Senior Living Kitchen Director

Paycom; West Caldwell (NJ); On-site; USD 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

CRANES MILL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY in West Caldwell, NJ is seeking a Kitchen / Food Production Manager to oversee back-of-house operations in a busy Continuing Care Retirement Community. You will manage daily food production, staff, purchasing, inventory, and sanitation across multiple levels of care.

The ideal candidate is hands-on, balances quality with efficiency, and ensures resident satisfaction. The role requires managing high-volume production, safety standards, and collaboration with

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive kitchen, culinary, or food production management experience.
• Experience managing a high-volume food production operation.
• Senior living, CCRC, healthcare, hospital, skilled nursing, or similar institutional food service experience desirable.
• Experience supervising and scheduling kitchen employees.
• Strong knowledge of food purchasing, receiving, inventory control, production planning, and food cost management.
• Working knowledge of standardized recipes and high-volume production systems.
• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, HACCP principles, and regulatory requirements.
• ServSafe Manager certification preferred or required within a period after hire.

Responsibilities

• Direct and coordinate daily food production and back-of-house kitchen operations.
• Ensure meals are prepared according to established menus, standardized recipes, production schedules, portion standards, and presentation expectations.
• Coordinate production to support multiple dining venues and levels of care including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Skilled Nursing.
• Monitor production quantities to ensure adequate food availability while minimizing waste.
• Ensure food is prepared, held, transported, and served at appropriate temperatures and per safety standards.
• Work with culinary and food service leadership to ensure smooth execution of daily meals, events, catering, and resident programs.
• Maintain consistent food quality, taste, appearance, and portion control.
• Provide direct supervision and leadership to back-of-house staff.
• Develop and maintain employee schedules based on census and volume.
• Manage daily staffing needs and shift coverage.
• Train and develop employees in production techniques, recipes, sanitation, and safety.
• Monitor performance and address attendance concerns.
• Foster a professional, team-oriented kitchen environment.
• Manage food and supply ordering based on menus and inventory levels.
• Oversee receiving procedures and verify deliveries.
• Ensure proper storage, labeling, dating, rotation, and organization using FIFO.
• Conduct and document monthly inventories and monitor costs and waste.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste and control costs without compromising quality.
• Maintain sanitation, cleanliness, and regulatory compliance across all areas.

Skills

High-volume production

Staff supervision

Food safety HACCP

Inventory control

Cost control

Menu planning / recipes

Job description

CRANES MILL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY in West Caldwell, NJ is seeking a Kitchen / Food Production Manager to oversee back-of-house operations in a busy Continuing Care Retirement Community. You will manage daily food production, staff, purchasing, inventory, and sanitation across multiple levels of care.

The ideal candidate is hands-on, balances quality with efficiency, and ensures resident satisfaction. The role requires managing high-volume production, safety standards, and collaboration with