Food Service Manager

The Seven Hills School is seeking an experienced, highly organized Food Service Manager to lead the daily operations of Stingers Cafe. This individual will manage menu curation, kitchen staff supervision, food production, and multi-campus logistics while ensuring a warm, student-centered dining experience. This is a full-time, 12-month position offering a desirable daytime schedule that aligns with the school calendar, with occasional evening hours required for special school community events. Key Responsibilities Daily Operations & Student Dining Experience Manage Departmental Budgets: Oversee the annual culinary and cafe operating budgets, tracking all expenditures, revenue from online portal sales, and catering billing to ensure fiscal responsibility. Control Food Costs: Monitor ingredient pricing, negotiate with suppliers, and enforce waste-reduction strategies to maintain target food cost percentages. Optimize Labor Efficiency: Build strategic kitchen staff schedules that align with fluctuating daily volumes, school event calendars, and summer camp schedules to minimize unnecessary overtime and control labor costs. Drive Inventory Audits: Conduct regular, accurate counts of food, beverage, and supply inventory; analyze variance reports to identify discrepancies and prevent loss or over-purchasing. Lead food production for daily lunch programs, ensuring meals are fresh, appealing, and ready for rolling division lunch schedules. Manage multi-campus logistics , coordinating food prep and distribution between our primary kitchen facilities and satellite dining spaces. Oversee the Stinger Online Café portal , tracking weekly pre-orders (via platforms like Nutrislice, Odin), processing payments, and organizing accurate distribution. Maintain strict allergen protocols , ensuring clear menu labeling and cross-contamination prevention to protect students with severe food allergies. Provide stellar hospitality , creating a welcoming, polite, and efficient environment for students, faculty, and visiting families. Supervise, schedule, and coach kitchen staff to maintain a cohesive, productive, and safe workspace. Oversee inventory and ordering , managing relationships with local vendors to source premium ingredients while containing costs and minimizing waste. Manage catering operations for special campus events, such as board meetings, parent-community events, and alumni gatherings. Maintain departmental records , including daily production logs, food safety audits, and payroll approval datasets. Collaborate with the head chef to design and test seasonal menu changes, daily specials, and health-conscious alternatives. Safety & Compliance Enforce strict food safety protocols , ensuring total adherence to the State of Ohio Department of Health regulations and school sanitization standards. Maintain kitchen equipment , scheduling routine preventative maintenance, and ensuring all machinery is operated safely. Oversee School-Year Event Catering: Plan, prep, and execute custom menus for high-profile campus events, including but not limited to Board of Trustees meetings, alumni reunions, parent-teacher events, and the annual "Books for Lunch" community gathering. Direct Summer Program Dining: Shift operations seamlessly during the summer months to support Seven Hills Summer Camps; design kid-friendly, high-energy menus for day campers, manage rolling lunch schedules, and accommodate strict summer camp allergy rosters. Lead Off-Hour Staffing & Logistics: Schedule and manage flexible kitchen staff or temporary labor to cover evening events, weekend sports tournaments, and summer camp hours without disrupting core academic-year workflows. Skills and Qualifications Experience: 3+ years of successful food service management experience required, preferably in private school dining, institutional culinary services, university settings, or high-volume catering. Certifications: ServSafe Manager Certification is required; State of Ohio Level 2 Food Safety Certification must be held or obtained upon hire. Technical Proficiency: Comfort using online meal-ordering systems, modern POS registers, inventory software, and basic office platforms (Google Workspace / Microsoft Office), Odin POS system, and Nutrislice application for menus. Physical Requirements: Must be able to stand for extended periods, work in active kitchen environments, and lift or move culinary supplies weighing up to 50 lbs. Background Check: Final candidates must successfully pass a comprehensive criminal background check, including BCI and FBI fingerprinting, as required for all Ohio school employees. What We Offer Balanced Schedule: A dependable Monday–Friday daytime routine following the academic calendar, providing rare work-life balance in the culinary industry. Competitive Benefits: Full health, dental, and vision insurance packages, alongside a retirement contribution plan. Vibrant Culture: A collaborative, professional, and mission-driven community focused on employee wellness and student success. #J-18808-Ljbffr