Director of Dining Services / Head Chef

The Director of Dining Services is responsible for a great dining experience for seniors who have chosen to make our community their home.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Must satisfy all state health, licensure/certification, and background requirements.

Education/Experience: Must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Prefer 3-5 years of related management experience preparing meals for a large group on a regular basis. Must be experienced in operation of common commercial kitchen equipment such as commercial steamer, convection oven, standard gas or electric range and grill, meat slicer, mixer/grinder, commercial dishwasher, cooking utensils, etc.

Certificates and Licenses: Must have food handler’s permit and complete any additional training or certification required in the state of practice.

Communication Skills: Receive and carry out verbal or written instruction. Communicate effectively in person, over the phone, or via email with customers and co-workers. Write and proofread routine correspondence and reports with appropriate grammar and spelling. Make group presentations to share information or explain policies and procedures.

Organization/Self-Management Skills: Perform a variety of duties, moving between tasks of differing nature, with occasional distractions and interruptions. Prioritize competing requirements to complete work in a timely manner when there are changes to workload and assignments. Work independently and follow through on assignments with minimal direction.

Computer Skills: Proficiency with computers, Windows operating system, and Microsoft Office Suite.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The Physical Demands and Work Environment described below represent the activities and surroundings of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

Constantly stands and frequently walks for up to and exceeding one hour at a time. Frequently moves items weighing up to 10 pounds, and occasionally up to 50 pounds. Cooking and dining room duties require those in this position to frequently twist and rotate head, neck, and torso and reach high or low with arms and hands. Must be able to read recipes, menus, and instructions and detect audible alarms, bells, and signals related to food preparation and safety. Occasionally requires the ability to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and/or climb step ladders and/or stairs.

Work Environment

This position is situated in a commercial kitchen and dining room with a moderate to high noise level. Kitchen workers are frequently exposed to extreme cold from freezers and extreme heat from ovens, stoves, and grills, as well as hazardous equipment and contaminants such as raw meat and poultry products and cleaning chemicals. In certain circumstances, a staff member may be exposed to communicable diseases and infections, other biological hazards, and various drugs and chemicals. Due to these potential hazardous exposures, you may be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in addition to universal precautions. PPE could include, but is not limited to, gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and goggles.

Travel

Up to 10% local travel may be required for shopping and other operational purposes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee preparation and service of meals indicated on planned menus. Manage food production schedules, following standardized recipes.
• Oversee production of meals for limited, modified, and therapeutic diets, according to physician orders and/or diet manual criteria.
• Responsible for ensuring meals are served at scheduled times with correct temperatures, and are tasty and appealing.
• Accountable for establishing and maintaining overall service quality and ambiance of dining experience for residents.
• Participate in weekly schedule as a working chef, per community budget.
• Inform Executive Director of kitchen and dining room equipment in need of repair, plan workaround as needed, and oversee repairs to completion.
• Prepare required department records and reporting.
• Ensure all clean up functions are completed after every meal.
• Implement kitchen safety, sanitation, meal preparation and proper storage. Oversee corrective follow-up when necessary.
• Keep up-to-date spend down sheets reflecting all food, supply, chemical, and small wares Ensure expenses meet budgeted guidelines.
• Responsible for purchase of all food, supplies, and chemicals for Dining Services department.
• Responsible for receiving and properly storing food inventory.
• Regularly visit with residents in the dining room to ensure
• Monitor Resident Meal Attendance Log regularly for trends requiring follow up.
• Follow up on resident suggestions arising from community groups, individual encounters, and Resident Satisfaction Surveys.
• Set schedules for staff, post as required each month, and oversee coverage of all shifts. Maintain monthly filing of schedules on community’s cloud.
• Manage departmental staffing hours and overtime to budget.
• Attend mandatory meetings as scheduled by Executive Director.
• Maintain confidentiality of resident, community, employee, and company information.
• Maintain working knowledge of fire and disaster plans and responsibilities under emergency conditions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position directly supervises the Dining Services department at the assigned community. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. The Executive Director must be consulted before disciplinary action is taken.