Director of Culinary Services

Job Description

Job Description

We enrich the lives of those we serve by providing a nurturing environment that fosters joy, purpose, and well-being . The Sharon at SouthPark is a continuing care retirement community for senior residents located near the heart of SouthPark. We are a non-profit long term care facility that offers independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care. At the Sharon at SouthPark our team member's number one responsibility is to deliver compassionate resident care every time! We believe by demonstrating our unifying principles of stewardship, unity, purpose, excellence in service, respect, and beauty this can be achieved daily.

SUMMARY:

The Director of Culinary provides strategic and operational leadership for all culinary and dining services at The Sharon at SouthPark. This position is responsible for exceptional resident dining experiences and high standards of food quality, hospitality, nutrition, sanitation, regulatory compliance, financial performance, and team member engagement. The Director leads Culinary Services in alignment with The Sharon at SouthPark's mission, Guiding Principles, policies, and strategic priorities.

CULINARY LEADERSHIP

Develop and execute a comprehensive culinary and dining strategy aligned with the organization's mission, strategic plan, resident expectations, and wellness goals. Establish measurable standards for resident satisfaction, food quality, hospitality, financial performance, team engagement, and regulatory compliance. Lead innovation in menus, dining concepts, service delivery, technology, and special events.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following (other duties may be assigned):

• Provide overall leadership, direction, and accountability for Culinary Services and all dining operations.
• Model The Sharon at SouthPark's mission, Guiding Principles, and commitment to excellence in service.
• Lead, coach, develop, and support the Assistant Director, Executive Chef, managers, supervisors, and culinary team.
• Ensure appropriate staffing, scheduling, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning.
• Oversee dining venues, resident meal services, healthcare dining, catering, special events, and culinary programs.
• Ensure food and beverage offerings meet standards for quality, taste, presentation, variety, nutrition, temperature, and service.
• Maintain a resident-centered dining program responsive to preferences, dietary needs, and changing expectations.
• Maintain Culinary Services in an inspection-ready condition and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Develop and manage the annual Culinary Services budget, including labor, food costs, purchasing, inventory, and expenses.
• Use resident feedback, financial information, and KPIs to evaluate performance and drive improvement.

CULINARY OPERATIONS & RESIDENT EXPERIENCE

Dining Operations and Hospitality

• Direct day-to-day culinary and dining operations across applicable levels of care and dining venues.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on menu development, production standards, food quality, and culinary innovation.
• Maintain a visible presence in dining venues and positive relationships with residents, families, guests, and team members.
• Actively solicit and respond to resident feedback and address concerns promptly and professionally.
• Participate in resident meetings, committees, and forums related to culinary services.

NUTRITION, SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

• Provide leadership and oversight for resident nutrition and dining services.
• Collaborate with registered dietitians, nursing, and clinical leadership to support resident nutritional needs.
• Ensure therapeutic diets, texture modifications, food allergies, and dietary restrictions are implemented accurately.
• Monitor food production, sanitation, purchasing, receiving, storage, inventory, and waste management standards.
• Ensure required food safety, sanitation, infection prevention, emergency preparedness, and workplace safety training.
• Develop and monitor quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives.
• Safeguard food, supplies, equipment, operating funds, and organizational property.
• Partner with organizational departments to address operational needs and risks.
• Represent The Sharon at SouthPark professionally with residents, families, vendors, regulators, and community partners.

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATION

Provides financial stewardship through budget development, labor and food-cost management, purchasing, inventory control, capital planning, performance measurement, and operational efficiency. Collaborates across departments to support resident experience, community events, strategic priorities, and organizational growth. Performs other duties as assigned by the Vice President of Vitality & Well-Being.

QUALIFICATIONS  

Must demonstrate strong leadership, communication, organizational, financial management, hospitality, and interpersonal skills; possess comprehensive knowledge of culinary operations, dining service, sanitation, and food safety; and demonstrate a commitment to serving older adults.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in hospitality management, culinary arts, food and nutrition, business administration, foodservice management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience in culinary, hospitality, dining services, or foodservice operations required.
• Experience leading a complex, high-volume dining operation strongly preferred.
• Experience in senior living, healthcare, hospitality, or a Life Plan Community preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, labor, food costs, team performance, and quality standards required.
• Equivalent combinations of education, credentials, and relevant leadership experience may be considered.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) preferred. ServSafe Manager Certification or equivalent food protection manager certification required or obtained within the timeframe established by The Sharon at SouthPark.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provides leadership and oversight of Culinary Services personnel, including the Assistant Director, Executive Chef, managers, supervisors, chefs, cooks, servers, dietary aides, utility staff, and other assigned team members. Responsible for talent development, performance management, succession planning, and team engagement.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this job. The employee regularly stands, walks, sits, reaches, communicates, and moves throughout culinary and dining areas. The employee may occasionally climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or lift. Must be able to safely lift, push, or pull up to 35 pounds and assist with emergency procedures when required. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

ACCESS TO PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION:

The Director of Culinary may have access to protected health information when necessary to perform assigned responsibilities. Access will be limited to the minimum necessary and governed by applicable privacy requirements and The Sharon at SouthPark policies.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Works throughout culinary production areas, dining venues, offices, storage areas, and other community spaces. The position requires routine interaction with residents, families, team members, vendors, and community partners. Flexibility to work occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, severe weather events, and operational emergencies is required.

The Sharon at SouthPark is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. Recruitment, employment, promotional and all other human resource decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or genetic information.

Per company policy Proof of Influenza vaccine and/or approved medical/religious exemption is required for all employees.