Child Nutrition Elementary Kitchen Lead

Position Type:
Child Nutrition Services
Date Posted:
8/12/2025
Location:
Bowen Elementary School
Closing Date:
08/19/2025 ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE UPLOADED AND SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM ON THE SPECIFIED POSTING DEADLINE.
Position: Child Nutrition Elementary Kitchen Lead
Position Purpose: Under the direction of the Director of Child Nutrition & the Elementary Field Supervisor, the elementary kitchen lead is responsible for daily food production & leadership functions in their assigned kitchen. The kitchen lead ensures that the kitchen operates professionally, is adequately staffed, and fulfills the staff, student, & district expectations. This position maintains and oversees the daily operation of the district's Child Nutrition Program to ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining high standards of food safety and sanitation.
Schedule: 8.0 hrs/day - 5 days/wk - 40 wks/year - Full Time Position
Essential Job Functions:

• Maintain the kitchen and equipment to meet Health Department requirements.
• Willingness of State and Federal reimbursable meal requirements.
• Responsible for daily State and Federal meal reporting requirements.
• Train staff on new requirements, as needed.
• Provide evaluation input for assigned staff.
• Participate in all CNS meetings and conferences, as required.
• Work banquets and/or special events in your building.
• Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Director of Child Nutrition Services or his/her designee.
• Regular, reliable and punctual attendance

Note: The above description is illustrative of tasks and responsibilities. It is not meant to be all inclusive of every task or responsibility.
Equipment:

• Use standard office equipment, such as computers and copiers.
• Use standard commercial grade food preparation equipment.

Travel Requirements: Travel between schools, or between schools and central offices, may be required for certain positions.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to take initiative and responsibility for work and work areas.
• Ability to be a team player.
• Ability to produce quality work.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to complete GFS online food ordering.
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written or oral form.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and perform arithmetic operations as needed.
• Ability to understand, apply and use technology and software applications (e.g., Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Drive, etc).
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of information regarding students, employees, and others.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with students, staff and others contacted in the course of work.
• Ability to report work orally or in writing to supervisor as required.
• Ability to work in an economically, culturally and racially diverse environment.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 1 year of supervisory experience in a professional kitchen setting preferred.
• In lieu of 1 year supervisory experience, the candidate must have a very good work history with an excellent attendance record in previous assignments and have successful job performance as evidenced through past/recent supervisor evaluations.
• Experience in the preparation of large quantities of food.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds.
• Current ServSafe Certificate & ServSafe Allergen Certification or ability to obtain within 6 months of employment.
• Civil Rights Training Certificate or ability to obtain within the first 60 days of employment.
• Must meet annual minimum Federal required training hours for School Nutrition Manager (10 Hours).
• Full knowledge of all breakfast/lunch components and what equals a reimbursable meal per the USDA standards is preferred.
• Previous work experience in the food service industry. K-12 experience preferred.
• Knowledge of state guidelines and regulations for food preparation.
• Previous experience with cash registers and point-of-sale systems.
• Experience with the receiving and inventorying of food orders from vendors.
• Previous experience with inventory procedures and maintaining kitchen supplies.

Physical and Mental Demands, Work Hazards:

• Ada Requirements: The physical demands, work environment factors, and mental functions described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, talk, hear (in a quiet or noisy environment), taste and smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust/focus.
• Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually loud to moderate.
• Mental Functions: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to compare, analyze, communicate both orally and in writing, copy, coordinate, instruct, compute, synthesize, evaluate, use interpersonal skills, compile and negotiate.

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
APPLICATIONS: SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, INDIVIDUAL COVER LETTER AND RESUME THROUGH THE ONLINE APPLITRACK APPLICANT CENTER, NO HARD COPY APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA MAIL OR HAND DELIVERY.
ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE UPLOADED AND SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM ON THE SPECIFIED POSTING DEADLINE.
Visit the district website: Click kentwoodps/employment.org
Kentwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status in its employment decisions or the provision of services.