food service director

Socket.dev; Logan (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

401(k)

Corporate discounts

Paid time off

Sick leave

Holiday pay

LifeMart discounts

Virtual healthcare

Job summary

Taher, Inc. is seeking an energetic Food Service Director to lead a K-12 school lunch program and manage relationships with district leaders, staff, and families.

You will oversee daily kitchen operations, menus, food safety, and budgeting to deliver compliant meals and high-quality service across school communities.

Qualifications

• Experience managing K-12 meal programs or large-scale food service operations.
• Knowledge of USDA Child Nutrition guidelines and HACCP.
• Strong leadership and coaching abilities.
• Proven ability to manage food costs and budgets.
• Ability to pass school background checks.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily kitchen operations and supervision of staff.
• Develop school menus aligned with guidelines.
• Oversee ordering, inventory, and vendor relations.
• Ensure food safety and sanitation compliance.
• Deliver budgeted food and labor results (P&L).
• Provide catering and special event service for the district.
• Build strong relationships with district leaders, staff, and families.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting / P&L

Food Safety / ServSafe

Relationship-building

Communication

Inventory / Purchasing

Catering / Event service

Tech literacy / reporting

Job description

Do you have hospitality experience, care about current eating trends, and love the idea of serving kids and school communities? If you said yes, we want to talk with you!

We are hiring an energetic, knowledgeable Food Service Director to lead a K 12 school lunch program. You will be responsible for client and community relationships, budgets, and P and L performance, while guiding daily kitchen operations so students and staff receive high quality, compliant meals they enjoy.

In this role, you are the face of the program for the district. You partner closely with school leaders, build trust with staff and families, and make sure the food service team delivers on both service and financial expectations.

In this role you will:

• Lead the daily, hands on management and training of the kitchen staff


• Develop menus that fit the needs of the school community and align with USDA Child Nutrition guidelines


• Implement and maintain HACCP and all food safety and sanitation standards


• Manage ordering, inventory, vendor relationships, and cash control


• Deliver budgeted food and labor results and manage P and L performance


• Provide outstanding catering and special event service for the district


• Build and grow strong relationships with district leaders, school staff, students, and families


• Create a safe, clean work environment and monitor day to day operational standards

You will step into a leadership role where you can see your impact every day in the children you serve and the relationships you build with the district and community.

Who we are

Taher, Inc. is a family owned and operated, chef driven food service management company that has been serving clients since 1981. We provide K 12 school lunch management, campus dining, senior dining, corporate dining and catering, vending, and office beverage services across a growing nationwide footprint, and maintain a consistent presence in Food Service Management's Top 25 companies.

Qualifications

In our fast paced K-12 environment, you will juggle multiple priorities, keep the kitchen and office organized, and communicate clearly in person and in writing. Just as important, you build strong relationships with district leaders, school staff, students, and the community. If you take pride in leading a team, serving great food, and being a trusted partner to the client and the people we serve, we want to hear from you.

Additional requirements include:

• Current ServSafe Manager certification or ability to obtain within 90 days


• Demonstrated ability to manage and control food cost


• P&L experience with responsibility for meeting financial targets


• Proven ability to lead, coach, and hold staff accountable


• Strong relationship-building skills with clients, administrators, staff, students, and families


• Proficient computer skills for email, ordering, inventory, and reporting


• Catering or special event experience, preferred


• Ability to successfully complete all required school background checks for the assigned district, which may include fingerprint-based criminal checks, child abuse and neglect registry checks, and other screenings required to work around children, as applicable by state and district policy

This position provides excellent work-life balance with Monday--Friday daytime hours, paid vacation, sick, and holiday pay, and some work during academic breaks that follow the school calendar. It offers health and dental benefits, 401(k), and corporate discount perks through LifeMart and Doctegrity virtual healthcare for you and your family at a low cost, and much more

Taher, Inc. is an EOE/AA employer.