Child Nutrition Director (District)

TEXAS LEADERSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Job Title:  Child Nutrition Director

Department:  Operations and Support Services

Reports To:  Manager, Support Services

GENERAL PURPOSE: The District Child Nutrition Director is responsible to provide operational and administrative direction and management of the District Child Nutrition Program (CNP).  This position will lead and oversee all operational functions of Child Nutrition which include planning, assessing, implementing, marketing and evaluating the program in order to meet the nutritional, educational and financial needs of students and District programs. The school nutrition professional shall partner with others in the school district and community to solicit support for the development of a sound nutrition assistance food program while complying with federal, state, and local guidelines.  The CNP Director is to provide an environment that supports healthy food habits while maintaining program integrity and customer satisfaction.

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PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following duties ARE NOT intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.

Child Nutrition Operations

• Develop and administer the Child Nutrition Program, including oversight of all team personnel (District and Vendor Partners) to ensure food compliance, employee safety, and sufficient customer service
• Ensures district wide food service program is in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, local and state health ordinances, and school district policies
• Oversees preparation and updating of menus, social media, and communication to ensure all Texas Leadership stakeholders are aware of meals offered, meal times and menu substitutions
• Establishes schedule to routinely visit school cafeterias to evaluate products, recipes and student acceptability of menu items
• Remains current and implements new child nutrition guidelines and meal patterns as directed by Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and federal regulations; trains department staff and monitors implementation of these regulations
• Oversees nutrition education and marketing, leads external communication with parents to drive participation and inform of upcoming menus and special events
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with all Texas Leadership stakeholders to include vendors and contract partners
• Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures; organize and conduct training programs to promote a safe work environment; ensures that measures are in place and operating to protect food, supplies, and equipment in school cafeterias, lunchrooms, and goods storage
• Participate in development of the district’s disaster plan and be prepared to take an active role in responding to emergencies, as needed
• Attend and make presentations at conferences and school board meetings regarding Child Nutrition programs and innovations; attend appropriate trainings and meetings as required/authorized to maintain professional certification
• Coordinates continuing programs for staff training and personnel development
• Works with school personnel and parents to ensure identification of students with food allergies in the appropriate system of record 
• Investigates reported food concerns and takes appropriate action to resolve issues
• Actively participates in professional organizations; takes the initiative to provide leadership in addressing the challenges facing the profession
• Promotes an open, collegial environment among staff and develops positive staff morale
• Anticipates challenges and manages conflict within his/her area of responsibility and ensures service excellence in all areas in which s/he is involved

Site/Location Oversight ( as assigned)

• Responsible for day-to-day operations of site kitchens; ensures timely delivery of product per vended meal contract agreement
• Ensures meal counts are accurate daily, by meal
• Ensures Point of Sale system is operational, accurate and software is up-to date
• Works with campus leadership to ensure sufficient staff are trained to perform daily cashiering responsibilities
• Ensures assigned cashiers meet USDA and TDA requirements for training
• Serves as cashier if school staff is not available to support daily operations

Vended Meal and Contract Oversight

• Handles all matters concerning contracts, Requests for Proposal (RFP), Co-Ops agreement and equipment purchases for all District sites, in accordance with Federal and TDA guidelines 
• Participates in contract negotiations for child nutrition related services, evaluates formal bids, and makes recommendations for the awarding of contracts for Board approval
• Implements guidelines and corrective action when needed pertaining to any deficiencies identified within the District’s CNP or with the District’s Vended Meal provider
• Partner, evaluate, and oversee kitchen operations in all campus locations across the district; perform semi-annual Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reviews and other site visits to validate partner performance
• Ensure Vendor Partner team members are working with campus leadership to create a seamless, smooth and efficient program within campus locations
• Ensures partner complies with development, maintenance, distribution and documentation of all food production records for all menus

Financial and Asset Management

• Responsible for program financial forecasting, budget management, billing reconciliation and property oversight
• Maintains all records and program documentation on a shared drive, accessible by all personnel who need access
• Support district personnel in administrative reviews and audits, ensures all documentation is provided in a timely manner
• Communicate changes in program compliance, contract management, financial requirements and pertinent program information clearly and effectively
• Creates, updates, receives, processes and distributes all Free and Reduced Meal Applications and eligibility letters district wide 

• Provides technical support for all school food service personnel, school administrators, and parents including all District Point-of-Sale system, Front-of-House systems, and District billing/payment website related issues 
• Determines equipment needs and specifications to ensure proper kitchen preparations are made when new facilities are purchased, existing facilities renovated, or campus growth requires a redesign to optimize serving capability
• Prepares and submits NSLP reimbursement claims and TEA reports for all district sites
• Prepare yearly commodity contract and supervise monthly commodity reconciliation
• Coordinates the purchase of child nutrition items, in accordance with budgetary limitations and district policies
• Recommends participation in purchasing cooperatives when in best interest of the department.
• Track commodity usage and receipt of commodity products; lead person responsible for utilization of commodity balances within TDA guidelines.
• Coordinates and tracks all food promotions and rebates.
• Responsible for reviewing, submitting, and tracking all assigned contracts between the District and other entities.
• Maintains documentation of all pre-existing contracts to ensure renewal deadlines are met
• Prepare, compile, and submit all reports as required or requested.   

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

General Qualifications

• Education/Certification/Licensure: 
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work-related experience in a nutrition specific or related major (academic major or concentration in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or related field). School nutrition experience is preferred, but not required; Or: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent educational experience in any major and least 2 years of relevant school nutrition experience; Or: Associate degree or equivalent educational experience in a nutrition specific or related major (academic major or concentration in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business, or a related field) and at least 2 years of relevant school nutrition experience

• Texas School Child Nutrition Association Certification preferred

• Special Knowledge and Skills 

• Knowledge of menu planning, food purchasing, and preparation of foods in a food service environment
• Ability to manage budgets, grants, equipment, and forecast requirements in a multi-year plan
• Ability to coordinate district functions
• Ability to develop, analyze, and interpret policies, procedures and data

General Qualifications

• Work is performed in both traditional office setting and field setting
• Must maintain control in stressful situations
• Proven performance in a deadline-driven workload
• Maintain professional and empathetic communication with parents, community, partners and/or other district/campus employees
• Frequent travel may be required
• Extended hours may be required

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Compliance regarding federal, state and local requirements for reporting and Child Nutrition Standards
• Financial Measures: Maintaining Data Analysis 
• Monthly debt by campus
• Monthly meal rate by campus/compared to attendance/enrollment
• Monthly DC list/CEP percentage by free/reduced/cash total
• Operational Measures
• Daily meals served by campus
• Timely submission of payment for contracts and commodities
• Timely reconciliation of grants
• Documentation of customer feedback and customer input
• Analysis of continuous process improvement
• Completion and follow-up regarding KPIs to vended meal partner
•  Staffing Measures
• Review of kitchen production and staffing on a weekly basis
• Collaborative discussions at Child Nutrition team meetings with vended meal partner reps