Special Programs Manager

Memphis-Shelby County Schools; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Memphis-Shelby County Schools seeks a Special Programs Manager to oversee Nutrition Services’ special programs across multiple sites and partners. The role includes budget securing, staff leadership, program development, and coordination with menu planning and inventory control to ensure compliant, nutritionally sound services.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 7 years of food service operations experience, with Serve Safe/HACCP preferences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 7 years of food service operations experience or equivalent.
• Serve Safe certification and HACCP preferred; may be required within 6 months.

Responsibilities

• Manage school sites, programs, and staff for nutrition special programs.
• Recruit community partners; plan, allocate resources and manage budgets.
• Hire, train, motivate, evaluate staff and set work expectations.
• Develop nutrition education programs and marketing/communications.
• Collaborate with menu planning, commodities, and inventory control.
• Coordinate special catering and wellness activities with district partners.
• Conduct site visits for programs and lead annual TN DOE reviews.
• Ensure health/safety compliance and enforce safety policies.
• Set program standards; implement procurement, receiving, distribution.
• Collaborate with field ops, kitchen menu, and operations leadership.
• Implement HACCP standards and food safety controls.
• Monitor budgets, meal participation, costs, and inventory.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Staff management

Budgeting

Program development

Community partnerships

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Service Administration or related field

Serve Safe certification preferred

HACCP certification preferred

Job description

The Special Programs Manager manages Nutrition Services special programs staff and is responsible for managing a portfolio of school sites and community partner sites; and is responsible for securing the operational budget to ensure business strategies and objectives are met according to Memphis Shelby County School Nutrition Services.

• Manages a designated number of school sites, programs, and staff to organize, direct, and administer the child nutrition special programs for the school district which includes recruiting new community partners, planning, staff management, resource allocation, and financial management for Early Learning Program (ELP), At Risk, Pre-K, and all Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) initiatives.
• Hires, trains, motivates, delegates, disciplines, monitors and evaluates performance of staff to ensure targets and goals are met; and establishes work schedules and expectations of all Special Programs staff.
• Facilitates plans, organizes, and implements a program of nutrition education, and establishing a program of marketing and communications for all special programming.
• Collaborates with menu planning, government commodity dispositions, and inventory control to ensure operational guidelines are met.
• Manages and organizes special catering events, wellness activities, alone with supporting district community
• Conducts site visits during preparation times for special programs (Afterschool Supper, and Snack Programs, etc.) to ensure compliance with the program regulations; and conducts yearly required TN Department of Education Administrative Reviews of the special program’s operations.
• Ensures staff is following health and safety regulations; enforcing safety policies and procedures to eliminate workplace hazards and injuries.
• Establishes program standards and direct implementation to ensure operation of a nutritionally sound school nutrition program; establishes a system for the procurement, receiving, and distribution of food and non-food materials; evaluates all special programs services to determine its effectiveness in achieving the program’s goals; and develops and implements an effective system for quality food production and service.
• Collaborates proactively with the Field Operations Manager, Kitchen Manager Menu Planning Team, Operations Team (Area Managers), and leadership to develop creative, school-specific solutions to ensure we can deliver the best possible service.
• Implements sanitation standards and devise a system for control of the 3 food hazards; assists with implementation of an efficient Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program in accordance with local, state, federal guidelines; and implements standards and controls for safety in food service facility design.
• Establishes financial goals and ensures that each special program stays within the yearly planned budget by reviewing meal participation, meal costs, labor costs, and inventory.
• Executes responsibilities according to lawful and ethical standards; uses professional and personal judgment and initiative to develop effective and constructive solutions to challenges and obstacles.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or directed.

Bachelor’s degree in Food Service Administration, Nutrition, Dietetics, Home Economics or related field of study plus an additional three (3) years of food service operations related experience, or equivalent, for a total educations and experience of seven (7) years.
Serve Safe certification preferred. HACCP certification preferred to be obtained with 6 months of employment with the district.
(proof Of Education, Training, And/Or Experience Is Required).
Degree Equivalency Formula
Bachelor’s Degree= 4 years plus required years of experience.
Master’s Degree= 2 years plus required years of experience. Where Master’s degrees are required, years for Bachelor’s Degrees must be included.
To receive full consideration, all interested candidates must submit a completed application through the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Careers website by 500 p.m. CST on October 2, 2026. Applications that are incomplete or submitted after the deadline will not be considered.