Dining Operations Manager

Covenant Living Communities and Services; Golden Valley (MN); On-site; USD 67,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Employer paid group term life and(dis)

PTO and six paid holidays

403(b) with 3% employer match

Fitness center use

Life, AD&D

Tuition assistance and scholarships

Employee assistance program

Legal services, home/auto insurance,**

Discount purchasing program

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Covenant Living Communities and CovenantCare at Home in Minnesota seeks a Dining Services leader to oversee a healthcare kitchen serving a primary dining room and three satellite locations across Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Memory Care. You will manage menu adherence, food safety, and resident satisfaction.

The role requires CDM eligibility, ServSafe certification, strong leadership, and budgeting skills.

Qualifications

• CDM credential or eligibility and commitment to obtain certification.
• Proven leadership experience in healthcare food service management.
• ServSafe certification or ability to obtain within a defined timeframe.
• Understanding of therapeutic diets, nutrition services, and regulatory requirements in healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Lead a fast-paced healthcare dining operation, overseeing food preparation, meal service, and kitchen sanitation to ensure an exceptional resident dining experience.
• Inspire, mentor, and develop a dedicated team of cooks and dietary aides through hiring, training, scheduling, and ongoing coaching.
• Foster a positive, team-oriented culture where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.
• Ensure residents receive safe, nutritious, and appealing meals aligned with therapeutic diets, physician orders, and individual preferences.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef and Registered Dietitian for menu development and dining programs balancing nutrition, quality, and resident satisfaction.
• Champion food safety and regulatory compliance by maintaining HACCP standards and survey readiness per guidelines.
• Take ownership of inventory management, purchasing, and budgeting to maintain efficient operations and strong financial performance.
• Build relationships with residents by seeking feedback and addressing concerns to enhance dining experiences.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Financial management

Staff development

Regulatory compliance

Education

Associates degree

Job description

We Are Inspired to Serve. Join us!

Lead and oversee all operations of our Healthcare Kitchen, serving a primary dining room and three satellite dining locations across Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Memory Care. The Dietary Manager ensures high-quality meal service, regulatory compliance, therapeutic diet adherence, food safety, budget management, and a positive team culture while supporting the nutritional needs and dining satisfaction of residents.

What You’ll Do

• Lead a fast-paced healthcare dining operation, overseeing food preparation, meal service, and kitchen sanitation to ensure an exceptional resident dining experience.
• Inspire, mentor, and develop a dedicated team of cooks and dietary aides through hiring, training, scheduling, and ongoing coaching.
• Foster a positive, team-oriented culture where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.
• Ensure residents receive safe, nutritious, and appealing meals that align with therapeutic diets, physician orders, and individual preferences.
• Collaborate closely with the Executive Chef and Registered Dietitian for menu development and dining programs that balance nutrition, quality, and resident satisfaction.
• Champion food safety and regulatory compliance by maintaining HACCP standards and ensuring survey readiness under state, federal, CMS, and health department guidelines.
• Take ownership of inventory management, purchasing, and budgeting to maintain efficient operations and strong financial performance.
• Build meaningful relationships with residents by seeking feedback, addressing concerns, and continuously enhancing the overall dining experience.

What We’re Looking For

• Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) credential, or eligibility and commitment to obtain certification.
• Proven leadership experience in food service management, with healthcare, senior living, or long-term care experience preferred.
• ServSafe certification, or the ability to obtain certification within an established timeframe.
• Understanding of therapeutic diets, nutrition services, and regulatory requirements within a healthcare setting.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and financial management skills.
• A passion for serving older adults and creating a welcoming dining experience that supports quality of life and resident well-being.

Why You’ll Love This Role:

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day by leading a dedicated team that serves residents across a primary dining room and three satellite dining rooms supporting Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Memory Care. You’ll play a key role in creating exceptional dining experiences that contribute directly to resident health, happiness, and quality of life.

Required Degree

High school diploma

Preferred Degree

Associates’ degree

Certificate(s):

• Food safety certification, renewed every 3 years or as required.
• CDM licensure preferred; Company will sponsor the educational program to get the candidate licensed as a CDM within the first 12 months of employment.

Experience:

• 2+ years of work experience in dining
• 3+ year of experience leadership is preferred
• Exposure to dining room operations and kitchen operations is preferred (Experienced in both front of the house and back of the house operations).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITY:

• Ability to motivate and energize teams.
• Ability to effectively navigate difficult conversations.
• Ability to effectively interact with staff and residents in order to positively influence staff retention and resident satisfaction.
• Effectively assists in sourcing, interviewing, training, onboarding, and retention of staff. Build the bench of qualified staff in order to minimize disruption of service related to fluctuations in staff.

#Dining

Compensation Pay Range:

$67,295.00 - $93,610.25 per year

Reasonable Pay Estimate

A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $67,295.00 - $93,610.25 per year. There are numerous factors taken into consideration in determining the actual offered rate of pay, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, experience, skills, education, geographic location, and consideration of internal and external equity.

For full time employees, we offer a generous benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Employer paid group term life and disability
• Paid Time Off (PTO) & six paid holidays
• 403(b) with a 3% employer match
• Fitness center use at most facilities.
• Life, AD&D
• Tuition assistance and scholarships
• Employee assistance program
• Legal services, home/auto insurance, discount purchasing program
• Pet Insurance

For more information about Covenant Living and CovenantCare at Home, please visit www.covliving.org or www.covenantcareathome.org.

Covenant Living and CovenantCare Home Health and Hospice are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, protected veteran status, protected genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by local laws, regulations, or ordinances.