Food and Nutrition Services Director

Director Of Food And Nutrition Services

This position provides leadership for patient meal service, retail food operations, catering, sanitation, purchasing, menu development, food safety, productivity, customer experience, and departmental performance improvement initiatives. The Director leads supervisors and front line staff while working collaboratively with dietitians and clinical nutrition personnel to ensure safe, high quality, cost effective, patient-centered food and nutrition services that support organizational goals, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance. The position is accountable for departmental budget performance, labor productivity, food cost management, employee engagement, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and survey readiness. The Director collaborates closely with Nursing, Medical Staff, Infection Prevention, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Finance, Facilities, and hospital leadership to support organizational objectives and continuous improvement initiatives. This position reports to the Executive Director of HR and Support Services.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Workforce Management

· Direct Reports: Food Service Supervisors and other assigned department personnel.

· Works Collaboratively With: Dietitians, Nursing, Medical Staff, Infection Prevention, and ancillary departments

· Establishes clear operational expectations, service standards, and accountability measures for departmental personnel.

· Promotes a culture focused on patient-centered service, employee engagement, professionalism, and continuous improvement.

· Provides leadership, direction, and oversight for food and nutrition operations and departmental personnel.

· Leads supervisors and frontline staff while promoting teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and service excellence.

· Oversees recruitment, hiring, onboarding, coaching, counseling, disciplinary action, performance evaluations, and employee recognition.

· Develops staffing plans and productivity standards to support operational needs and financial goals.

· Builds and maintains a positive workplace culture focused on employee engagement, retention, workforce development, and succession planning.

· Conducts regular leadership rounding and departmental meetings.

· Ensures employees complete required education, competency validation, and compliance training.

Patient Food Service Operations

· Oversees patient food service operations to ensure safe, timely, accurate, and customer-focused meal delivery.

· Ensures compliance with physician diet orders, therapeutic diets, allergy restrictions, texture modifications, and food safety standards.

· Collaborates within dietitians and clinical nutrition staff regarding menu systems, patient satisfaction, nutrition support, and operational coordination.

· Ensures menu systems and production processes support quality, consistency, and regulatory compliance.

· Monitors tray accuracy, meal delivery timeliness, food quality, and patient satisfaction metrics.

Retail, Catering, and Hospitality Operations

· Oversees cafeteria, retail food service, vending, and catering operations.

· Develops strategies to improve customer satisfaction, retail participation, merchandising, and revenue performance.

· Ensures catering services are delivered professionally and meet organizational expectations.

· Maintains appropriate operational controls related to inventory, cash handling, purchasing, and point-of-sale systems.

· Ensures retail and catering operations maintain high standards of cleanliness, safety, presentation, and customer service

Financial Management and Operational Performance

· Develops and manages departmental operating and capital budgets.

· Monitors labor productivity, overtime, food cost, supply expense, inventory levels, and purchased services.

· Identities and implements operational efficiencies and cost containment initiatives.

· Utilizes benchmarking data and operational metrics to improve departmental performance.

· Participates in vendor selection, purchasing activities, contract management, and inventory oversight.

· Ensures department performance aligns with organizational financial goals and productivity expectations.

Regulatory Compliance and Safety

· Ensures compliance with The Joint Commission, CMS, OSHA, Alabama Department of Public Health, local health department regulations, and organizational policies.

· Maintains compliance with food safety standards, sanitation requirements, infection prevention practices, and HACCP principles.

· Ensures departmental readiness for surveys, inspections, and regulatory reviews.

· Oversees emergency feeding plans, downtime procedures, and disaster preparedness processes related to food and nutrition services.

· Ensures safe handling, storage, preparation, and service of food products.

· Maintains patient confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA requirements.

Innovation, Technology, and Strategic Planning

· Establishes department goals, objectives, and performance improvement initiatives.

· Promotes a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within Food and Nutrition Services operations.

· Develops and monitors departmental KPIs, dashboards, and action plans.

· Leads initiatives focused on quality improvement, service excellence, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

· Reviews operational trends, regulatory changes, and healthcare industry best practices to support continuous improvement.

· Participates in organizational committees, interdisciplinary initiatives, and strategic planning efforts.

· Supports system-wide food and nutrition initiatives as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Experience Required

Education:

The DFS should possess at least one of the following credentials:

• Certified Dietary Manager (CDM)
• Registered Dietician
• Associates Degree from an approved Diet Technician Program
• Bachelor Degree in Nutrition
• Bachelor Degree in Food Service Management

NOTE: If none of the above, upon acceptance of the director's position, he or she will immediately enroll in an approved CDM program. It is expected that the director will become a Certified Dietary Manager within one year of hire.

Additionally, the director should be knowledgeable of, and will have met, all local and state certifying requirements. If not already ServSafe certified then it is expected that the DFS become certified within six months of hire.

The director must possess a thorough knowledge of dining service operations, supervision, public relations and all appropriate federal, state and local regulations.

Experience:

Minimum Preferred Experience – five years managerial experience; previous management experience in related field preferred.

Additional Skills/Abilities:

Must have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to promote and foster highly effective teamwork and strong customer service skills within the department.