Director of Food Services

Director of School Nutrition DEPARTMENT: Student Services FLSA STATUS: Exempt REPORTS TO: Chief Officer of Student Services CALENDAR: 240 Days SALARY SCHEDULE: State Salary Schedule & Supplement REVISED (HR): 09/23/2026 SUMMARY: Provide leadership to the School Nutrition Program and direct operations in such a way as to provide high quality, nutritious and appetizing meals in a cost-effective manner aligned with best practices and standards of school nutrition and food service management. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Manage 23 school nutrition programs as well as District Office School Nutrition staff KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES: Knowledge Regulatory Compliance & Nutrition Standards: Comprehensive understanding of local, state, and federal laws, USDA guidelines, and Georgia Department of Education regulations governing School Nutrition Programs (e.g., NSLP, SBP), including nutritional standards, sanitation, safety protocols, and free/reduced-price meal eligibility processing. Financial Management & Public Procurement: Thorough knowledge of school district budgeting, fund accounting, cost-efficiency strategies, and public purchasing/procurement regulations, including bid processes, vendor specifications, and inventory oversight. Food Service Operations & Facility Design: Knowledge of commercial kitchen design, equipment specifications, layout planning, and operational workflow for modern, efficient, and safe school cafeteria spaces. Personnel Development & Adult Education: Understanding of supervisory techniques, performance evaluation systems, adult learning principles, and training curriculum development tailored to food service staff. Industry Systems & Technology: Knowledge of specialized nutrition software, point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory tracking, and standard office computer applications applicable to school nutrition management. Skills Financial & Administrative Management: Proficient in preparing, administering, and monitoring multi- site program budgets, financial accounts, purchase requisitions, and inventory data for reporting to executive leadership (e.g., CFO). Supervision & Personnel Leadership: Skilled in directing, evaluating, and mentoring managers and food service personnel, conducting needs assessments, and delivering engaging professional development and safety training programs. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Skilled in consulting with district leadership, principals, teachers, parents, and community organizations to promote nutrition programs and maintain a customer- focused, service-oriented environment. Strategic Planning & Program Evaluation: Proficiency in establishing measurable program goals, designing operational policies, monitoring cross-district activities, and analyzing annual evaluations to drive continuous improvement. Operational Oversight & Quality Control: Skilled in conducting site visits, inspecting kitchen safety and sanitation practices, reviewing procurement compliance, and maintaining vehicle and equipment safety protocols. Abilities Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to build strong working relationships with administrators, colleagues, school personnel, and professional organizations such as the Georgia and National School Nutrition Associations. Customer Focus & Public Relations: Ability to project a consistently approachable, professional, and service-oriented demeanor when responding to requests, special assistance needs, or community inquiries. Analytical Problem-Solving: Ability to interpret technical literature, research product specifications, analyze program data, and solve operational or compliance challenges efficiently. Reliability & Compliance: Ability to maintain a valid driver's license, operate district vehicles safely, maintain regular and punctual attendance, and adhere to all Board policies and legal mandates. Professional Commitment: Ability and willingness to maintain relevant certifications, attend required workshops/seminars, and continuously advance professional knowledge through coursework and association involvement. EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE: Master's degree from a Professional Standards Commission approved accredited college or university in food and nutrition, business administration, food service management dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts or a related field. Bachelor's degree from a Professional Standards Commission approved accredited college or university and convert to a Clear Renewable certificate (Master's Degree or higher) within 3 years in food and nutrition, business administration, food service management dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts or a related field. Supervisory experience preferred in school nutrition, hospital dietetics or home economics teaching. CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PERMITS: Valid Professional Standards Commission approved certificate at level T-5 or above preferred. QUALIFICATIONS: Ability to establish good working relationships with principals, teachers, school nutrition staff, central office personnel and vendors. Strong organizational and leadership ability required. Must have a valid Georgia Motor Vehicle operator's license with endorsements compatible with assigned duties of Whitfield County Board of Education. JOB DUTIES Establish goals for each School Nutrition Program, in collaboration with school staff monitor progress and activities to reach established goals and evaluate the effectiveness of completed goals. Plan, develop and coordinate the implementation of standards and policies for the School Nutrition Program in accordance with local, state and federal requirements. Supervise, evaluate and provide professional development and training for assigned personnel. Consult regularly with appropriate department heads and principals on all aspects of the School Nutrition Program. Serve as a resource to staff, faculty, school and community groups on nutrition and the School Nutrition Program. Research product and service specifications to identify performance related characteristics relevant to system needs. Accept and consider input and requests for special assistance and consideration from all sources. Consistently maintain a demeanor perceived as service-oriented by teachers, school administrators, colleagues and supervisors. Monitor purchase requisitions and provide general oversight of buyer activity to ensure purchasing actions are in compliance with applicable rules, regulations and laws and maximum benefits to the system are recognized. Make visits to all schools regularly; and provide appropriate follow-up and requests for assistance. Oversee training of staff in the use and care of equipment and appropriate kitchen safety procedures. Promote the expansion, development and understanding of the School Nutrition Program within schools and the community. Provide data and information to the Chief Financial Officer, as needed, for the improvement of programs and services provided through the School Nutrition Program. Maintain consistent, high-quality, customer focus when conducting business and providing services to local schools, general public and internal and external customers. Produce, administer and maintain the School Nutrition Program budget. Oversee the planning, layout, design and opening of new and renovated kitchens and cafeterias to ensure effective use of School District funds while providing modern, efficient and inviting spaces. Review annual evaluations of each School Nutrition Program. Hold monthly meetings with School Nutrition Program Managers. Assess training needs of School Nutrition Program personnel. Plan and provide for in-service training for all School Nutrition Program employees. Operate the School Nutrition Program in a cost-efficient manner. Supervise all School Nutrition financial accounts, school nutrition reports and records to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Oversee district wellness committee and initiatives. Attend seminars, workshops and supervisor meetings as scheduled. Provide a program for involvement of students, parents and community in School Nutrition Programs. Serve as advisor to the Whitfield County School Nutrition Association, and provide assistance, as needed. Support the Georgia and National School Nutrition Associations. Promote personal professionalism through participation in associations, professional groups, seminars and college course work. Implement and maintain computer technology within the School Nutrition Program. Monitor adherence of nutrition programs to federal, state and local laws and regulations concerning such matters as sanitation, safety and nutritional standards of the meal program. Operate Board-owned vehicle in a safe manner and assume responsibility for all supplies and equipment on the vehicle. Possess and maintain valid and appropriate license, certificate and/or credential as may be required for this position. Follow work scheduling and attendance requirements in a regular, predictable and punctual manner. Participate in training programs to increase skills and proficiency related to assignments. Review current developments, literature and technical sources of information related to job responsibility. Monitor free and reduced-price meal application processing, bid and procurement processing and inventory. Review employee evaluations. Ensure adherence to good safety procedures. Follow federal and state laws, as well as Board policies. Perform all other duties as assigned. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS: Decision Making: Ability to make appropriate business decisions. Attention to Detail: Ability to recognize errors or layout features that detract from the physical attractiveness or accuracy of a work product. Public Contact: Ability to communicate professionally and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with superiors, colleagues, and other individuals within and external to the school system. Ability to demonstrate professionalism while interacting with others and to maintain constructive working relationships. Attendance and Dependability: Ability to be depended on to report to work at the scheduled time and to seldom be absent from work. Ability to complete work in a timely, accurate manner and to be conscientious about work performance. Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met. Reaching; Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction. Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand or arm as in handling. Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm. Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which one must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly. Vision: The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye. Acuity (near and far vision), depth perception (three dimensional vision), accommodation (adjustment of lens to eye to bring an object into sharp focus), field of vision (area that can be seen up and down or to the right or left while eyes are fixed on a given point) and color vision (ability to distinguish and identify colors) are required factors. Hearing: Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make fine discrimination in sounds, such as when making fine adjustments on machined parts with or without correction. Repetitive Motions: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. Interaction with Others: Ability to maintain, on a regular and consistent basis, relationships that are not characterized by high levels of hostility, social withdrawal or failure to communicate. Ability to be flexible relative to daily routines. Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to the differences among diverse populations. Concentration: Ability to maintain workflow and thought processes in the presence of frequent distractions. Ability to ignore irrelevant sights or sounds and intrusive thoughts or stimuli. Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously with only few or no errors. Stressful Circumstances: Ability to produce quality work when short or unexpected deadlines are presented. Ability to adjust work processes without incident when new and unexpected directions are given relative to a project that may be in process. Ability to maintain composure and not compound a situation when interacting with persons who may be angry, demanding or otherwise less than polite. Independent Judgment: Ability to complete work tasks without being given precise directions relative to work steps or the final project. Organizational Skills: Ability to establish priorities; simultaneously manage multiple tasks; and deliver a quality work product by a designated deadline.

The Whitfield County School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, or disability. Revised: 2-9-2018