An employee in this class is responsible for the administration of the food service program of a school system. Work is directed through the interpretation of state and federal regulations and a variety of local operational and financial policies and procedures. This employee exercises considerable discretionary judgment and analysis in the resolution of problems. Errors may not be recognized internally and thus may result in great loss of money and detriment to the program. The employee receives general direction. Administrative supervision is exercised over supervisors, managers, clerical, and cooking staff.
Develops and reviews purchasing plans and ascertains availability of equipment.
Develops and submits product bid specifications to prospective bidders and vendors. Evaluates bids and product quality prior to awarding of the contract. Recommends vendors to receive product contracts.
Evaluates and projects facility and equipment needs for food service program. Coordinates maintenance and repair of equipment and facilities with internal and external sources. Conducts follow-up on completed repairs and maintenance.
Establishes, implements and evaluates policies and procedures for quality standards and quantity control. Provides leadership in developing recipes following USDA guidelines. Plans menus to meet USDA guidelines. Plans offerings for breakfast, lunch, snack, summer and catering programs. Ensures that servings meet USDA requirements. Sets food presentation standards.
Installs and operates inventory and financial control systems. Projects operational costs. Projects appropriations and revenues. Prepares justification for budget requests, prepares amendments and monitors budget. Recommends meal and supplemental prices. Tracks revenue and spending by sources, verifies cash receipts, oversees payment of bills and maintains fixed asset inventory.
Adapts federal guidelines to meet local conditions. Implements free/reduced lunch programs. Ensures compliance with USDA and ACCU regulations. Reviews inspection forms and conducts routine inspections.
Establishes staffing formula for schools. Recommends employment and placement of personnel. Maintains appropriate personnel records. Conducts appropriate staff meetings and determines staff training needs.
Develops school marketing plans. Seeks and responds to consumer concerns. Prepares appropriate newsletters, news releases and brochures.
Graduation from a four year college and at least 5 years experience in food service in a commercial or institutional setting and two years of management experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Must be physically able to operate a variety of automated office machines including computers, calculators, ovens and stoves, meat slicers, shredders, can openers, kitchen utensils, etc. Must be able to exert up to 80 pounds of force occasionally, up to 30 pounds of force frequently and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
Requires an ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, market orders, program applications, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, purchase orders, etc. using prescribed format and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, and style.
Requires the ability to apply rational systems to solve practical problems, and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written and oral form.
Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of food service administration, team building and customer service.
Considerable knowledge of the principles of supervision, organization and administration.
Thorough knowledge of the methods, tools, techniques and practices of sanitation, food preparation and food storage.
Considerable knowledge of the principles of bookkeeping and accounting of funds.
Considerable knowledge of USDA meal pattern and dietary guidelines and rules and regulations regarding federal meal programs.
Considerable knowledge of federal, state and school system regulations and requirements regarding bookkeeping and accounting of funds collected in school cafeterias.
Some knowledge of the maintenance needs of large kitchen equipment.
Skilled in motivating staff to follow schools, local, state and federal rules, regulations, policies and procedures and in ensuring that staff members meet expectations.
Skilled in leading staff to provide quality meals and friendly service appropriate to a public school environment.
Skilled in projecting amounts of food to be prepared based on previous school history and to order sufficient quantities of necessary ingredients.
Skilled in maintaining complete and accurate records and in developing simple reports from those records.
Ability to comprehend written and verbal correspondence and to respond appropriately.
Ability to plan and implement operational policies, procedures, and standards.
Ability to set priorities and allocate time so that tasks are completed and deadlines are met in a timely manner.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and to use initiative when responding to emergencies, resolving problems and making improvements in the cafeteria operation.
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Ability to exercise tact, courtesy and firmness in frequent contact with co-workers, vendors, customers and subordinates.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this job.