Assistant Director, Child Nutrition

Conejo Valley Unified School District; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Conejo Valley Unified School District seeks an Assistant Director of Child Nutrition to lead district-wide nutrition programs. You will oversee operations, supervise staff, coordinate menus, and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local guidelines.

You will drive procurement, budgeting and reporting for nutrition services across multiple sites. The role emphasizes management autonomy, policy development, training, and collaboration with district administrators.

Qualifications

• Twenty-four semester units in food services management or related field.
• Four years of supervisory experience in large-volume food service.
• Knowledge of federal, state health and safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Assist in planning and managing district-wide child nutrition programs.
• Supervise procurement and budgeting activities for the department.
• Conduct site inspections to ensure compliance with regulations and quality standards.
• Train, supervise and evaluate nutrition services staff.
• Prepare and review narrative and statistical reports for department operations.

Skills

Leadership

Supervision

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Education

24 semester units in related field

Job description

Position can be 11 Months or 12 Months

APPLICATION PROCESS

Complete an on-line application. Make sure your application reflects all relevant work experience. DO NOT RELY ON YOUR RESUME TO ESTABLISH EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

EXAMINATION PROCESS

(A) Training and Experience Evaluation:

Candidates meeting minimum entrance qualification to compete in this examination will be invited to the Qualified Appraisal Interview.

(B) General Fitness Exam – Date: Week of November 30

The General Fitness Exam will consist of a written assessment and an on-line multiple choice examination assessing fundamental knowledge for the position.

For those passing the General Fitness / Performance Examination:

(C) Structured Oral Interview - Date: TBD

The structured oral interview will contain exercises and questions that assess technical knowledge and experience, and one's general fitness for successful performance in the position.

BASIC POSITION FUNCTION

Under general direction of the Director, Child Nutrition, assists in the oversight, management and administration of the District-wide child nutrition services program; conducts on-site inspections of nutrition centers and monitors food production and preparation, safety and sanitation to ensure compliance with District, federal and state regulations and policies; develops and implements operation and training policies; trains, supervises and evaluates assigned nutrition services personnel.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN RELATED CLASSES

The job class of Assistant Director, Child Nutrition is responsible for assisting the Director, Child Nutrition in the overall management of the Child Nutrition Department involving planning, coordinating, directing and evaluating the District-wide child nutrition operations while maintaining and ensuring compliance with local, State, and Federal health and safety regulations; the incumbent exercises significant autonomy and independent judgment in executing assigned job functions; serves as the head of the department in the Director's absence.

• Assist in planning, organizing, coordinating and managing the District-wide and central kitchen child nutrition programs and operations and assure compliance with federal, State, local and District laws, regulations, policies and procedures, including but not limited to: National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, Free and Reduced Price Meals, CalOSHA sanitation and safety mandates, and general program requirements and needs.
• Plans, supervises, and coordinates menus for regular, special, and contracted meal programs sponsored through inter/intra groups.
• Oversees the development and implementation of food production schedules for the central kitchen involving high volume meal preparation, packaging, assembly and distribution to satellite kitchens and other cooking sites; review work schedules and production standards and recommend adjustments as necessary.
• Confers with satellite kitchen personnel, Child Nutrition Managers, school site and District level administrators, and other stakeholders of the child nutrition programs regarding matters such as food processing needs, food quality controls, menu acceptability, ordering of supplies, and delivery of meals.
• Manages department-wide procurement needs in adherence to applicable legal statutes, regulations and policies; determine specifications for purchase of food, supplies and equipment; researches available products and interviews vendors to establish and maintain sources of supply through competitive bids (e.g. RFP, RFQ); directs and reviews the work of staff performing related purchasing support and accounting functions.
• Participates in the formulation and development of policies, procedures and programs designed to develop new and improve existing child nutrition programs and services; recommend, establish and maintain uniform operating procedures for department activities and operations; assist in analyzing the impact of changes to federal or State legislation or regulations on District programs.
• Conducts site inspections to observe and evaluate child nutrition personnel, sanitary and safety procedures and practices and service delivery; develops and recommends improved methods of food preparation and service delivery; maintains direct contact with site staff regarding compliance and control matters.
• Supervises record keeping of various operational costs and maintains a computerized inventory system of food products, equipment and supplies at the central kitchen warehouse and school site kitchens; reconciles fiscal and physical data and makes necessary adjustments.
• Prepares or oversees the preparation of a variety of narrative and statistical reports, records, and files related to assigned functions.
• Provide technical expertise, information and assistance to the Director, Child Nutrition regarding assigned functions; advises the Director of unusual trends or cost effectiveness of menus, production schedules, service delivery methods and general operations; recommend appropriate corrective action.
• Participates in the development and preparation of the annual preliminary budget for the Child Nutrition Department.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned staff; advise the Director on selection and hire of new employees, employee transfers, reassignments and disciplinary actions.
• Plan, coordinate and conduct in-service training programs for child nutrition staff; attend workshops, conferences and training to maintain current knowledge of institutional food service methods and trends.
• May assist in planning kitchen and cafeteria layouts during construction and remodeling.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Education:

Completion of at least twenty-four (24) semester units of college courses, or a combination of college and adult school course in food services management, hotel and restaurant management, food science, nutrition, sanitation, or other closely related fields. Additional qualifying experience beyond the minimum requirement may be substituted for the required course work on a year-for-year basis.

Experience:

Four (4) years of full-time professional work experience in supervising employees engaged in large volume quantity food preparation, cooking and serving, including responsibility for coordination of several food service facilities, scheduling of employees, employee training, and evaluation.

*Alternate variations of education/experience may be considered by Personnel Commission staff as acceptable to qualify for participation in the examination process resulting in an eligibility list. When appropriate additional work experience beyond the minimum requirement may be supplemented for required minimum education requirements.

Licenses / Certifications / Special Requirements

Health and Safety Certificate (ServSafe Certificate or its equivalent).
Valid California Class C Driver's License; use of private automobile may be required.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, procedures, and methods of large quantity food service preparation, food merchandising, servicing and storing, inventorying, and price and portion controls;
• Food service and commodity purchasing and procurement principles, practices and procedures, including general methods of inventory and property control; mathematical computations needed to compute and analyze food production costs, determine portioning ratios, and estimating future production needs;
• Applicable sections of California State Education Code, and State and Federal laws, rules and regulations as they pertain to school meals and nutritional requirements, such as the National School Lunch Program.
• Applicable health, sanitation, and safety regulations pertaining to the handling and storage of foods and the operation of food processing facilities and equipment;
• Principles and practices of effective management and supervision, including progressive discipline methods;
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy;
• Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.

Ability to:

• Learn new and apply working technical professional knowledge in administering the day-to-day operations of the Child Nutrition department, including but not limited to: Understand, interpret, explain and apply applicable federal, state and district rules and regulations pertinent to food sanitation; methods of quantity food service preparation, food merchandising, serving, and storage.
• Prepare and direct the preparation of a variety of comprehensive narrative and statistical reports for informed decision making relative to department operations.
• Operate under pressure during peak periods, managing multiple priorities and short deadlines
• Conceptualize and translate ideas and goals presented into practical work projects, setting short and long term department goals.
• Recognize and encountered problems and issues and take an affective course of action in resolution
• Communicate effectively with District administrators, school site certificated personnel and child nutrition staff, vendors, stakeholders, and other individuals encountered in the course of work.