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Job Title: Nutrition Services Culinary Manager, OWL Program

Pay Program: Support Staff, Non-Exempt

Pay Range: Range 9 $20.73 - $23.04

Work Year:  175 days / 8 hrs per day

Reports to:  OWL Coordinator/Nutrition Services Director

Hiring Incentives (2026/27 School Year) - Eligible Nutrition Services employees may qualify for the following incentives during the 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 Nutrition Services and the Outdoor Wilderness Laboratory (OWL) administration, this position oversees meal planning, food production, and kitchen operations supporting the Outdoor Wilderness Laboratory (OWL) program.  This position prepares and serves scratch-made meals and snacks for students, staff, and volunteers at OWL program locations and operates the District's mobile food truck as needed.  The OWL Chef provides hands-on instruction and supervision for students participating in kitchen activities, maintains compliance with food safety and nutrition standards, and supports Nutrition Services operations throughout the District during periods when OWL programming is not in session. 

This position is located at Wingate Elementary School

Meal Production and Kitchen Operations

• Plan, prepare, and serve scratch-made meals and snacks for students, staff, volunteers, and program participants in accordance with established menus, recipes, and production schedules.
• Oversee daily kitchen and food service operations at OWL program locations and on the District's mobile food truck.
• Ensure meals meet District nutrition standards, food safety requirements, and applicable regulatory guidelines.
• Maintain accurate production records, inventory documentation, and operational records.
• Coordinate food deliveries, storage, and inventory management to support program operations in remote and off-site locations.

Food Safety, Sanitation, and Compliance

• Maintain kitchen, food truck, equipment, and food storage areas in accordance with District, local, state, and federal food safety and sanitation standards.
• Ensure proper food handling, labeling, storage, temperature monitoring, and inventory rotation practices.
• Monitor and maintain compliance with HACCP procedures, health department regulations, and District standard operating procedures.

Inventory and Financial Management

• Prepare weekly food and supply orders and maintain inventory rotation using First-In, First-Out (FIFO) practices.
• Coordinate deliveries with the Nutrition Services warehouse, SYSCO, and approved vendors, accounting for the program's remote location.
• Monitor and control food costs and food waste within budgeted parameters, investigating and resolving variances.
• Ensure proper labeling, dating and safe storage of food items.
• Review financial reports, inventories, and production records for accuracy.

Student Leadership and Program Support

• Supervise and support student participation in meal preparation, service, and kitchen activities.
• Provide instruction in food preparation, sanitation, kitchen safety, and responsible workplace practices.
• Model teamwork, accountability, and positive customer service aligned with the Outdoor Wilderness Laboratory program.

District Nutrition Services Support

• Provide operational support, meal production assistance, and substitute coverage at District kitchens and food service locations when OWL programming is not in session.
• Support special events, catering activities, mobile food truck operations, and other department initiatives as assigned.

Other Duties

• Additional tasks, duties, and responsibilities may be assigned as needed/requested.

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
• Two years 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 60 days of hire.
• Position requires conversational English skills

Licenses, Registrations or Certifications

• Criminal background check required for hire
• Valid Colorado driver's license or valid Colorado identification required
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds. Lift test required at time of hire
• Current Mesa County Food Handlers Card required
• Serve Safe or State Food Safety Certified Food Protection Manager Certifications required within 90 days of hire

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional oral communication skills in English
• Ability to learn and use Spanish oral communication skills
• 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.

Salary & Benefits:
View all salary schedules for the current school year at: https://d51schools.org/employment/job_opportunities/salary_schedules 
Information regarding D51 Benefits can be found here: https://www.d51schools.org/employment/current_employees/employee_benefits