Culinary Production Leader: Dining, Catering & Ops

Forefront Healthcare; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Forefront Healthcare in Washington, DC is seeking a Manager, Culinary Production to lead back-of-house operations, ensure recipe adherence, food safety, inventory management, and staff development for residents, patients, retail guests and catered events.

You will collaborate with the Executive Chef and Registered Dietitian to drive standardized systems, staff training, and continuous improvement initiatives, while managing travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Experience leading back-of-house culinary operations.
• Knowledge of HACCP, ServSafe and health regulations.
• Strong leadership and staff development skills.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily food production for resident dining, café/retail and catering functions.
• Ensure execution of standardized recipes, portion control and presentation standards.
• Manage production sheets, batch cooking schedules and par levels.
• Conduct daily quality checks for taste, texture, temperature and appearance.
• Support menu rollouts, seasonal programs and special events.
• Supervise cooks, leads and utility staff; provide coaching and performance feedback.
• Train team on culinary techniques, equipment use and service standards.
• Build staffing schedules aligned with census and service demands.
• Foster a culture of hospitality, teamwork and accountability.
• Enforce HACCP, ServSafe, allergen and infection prevention standards.
• Monitor temperature logs, cooling procedures and sanitation practices.
• Ensure compliance with state/local health regulations and company policies.
• Lead corrective actions and audit readiness.
• Assist in managing food cost, labor productivity and waste reduction.
• Oversee ordering, receiving, FIFO rotation and inventory accuracy.
• Support recipe costing and menu engineering initiatives.
• Maintain production records and purchasing compliance.
• Partner with Registered Dietitian on therapeutic diets and IDDSI standards.
• Support resident engagement and culinary experience programs.
• Coordinate with front-of-house for seamless service execution.
• Participate in client meetings and quality improvement efforts.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Food safety

Menu planning

Inventory management

Tools

HACCP

ServSafe

Job description

Forefront Healthcare in Washington, DC is seeking a Manager, Culinary Production to lead back-of-house operations, ensure recipe adherence, food safety, inventory management, and staff development for residents, patients, retail guests and catered events.

You will collaborate with the Executive Chef and Registered Dietitian to drive standardized systems, staff training, and continuous improvement initiatives, while managing travel as needed.