Cafeteria Manager - IDEA Weslaco (Immediate Opening)

IDEA Public Schools; Hidalgo (TX); On-site; USD 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Family Leave

Tuition Reimbursement

Employer-Paid Mental Health

Dental and Vision Plans

Job summary

IDEA Public Schools seeks a Cafeteria Manager to lead the CNP team at the campus level, ensuring meals meet USDA/state standards and supporting the College For All vision.

You will supervise staff, manage daily food service operations, ensure counts and claims accuracy, and coordinate with campus leadership to maintain high nutrition, safety, and service quality across breakfast and lunch programs.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; some college preferred.
• 2+ years in food service, restaurant, or hospitality industry required.
• 1+ years in supervisory role or leading a team required.
• Valid Texas driver's license required.
• Food Handler's Card preferred (willing to obtain within 30 days).

Responsibilities

• Direct the team to execute the approved menu 100% every day.
• Ensure every student participating in the meal program takes a reimbursable meal.
• Ensure all methods of counting and claiming are compliant.
• Observe counting and claiming at time of service.
• Check that all counts of student meals are accurate.
• Enter all counts correctly into internal trackers and PrimeroEdge.
• Recruit and develop staff for future promotions within the Cafeteria team.
• Monitor and support achievement of budgeted participation and quality standards.

Job description

Role Mission: The Cafeteria Manager leads the CNP team at the campus level on our mission in becoming one of the healthiest school districts in the nation. They adhere to the food and nutrition standards set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and relevant state agencies. They assign duties and tasks to the rest of the team so appropriate quantities of food are ordered, prepared, and served according to the school’s meal schedules. Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to: implementing IDEA’s Wellness Policy, monitoring the financial health of their cafeteria operation, following all state & local health food establishment codes, and coordinating with campus leaders in making College For All a reality.

What We Offer

Compensation

• Compensation for this role is set at an hourly rate ranging between $24.22 for 0 years of experience and $30.30

Other Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include:

• Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability.
• Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/ 7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost.

Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, generous vacation time, referral bonuses and professional development. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

What You Bring -- Competencies

• Mission Focus- focuses on IDEA’s core purpose of getting all students into college.
• Record of Results – holds high expectations for self and others to achieve and surpass intended goals.
• Managing Others to Deliver Results -- leads team to achieve measurable and ambitious results.
• Problem Solving – able to synthesize, analyze, and prioritize data and opportunities to develop strategies for achieving quantifiable goals.
• Coaching & Developing – develops team through formal and informal methods; makes professional development a top priority.
• Communication – effectively conveys information using a variety of channels and techniques.
• Continuous Improvement – proactively identifies opportunities to improve and consistently reflects on past actions to guide future decisions.

Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma required, some college preferred
• Experience:
  • 2+ years in food service, restaurant, or hospitality industry required
  • 1+ years having worked in a supervisory role or leading a team required
• Licenses or Certifications:
  • Valid Texas driver's license required
  • Valid Food Handler's Card Preferred (willing to obtain within the first 30 days)

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities

Zero follow-up findings for the campus on internal counting and claiming audits by last day of school.

• Direct the team to execute the approved menu 100% every day
• Ensure every student participating in the meal program takes a reimbursable meal
• Ensure all methods of counting and claiming are compliant
• Observe that counting and claiming is happening at time of service
• Check that all counts of student meals are accurate
• Enter all counts correctly into internal trackers and PrimeroEdge

Campus meets 85% retention by June 30.

• Recruit top notch FSS and FSS Sub candidates from the area
• Hold weekly employee huddles; topics vary between operations and nutritional matters
• Review and submit employee’s timesheets every Tuesday so employees are paid accurately every 2 weeks
• Use the Staff Development Cycle to provide formal, timely and appropriate feedback on individual work performance and growth opportunities
• Development of Cafeteria Assistant Manager with goal of preparing them for potential promotion to Cafeteria Manager
• Develop FSS with leadership potential into candidates for promotion

Campus meets budgeted participation for breakfast and lunch by the last day of school.

• Ensure each meal is delivered on time and serving lines are is ready and fully stocked for all meal periods
• Conduct and coordinate Breakfast in the Class audits with a target compliance accuracy of 100%
• Prepare all recipes as designed by HQ CNP and report recipe/menu errors and suggested enhancements to the Nutrition Team immediately
• Ensure all menu items are available to all students
• Create a welcoming and friendly environment in cafeteria, kitchen and at each point of service
• Execute recipes and follow food storage best practices to ensure items have desired taste and are served at proper temperatures
• Follow best practices for presenting menus and promoting participation
• Use campus parent functions (i.e. report card night,) to speak to parents about the advantages of participating in our meal program

Campus meets the IDEA Healthy Kids Here standard by Nov 1 and maintains through the last day of school.

• Refer to the HKH self-assessment checklist for recommendations and techniques
• Promote more consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables through food preparation & display
• Rotate milk to ensure freshest product is available to all students
• Decorate the serving line with signage that provides both color and nutritional information that will appeal to students
• Implement and maintain salad bar to College Prep students (where salad bars are approved)

Campus meets an average "A" rating on internal operations audits with no relevant follow up findings on external audits by June 30.

• Follow the designated menu every day; do not serve items outside our advertised menu
• Follow established policies & procedures for a food service operation as per the state guidelines
• Track changes in compliance and internal policies and implement as needed
• Correct issues identified as non-compliant
• Reach out to HQ CNP as needed for guidance in matters of finance, nutrition, and operations
• Complete food production records daily
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Campus CNP Cafeteria Assistant Manager, Food Service Specialists and Substitutes

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college
• Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students

About IDEA Public Schools

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.

IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high school lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.

When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.

At IDEA the Staff Culture and Belonging Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members. Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here: https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/#core-values

Updated December 3, 2020