Dietary/Hospitality Director

Job Description

Job Description

Dietary Director Job Description

TITLE: Dietary Director

DEPARTMENT: Dietary Services

REPORTS TO : Owners / Executive Director

Position Summary
The Dietary Director is responsible for the overall leadership and day-to-day operation of Dietary Services at South Prairie Memory Care. This position oversees the kitchen, dining service, food quality, sanitation, staffing, purchasing, inventory, and dietary budget to ensure residents receive safe, nutritious, appealing, and thoughtfully prepared meals. The Dietary Director is expected to maintain a high standard of hospitality and food service, with an emphasis on fresh, homemade-style foods, consistent quality, attractive plate presentation, and a clean, welcoming dining environment. In addition to resident meal service, this is a hospitality-focused leadership role that supports the broader daily food service needs of the community and its leadership. The Dietary Director works closely with kitchen staff, the contracted licensed dietitian, the owners, Executive Director, administration, and Activities Director to support resident needs, leadership needs, special events, and the overall dining experience while maintaining compliance with resident service plans, physician orders, Illinois assisted living requirements, and applicable public health regulations.

Performance Standards (May include, but are not limited to:)
· Provides hands-on leadership and oversight of all aspects of kitchen and dining operations and takes ownership of the quality, cleanliness, organization, and service provided by the Dietary Department.
· Works closely with a contracted licensed dietitian to develop and implement menus that meet residents' nutritional needs while remaining appealing, varied, practical, and appropriate for the population served.
· Plans, prepares, cooks, and oversees the preparation and service of three (3) meals daily for residents, staff, and resident guests, as well as other food service and hospitality needs assigned by the owners or Executive Director.
· Emphasizes fresh, homemade-style meal preparation using quality ingredients. Meals should be prepared in-house whenever reasonably practical rather than relying on fully prepared, heat-and-serve foods as the routine standard of service.
· Ensures food quality, flavor, texture, temperature, portioning, consistency, and plate presentation are given appropriate attention at every meal.
· Creates a dining experience that is welcoming, respectful, and attentive, with food and service presented in a manner that reflects the importance of each resident's daily dining experience.
· Ensures meals comply with therapeutic diets and dietary requirements outlined in resident service plans and physician orders and accommodates individualized dietary restrictions or special dietary needs as directed.
· Maintains current knowledge of resident food allergies, dietary restrictions, preferences, dislikes, and other relevant dining needs and communicates them effectively to kitchen staff.
· Plans and participates in community events, celebrations, holiday meals, family events, and special activities. Bakes, prepares, cooks, and coordinates food for special activities and events as needed.
· Communicates and collaborates with the Executive Director, owners, administration, and Activities Director in advance to plan menus, refreshments, baked goods, special meals, and other food service needs for facility events and activities.
· Plans and prepares requested meals for on-site leadership as part of the community’s regular hospitality and food service operations. This may include preparing individual or small-group lunches and dinners, accommodating reasonable preferences, and coordinating timing with the owners or Executive Director. These responsibilities are considered a regular function of the Dietary Director role and should be incorporated into daily kitchen planning and workflow without compromising resident meal service or dietary needs.
· Oversees all Dietary Department staff, including training, delegation, scheduling coordination, performance expectations, accountability, workflow, and completion of assigned duties.
· Determines staffing needs for the Dietary Department and communicates hiring or scheduling needs to administration to ensure food quality, cleanliness, meal service, special events, and departmental responsibilities can be consistently maintained.
· Develops, monitors, and manages the Dietary Department budget in collaboration with administration and operates within approved budget expectations while maintaining appropriate standards for food quality and resident service.
· Monitors food costs, purchasing patterns, waste, inventory levels, and vendor pricing and makes responsible adjustments to support both quality and cost control.
· Sources food and supplies from appropriate, reliable, and cost-effective vendors and purchasing sources, comparing quality, availability, pricing, and value rather than relying solely on convenience purchasing.
· Maintains appropriate inventory of fresh, frozen, refrigerated, and dry food supplies and orders according to menu plans, census, special events, dietary needs, and budget guidelines.
· Receives and checks food deliveries for quality, freshness, safe temperatures, correct quantities, and proper storage.
· Maintains responsibility for the cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of the entire dietary service area, including the kitchen, cooking and food preparation areas, appliances, equipment, dishwashing areas, dining room, resident drink station, staff break room, dry storage room, coolers, freezers, shelving, floors, and other dietary storage or service areas.
· Establishes and enforces routine cleaning schedules and kitchen duty lists and ensures assigned cleaning is completed thoroughly rather than allowing sanitation or organizational concerns to accumulate.
· Ensures proper food handling, storage, labeling, rotation, temperature control, sanitation, and kitchen safety practices are consistently followed in accordance with applicable public health requirements.
· Maintains portion control and consistency while ensuring portions and presentation remain appropriate and appealing to residents.
· Ensures weekly menus are posted and daily meal descriptions are posted in the dining room and communicates menu changes as appropriate.
· Assists with preparation for health department inspections, licensing surveys, and regulatory visits and promptly addresses identified dietary or sanitation concerns.
· Participates in required facility training, in-service education, fire drills, and emergency preparedness drills.
· Communicates regularly and proactively with the Executive Director and leadership team regarding dietary operations, staffing, food quality, resident concerns, purchasing, budget performance, equipment needs, and opportunities for improvement.
· Maintains confidentiality regarding resident information and promotes resident dignity, safety, choice, and well-being in all aspects of dietary service.
· Performs other food preparation, dietary service, hospitality, and facility duties as assigned by the owners or Executive Director, including special meal preparation, individualized food service needs, leadership meals, and other reasonable food-related requests.

Working Conditions
· Sits, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently throughout working hours.
· Works in a kitchen environment with exposure to heat, cooking equipment, and cold storage areas.
· May be required to lift up to 50 pounds and stand for extended periods.
· May be required to work beyond normal hours including weekends and holidays.

Position Requirements
· Knowledge of food preparation, food safety, and sanitation practices.
· Knowledge of Madison County Health Department regulations and Illinois food service sanitation requirements.
· Ability to manage kitchen inventory and food ordering systems.
· Ability to work with a licensed dietitian to implement nutritionally appropriate menus.
· Ability to supervise kitchen staff and coordinate meal service operations.
· Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
· Demonstrated ability to lead and hold kitchen staff accountable for food quality, service standards, cleanliness, and assigned responsibilities.
· Ability to plan and manage a departmental food budget, control costs, source products responsibly, and maintain appropriate inventory.
· Strong practical cooking and baking skills with the ability to prepare fresh, homemade-style meals and special-event foods for groups.
· Strong attention to detail regarding food quality, plate presentation, sanitation, organization, and the resident dining experience.
· Ability to adapt meal preparation to therapeutic diets, allergies, preferences, and other individualized dietary requirements.

Food handler or food sanitation certification as required by local regulations