Child Nutrition Operations Specialist

YES Prep; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Supplemental Insurance

Retirement Plans

Paid Time Off

Paid Leave Programming

Professional Development

Award Winning Culture

Job summary

YES Prep in Houston is seeking a dynamic Child Nutrition Operations Specialist to supervise the implementation of USDA/TDA policies and deliver seamless food operations for students. You will visit cafeterias, ensure health-code compliance, plan nutrition events, manage program checks, and coordinate with vendors while using data to drive operational improvements across campuses.

This exempt, salaried role offers a competitive compensation package with benefits, growth opportunities, and a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• 2+ years in fast-paced office environment with strong results.
• Must have valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Strong organizational and confidentiality skills.
• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Visit cafeterias regularly (≥4 days/week) with personal transportation.
• Ensure compliance with health department guidelines at all sites.
• Plan and execute nutrition events; manage budgeting and implementation.
• Research procurement to meet campus needs.
• Manage daily/monthly program checks for meals counting and claiming.
• Coordinate data and processes with food vendor FSMC.
• Use data and observations to identify trends and improve operations.
• Implement improvement plans across campuses and monitor results.
• Assist with student eligibility forms and free/reduced applications.
• Coordinate health inspections and permit renewals with City of Houston.
• Maintain CN technology (POS, digital menus, tablets) and provide support.
• Supervise Lunch Program Monitors and payroll processing.
• Support district wellness program and annual compliance.
• Respond to emergencies and inquiries; perform additional duties.

Skills

Office experience

Valid driver’s license

Flexible hours

Problem solving

Confidentiality

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

High School Diploma + 3-4 years experience

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

Job Description

POSITION: Child Nutrition Operations Specialist

REPORTS TO: Child Nutrition Operations Manager

POSITION TYPE: 12-month

START DATE: Immediate

COMPENSATION: $54,911-$65,894, Home Office Grade 4

At YES Prep, work for a mission that impacts the life trajectory of students and their families. YES Prep creates pathways to extraordinary opportunity through best-in-class development, competitive compensation and benefits, and recognition for your impact. Grow as an authentic leader and be part of a high-performing, team-oriented culture.

Some quick stats about us:

• 21,000 Students
• 2,600 Team Members
• 16 Secondary Campuses
• 12 Elementary Campuses
• 91% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 99% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 85% First-Generation College Students
• Ranked in the Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamic Child Nutrition Operations Specialist with a robust set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, and build transformative relationships.

To put it simply, you will supervise the implementation of the Child Nutrition policies and guidelines as set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) while creating and implementing seamless food operations for our students.

THE ROLE

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the work and responsibilities will include:

• Visiting YES Prep cafeterias regularly (at least 4 days per week); personal transportation is required;
• Owning compliance with state and local health department guidelines by monitoring all assigned sites;
• Planning and executing Child Nutrition events, including National Child Nutrition events such as National School Breakfast Week and National School Lunch Week, parent nights, student menu tastings, and campus staff wellness initiatives; including budgeting and implementation;
• Researching procurement and acquiring resources to meet campus-based needs;
• Managing and improving daily and monthly Child Nutrition Program checks to ensure proper counting and claiming of program meals;
• Managing the field trip lunch tracker with FSMC vendor and processes for all YES Prep campuses by coordinating the delivery of school data needed for Full Service Management Company (food vendor) functionality;
• Using data, site observations, production records, and compliance findings to identify trends, diagnose programmatic challenges and recommend operational and compliance improvements;
• Implementing targeted improvement plans across an assigned cohort of campuses and monitoring results to achieve strategic, Child Nutrition goals;
• Assisting in management of the student eligibility process – processing family income forms and/or Free and Reduced Lunch Applications;
• Identifying service challenges and partnering with Sodexo and campus leadership, ensure issues are resolved;
• Managing regulatory submissions to and conducting required breakfast, lunch, snack, and supper and onsite monitoring visits of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program;
• Coordinating, responding, and following up with the City of Houston bi-annual health inspections, and permit renewal management;
• Maintaining functional operations of Child Nutrition technology including POS computers systems, digital menu boards, tablets, etc. and providing onsite and remote support as needed;
• Supervising the Child Nutrition Lunch Program Monitors and planning associated training, onboarding, and monthly processing of payroll;
• Conducting, participating in and implementing the district wellness program and ensuring compliance annually;
• Responding to program emergencies, such as food shortages, customer service complaints, and administrative meeting requests;
• Additional duties as assigned.

THE PERSON

We seek staff with a multitude of backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, resilience, and humility. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:

THE MUST HAVES

• Bachelor’s degree OR High School Diploma plus 3-4 years of professional experience
• At least 2 years of experience working in a fast-paced office environment and producing exemplary results
• A valid driver's license, good driving record and available transportation during the entire workday to travel to campuses throughout the district
• Reliable transportation (mileage is reimbursed)
• Flexible work hours between 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Ability to work outside of normal hours and on weekends, as needed
• Experience in working in operations
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook (Word and Excel)
• Ability to anticipate and resolve problems
• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality
• Must be able to lift and move up to 15 pounds, including, but not limited to, carrying food items and loading cars

• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
• Creates and maintains positive working relationships on a team and/or in a highly collaborative environment
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional
• Excellent organizational and people skills, including time management and follow-up

THE MUST HAVE BELIEFS

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth

THE NICE TO HAVES

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
• Food Safety Manager Certification
• Bilingual in Spanish
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

THE PERKS

• Compensation - This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance - Three medical options, including a plan offering $50 from YES Prep towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

• Retirement Plans - Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and an optional 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off - Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

• Paid Leave Programming - In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture - The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place To Work in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2025. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.