Supervisor of Child Nutrition Services

Supervisor - Child Nutrition Services

The Supervisor of Child Nutrition Services provides visionary leadership and strategic oversight of the division's comprehensive child nutrition program, ensuring each student has access to high-quality, nutritious meals in a welcoming and well-managed environment. This position is responsible for directing all aspects of the program including personnel management, financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, purchasing, and facilities, while continuously conducting reviews of child nutrition programming to identify and implement refinements and enhancements that drive improvements in meal quality, operational efficiency, and student satisfaction. The Supervisor leads and develops the Child Nutrition Services team, including direct oversight of the Field Manager, and champions a forward-thinking, data-informed approach to continuously enhance the nutritional value and overall student experience of the school food service program. The Supervisor also actively seeks grants to expand program resources and advance nutritional initiatives.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Provides strategic oversight of menu planning in collaboration with the Field Manager, ensuring menus reflect current Federal and State nutritional guidelines, emerging food trends, scratch cooking initiatives, and the goal of delivering high-quality, appealing meals that improve student satisfaction and participation.
• Conducts ongoing, comprehensive reviews of child nutrition programming across all schools, proactively identifying and implementing refinements and enhancements that improve meal quality, operational efficiency, and student satisfaction; uses data, feedback, and best practices to drive continuous improvement and ensure the program evolves to meet the needs of students and the division.
• Develops, administers, and monitors the annual departmental budget, ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds; oversees all financial procedures including income, expenditures, payroll approval, and cafeteria account audits, with the exception of the preparation of contracts and personnel actions for the School Board.
• Establishes and maintains efficient purchasing procedures in cooperation with the school division buyer, including preparing bid specifications for food, supplies, and equipment; manages USDA commodity records, prepares annual commodity requests, and allocates resources to schools based on need and equitable utilization.
• Directs regular operational reviews of each school's food service program in partnership with the Field Manager, evaluating procedures, personnel, equipment, nutritional standards, and sanitation to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and ensure alignment with Federal, State, and local guidelines.
• Evaluates all cafeteria managers, food service staff, and the Field Manager annually on the basis of performance, growth, and alignment with divisional goals; provides ongoing coaching and support to the Field Manager to strengthen program leadership and ensure consistent implementation of division standards.
• Evaluates equipment needs, determines budgetary impact, prepares specifications, and submits bids for large equipment purchases; reviews construction drawings and specifications for new and renovated cafeteria spaces, providing recommendations to the Senior Director of Operations.
• Manages the free and reduced price meal programs with integrity and efficiency, including policy implementation, distribution of information to schools, approval of eligibility forms, and ensuring student eligibility status is accurately maintained in the division's student information system.
• Ensures the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of all reports submitted to the Virginia Department of Education School Nutrition Programs and other regulatory bodies; maintains all required federal and state program applications and documentation.
• Directs a comprehensive professional development strategy for all Child Nutrition Services personnel, working closely with the Field Manager to design, facilitate, and monitor training programs, including scratch cooking techniques and culinary skill development, that translate into improved daily practice, operational excellence, and enhanced meal quality; leverages grant funding opportunities to expand and sustain training initiatives.
• Serves as essential personnel in emergency situations, fulfilling duties as described in the division's Radiological Emergency Response Plan and Inclement Weather Plan, including coordination of feeding at shelters as needed.
• Establishes and enforces division-wide standards for cleanliness, health, and safety across all school food service operations; reviews Health Department inspection reports, directs corrective actions, and ensures sustained compliance at every school site.
• Oversees the implementation and integrity of point-of-sale and cafeteria technology systems across all schools, ensuring effective staff training and accurate, efficient daily operations.
• Leads Child Nutrition managers' meetings and supports the Field Manager in facilitating professional development and operational improvements; attends local, State, and national workshops and meetings to stay current on best practices and bring forward-thinking ideas back to the division.
• Oversees all in-house catering operations including menu development, costing, ordering, preparation, delivery, setup, cleanup, and billing; ensures cost-effective, high-quality catering services for school and community functions.
• Oversees food service operations that serve as vendors for Head Start and other external programs, ensuring quality, compliance, and alignment with program nutritional standards.
• Proactively researches, identifies, and supports grant applications and external funding opportunities to expand program resources, support scratch cooking and nutrition initiatives, fund training and equipment needs, and advance innovative child nutrition programming aligned with the Superintendent's goals; manages all aspects of awarded grants including compliance, reporting, and budget administration.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum qualifications (knowledge, skills and/or abilities required) include:

• Bachelor's degree in Dietetics, Food and Nutrition, Institutional Food Management, Business Management, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred.
• Substantial progressive supervisory experience in school food service or institutional food service management, with demonstrated success in leading teams and managing complex operations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of school food service practices, regulations, and nutritional standards; thorough understanding of quantity food production, kitchen sanitation and safety, budget development and administration, cost control, food purchasing, and financial reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to strategically organize, direct, and continuously improve all phases of a food service program, including menu planning, equipment procurement, staff coordination, and program evaluation; ability to identify and act on emerging trends in school nutrition.
• Ability to establish and sustain effective, collaborative working relationships with school administrators, community partners, regulatory agencies, and all food service staff; strong written and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs required; experience with grant research, writing, and administration strongly preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and school nutrition software applications.

Supervision exercised:

Direct supervision of CNS Field Manager, cafeteria managers, food service operations, and employees

Supervision received:

Performs duties under the supervision of the Senior Director for Operations. Guidelines available for assistance are as follows: division Policy Manual, annual budget, state and federal guidelines, approved policy for free and reduced price meals, and all previous records. The Supervisor of Child Nutrition Services must maintain effective communication with school administrators, students, and the community.

Working conditions & physical requirements:

Frequent interruptions, changing priorities, attention to detail. Must work closely with city, county health departments, and state Department of Education School Nutrition Programs. Good attendance and punctuality required. Must have the ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time; exhibit manual dexterity to dial a telephone, to enter data into a computer terminal; to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels and on the telephone; speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms and on the telephone; physical agility to lift up to 25 pounds.