This may require extended work hours and flexible scheduling to meet business demands.

This position is aligned with the assigned school district calendar; however, the General Manager is expected to schedule vacation and other planned time off during school closures whenever possible to minimize disruption to operations. Work schedules are determined by the operational needs of the account. At locations where summer feeding programs or other summer operations are offered, the General Manager will be expected to work during the summer months as required to support the needs of the business.

Travel & Onsite Expectations

80% of the workday is expected to be in schools observing and supporting the team. Some travel may be required for corporate meetings, training, conferences, or multi-location support. The role requires daily onsite presence at the location to manage operations and staff effectively. Travel throughout school district will be required. All approved travel and related expenses will be covered by the Company. These expectations may evolve based on business needs.

Physical Demands of the Job:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of