Nutrition Services Culinary Relief Manager

Mesa County Valley School District 51; Fruita (CO); On-site; USD 26,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Earn $1.00 more per hour incentive (FY

$500 New Hire Bonus

$250 Completion Bonus

Job summary

Mesa County Valley School District 51 is seeking a Nutrition Services Culinary Relief Manager (Assistant Manager) for their Nutrition Services program in Fruita, CO. This role supports the Culinary Manager, produces scratch meals, handles POS operations, and ensures food safety, sanitation, and compliance with USDA and state regulations.

The position involves cross-training across kitchen operations, assisting with staff scheduling and supervision as needed, and serving as a backup for the

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• One year prior food service experience required.
• Prior culinary and/or school nutrition services experience preferred.
• Operating knowledge of POS and kitchen database management within 180 days of hire.
• Position requires conversational English skills.

Responsibilities

• Scratch Meal Production: Prepare daily meals from scratch using district-approved recipes and production records.
• Meal Service and Customer Experience: Serve meals meeting USDA standards and ensure proper portioning.
• Food Safety and Compliance: Adhere to USDA/Colorado DOE and District regulations; monitor temperatures.
• Sanitation and Cleaning: Daily cleaning tasks and proper sanitation procedures.
• Financial Accountability and POS Operations: Operate POS, manage cash; review financials.
• Inventory and Ordering: Assist with ordering, receiving, and storage of food and supplies.
• Cross-Training and Culinary Manager Support: Cross-train; cover Culinary Manager duties as needed.

Skills

Conversational English

Customer service

Food handling

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

1 year food service experience

Tools

Serve Safe or State Food Safety Certification

Job description

Nutrition Services Culinary Relief Manager JobID: 12552

Job Title: Nutrition Services Culinary Relief Manager (Assistant Manager)

Pay Program: Support Staff Non-Exempt

Pay Range: Range 7 $18.73 - $20.87

Work Year: 172 days / 6 hours per day

Reports to: Nutrition Services Culinary Manager

Direct Reports: This position has nosupervisory responsibilities. May provide temporary direction to staff in the absence of the supervisor.

Hiring Incentives (2026/27 School Year)

• Earn $1.00 more per hour - Grant-funded wage incentive available to eligible employees for hours worked during the 2026/27 school year.
• $500 New Hire Bonus - One-time lump sum payment for newly hired Nutrition Services employees who remain actively employed through their first 90 work days.
• $250 Completion Bonus - One-time lump sum payment for eligible Nutrition Services employees who successfully complete the 2026/27 school year.

Have a passion for cooking, food prep and serving great food ? Put your skills to work in a rewarding role where every meal helps kids learn, grow, and thrive!

Summary

Operating under the direction of the Nutrition Services Culinary Manager, this position prepares and serves nutritious, scratch-cooked meals that support student health and learning. This position ensures compliance with USDA, state, and District nutrition standards, maintains strict food safety and sanitation procedures, and provides excellent customer service to students and staff. The role is cross-trained across all kitchen operations and serves as a trained backup for the Culinary Manager, assuming full operational and supervisory responsibilities when assigned.

Essential Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Frequency of responsibility, percent of time and work year may vary based on department or building assignment.

Job Responsibility Description

1. Scratch Meal Production

• Prepare daily meals from scratch using district-approved recipes and production records.
• Control food and kitchen waste through careful preparation, portioning, and storage.
• Safely and effectively operate commercial kitchen equipment (e.g., food processors, steamers, kettles, immersion blenders, convection ovens).

2. Meal Service and Customer Experience

• Support the Culinary Manager in serving meals that meet USDA Offer Versus Serve standards, Counting and Claiming procedures, and District policies.
• Ensure correct portion sizes, required items, and quantities are provided in compliance with the Health Hunger-Free Kids Act.
• Provide professional, friendly interactions with students, staff, families, and community members to promote the Nutrition Services mission.
• Maintain accurate signage, marketing, and appealing presentation of food.

3. Food Safety and Compliance

• Apply food safety knowledge and procedures when handling scratch ingredients, including raw proteins and produce.
• Ensure compliance with USDA, Colorado Department of Education, state, federal and District regulations.
• Monitor food and equipment temperatures in alignment with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards and take corrective action when needed.

4. Sanitation and Cleaning

• Complete daily cleaning tasks, including dishwashing, sanitizing food-contact surfaces, and clearing non-food areas (e.g., floors, shelving, walls, windows, kitchen restrooms) in accordance with Health Department and District standard operating procedures.
• Properly maintain kitchen equipment; empty trash/recycling, sweep, and mop floors.
• Model and assist coaching staff on compliance with federal, state, City of Grand Junction, Mesa County, and District sanitation regulations.

5. Financial Accountability and Point-Of-Sale (POS) Operations

• Operate point-of-sale (POS) system including meal counts, payments, and daily reports.
• Accurately handle cash, deposits, and change funds; verify balances at the end of each shift.
• Utilize timekeeping and nutrition services information management systems.
• Support review of kitchen financial records, reports, and deposits.

6. Inventory and Ordering

• Assist with ordering, receiving, storing, and rotating food and supplies.
• Conduct inventories as scheduled and maintain accurate daily production and storage records.
• Ensure proper labeling, dating and safe storage of food items.

7. Cross-Training and Culinary Manager Support

• Rotate through all scratch meal production and service stations to ensure quality and efficiency.
• Cross-train in Culinary Manager responsibilities, including staff scheduling, training, and supervision.
• Maintain "at ready" status to cover schools during interim or long-term Culinary Manager absences.
• Assume full managerial duties, including daily operation and staff supervision, as directed by the District Manager.

Education and Experience

Acceptable demonstration of acceptable education and/or experience will be at the sole discretion of the District.

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• One year prior food service experience required
• Prior culinary and/or school nutrition services experience preferred
• Operating knowledge of point-of-sale and kitchen database management softwares within 180 days of hire.
• Position requires conversational English skills

Licenses, Registrations or Certifications

• Criminal background check required for hire
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds. Lift test required at time of hire
• Serve Safe or State Food Safety Certified Food Protection Manager Certifications required within 90 days of hire

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Oral bi-lingual skills English/Spanish are desirable
• Basic professional written communication skills in English
• Ability to communicate, coach, teach, and develop using the 3 C's continuum to all types of learners
• Ability and passion for culinary training in order to develop and grow their role with the District
• Ability and desire to conduct as needed culinary training in the school kitchens
• Ability to work independently as needed with minimal direction and/or supervision
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and frequent interruptions in a timely manner
• Ability to be adaptable and flexible with collaborative critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills
• Strong customer service skills, with the ability to provide support in a professional and approachable manner
• Commitment to handling sensitive and confidential information with the highest ethical standards
• Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with staff and various stakeholders
• Ability to lead, communicate, interact and work effectively and cooperatively with people from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds
• Ability to follow applicable federal, state, local laws and Board of Education policies, in addition to building and department procedures
• Ability to recognize the importance of safety in the workplace, follow safety rules, practice safe work habits, utilize appropriate safety equipment and report unsafe conditions to the appropriate administrator
• Ability to follow and comply with the current Colorado Department of Education and District policies and guidelines regarding food preparation, delivery, and storage
• Operating knowledge of and experience with institutional food service equipment; ovens, warmers, mixers, steamers, kettles, meat slicers, food processors, sectionizers, and immersion blenders etc.;
• Operating knowledge of and experience with personal computers and peripherals;
• Operating knowledge of and experience with office software such as word processing and spreadsheets;
• Operating knowledge of and experience with typical office equipment, such as telephones, copier, fax machine, E-mail, etc.