Senior School Food Operations Specialist

Chef Ann Foundation; Alameda (CA); Remote; USD 91,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated professional to enhance school food programs across California. This role involves providing technical assistance, training, and operational support to school districts, ensuring they transition to scratch-cooking methods that promote health and wellness for children. You will collaborate with a passionate team to develop impactful training programs and foster partnerships that drive positive change in school nutrition. If you are enthusiastic about improving food systems and have a strong background in culinary or nutrition, this opportunity is perfect for you. Join a mission-driven organization that values equity and diversity in its workforce.

Benefits

Health insurance plans (medical, dental, vision)

Short-term and long-term disability coverage

403(b) retirement plan with employer match

Generous PTO plus dedicated summer and fall breaks

Paid holidays

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in School Food Service Management required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary, Nutrition, or Food Service preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational expertise to school districts for scratch cooking.
• Develop and present training materials for school food operations.

Skills

School Food Service Management

Culinary Skills

Nutrition Knowledge

Training and Development

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Relationship Management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary, Nutrition, or Food Service

Tools

K-12 recipe/menu software

G-Suite

Microsoft Office

Salesforce

Zoom

Adobe

Job description

Full Time, Remote in California.

Limited service position through June 2026

About the Chef Ann Foundation

Founded in 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) believes that all children should have equal access to fresh, healthy, delicious food providing them the foundation to thrive and meet their true potential. We ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide cook-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, we’ve reached over 14,000 schools and over 3.4 million children in all 50 states.

Job Description

This position resides on our School Food Operations team and reports directly to the Sr. Director of West Coast Operations. This full-time position works alongside the programs and operations teams at the Chef Ann Foundation with school district partners to support increasing scratch cooking in school food programs.

Key Responsibilities

1. Answers technical and operational questions regarding USDA regulations, procurement, school food operations, etc.
2. Provides onsite and virtual operational expertise and support to partner districts to further their transition to a scratch-cook operation.
3. Reviews various district operations and provides feedback with recommendations for technical assistance to assist districts in scratch cooking.
4. Attends meetings as needed with funders and stakeholders to answer operational questions.
5. Develops and presents presentations for webinars, conferences, district, and other public presentation opportunities that are focused on specific areas of school food operations.
6. Conducts on-site facilities assessments of a school food department.
7. Develops partnerships with organizations to ensure CAF utilizes existing resources and maintains strong relationships with other entities working in this space.
8. Ensures CAF initiatives are managed at the highest level and represent the organization's commitment to quality, results-driven programming.
9. Works independently and collaboratively with internal (School Food Operations & Programs teams) and external partners (school food operators, funders, and program partners).
10. Leads school operational initiatives, providing strategic direction for program elements that will lead to the greatest change based on the program's capacity.
11. Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position.

Position Requirements

1. Four (4) years of college or equivalent advanced training to qualify for a Bachelor’s Degree with a relevant major: Culinary, Nutrition, Food Service, or other related field.
2. Minimum of four (4) years experience in School Food Service Management, with a preference for a cook-from-scratch program.
3. Food Managers Certificate: must be acquired within 90 days of initial employment.
4. Demonstrated work experience training school food professionals.
5. Demonstrated work experience in using/understanding K-12 recipe/menu software.
6. Demonstrated work experience in developing fiscal budgets and modeling for school food programs.
7. Demonstrated work experience in menu planning as it relates to ingredient-based, cook-from-scratch meal programs.
8. Ability to work in a remote environment and adapt to various school environments.
9. Ability to travel up to 50% of the time.
10. Ability to work virtually.

Preferred Experience and Knowledge

1. Previous experience as a working chef in a school nutrition environment.
2. Advanced knowledge of NSLP regulations and proactive about staying informed on new regulations.
3. Advanced knowledge of K-12 procurement, including RFPs, purchasing cooperatives, and inventory management.
4. Strong writer and editor with the ability to create and edit content for school food operators.
5. Strong proficiency in G-Suite platforms and Microsoft Office, especially on Mac OS. Experience preferred in Salesforce, Zoom, and Adobe.

Essential Traits

1. Ability to create and run impactful training programs for school food operators.
2. Organized and able to meet targeted outcomes.
3. Ability to represent CAF at a high level in meetings/conferences with Government officials and other key influencers to build interagency relationships ensuring awareness and partnership of our programs.
4. Ability to learn and engage with new technology programs.
5. A team player.
6. A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness.
7. Strong professional relationship management skills that translate into building strong partnerships.
8. Ability to build new programming and manage implementation.
9. Resourcefulness in finding solutions to unique problems and making pivots to ensure outcomes.
10. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
11. Flexible mindset and innovative thinker.
12. Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training.

Compensation & Benefits

1. We offer a competitive annual salary range of $91,350 - $123,900 based on experience and qualifications.
2. Join our team and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
3. Optional health insurance plans (medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy)
4. Short-term and long-term disability coverage
5. Optional life insurance
6. Additional insurance options include accident, critical illness, hospital coverage, and pet.
7. 403(b) retirement plan with employer match.
8. Generous PTO plus dedicated summer and fall breaks.
9. Paid holidays.

As a fully remote organization headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, our team members collaborate across the United States. Work from anywhere within California - this is a fully remote role.

Posting will close on February 3, 2025.

The anticipated position start date is March 17, 2025.

At the Chef Ann Foundation, our work to ensure access to fresh, healthy school food for all is built on the idea of equity. We support and celebrate differences; our team and community are stronger with every new voice. CAF is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. CAF is committed to incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout our organization, including increased efforts to hire, support, and engage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized groups.