Dietary Manager

Position Description

Responsible for planning, directing, controlling, and supervising functions and personnel within the dietary department. Safely and efficiently provides nutritionally appropriate food to residents for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing their overall health. Ensures the provision of quality food service and nutrition care in accordance to Federal, State and Local regulations.

Principal Responsibilities

• Provides leadership and guidance to ensure that food quality, safety standards, and resident needs are satisfactorily met.
• Purchases food and supplies through DSSI and contacts the purchasing department about any local producers.
• Communicates with the registered dietitian, dietetic technician, nursing service, dietary personnel, residents, families and other disciplines concerning food service and resident nutrition care.
• Ensures care plan interventions, regarding nutrition/hydration, must be based upon the resident’s assessment, disease processes, and resident choices/directives and includes amount, type, texture and frequency for food and fluids.
• Reviews dietary restrictions and/or weight measurements for revisions/discontinuity based upon resident/representative and attending physician decision; must be included in the medical record.
• Develops and utilizes a referral system for the registered dietitian.
• Checks residents’ progress toward meeting nutrition goals and determines effectiveness of nutrition care plan; documents outcome in progress notes and adjusts care plans as needed as directed by the Registered Dietitian and Administrator.
• Upon admission and periodically thereafter, visits residents regarding menus, food service, food preferences and dietary restrictions.
• Uses and keeps resident information current in eKardex, the company electronic systems for resident food, nutrition and dining information.
• Adapts services to take into consideration the preferences of residents and to develop processes to provide individualized diets when standard diets do not meet resident needs.
• Reviews weight records routinely and communicates variances to registered dietitian and interdisciplinary team.
• Communicates resident nutrition information using Twenty-Four Hour Report (Daily Interdisciplinary Report), tools and other center communication systems as directed by the Registered Dietitian and Administrator.

Qualifications

• High School diploma.
• Trained as a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP), or a Dietetic Technician, registered (DTR), or have the equivalent training from military experience or traditional education.
• Associate’s or higher degree in food service management or in hospitality, including a course of study in food service or restaurant management from an accredited institution of higher learning.
• Food service supervisory experience required; at least two years’ experience in long term care preferred.