Director of Culinary Services

About the role

The Culinary Service Director oversees culinary services across the Mishkon IDD Division, ensuring safe, high-quality, compliant, and person-centered meal services that meet kosher, nutritional, medical, and regulatory requirements. This role also involves leading and supporting culinary staff, promoting accountability and a positive service culture, and partnering with various teams to ensure efficient food service operations and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Oversee consistent, compliant meal service across all programs, ensuring 100% adherence to approved menus, modified textures, therapeutic diets, individualized dietary needs, and Kashrut laws.
• Maintain high standards for food quality, portioning, presentation, and service delivery through routine monitoring and documented site reviews.
• Lead weekly dietician collaboration to support menu planning, dietary compliance, timely follow-up on identified concerns, and continuous quality improvement.
• Develop and maintain culinary service protocols, operating guides, workflows, and performance dashboards to monitor compliance, service quality, staffing, inventory, and department progress.
• Provide leadership updates on staffing, compliance, service quality, budget trends, and operational risks using data to identify gaps, monitor corrective actions, support budget compliance, and drive improvement.
• Drive compliance with food safety, sanitation, NYSDOH, NYC Food Protection, Kashrut, and organizational standards across all culinary operations.
• Lead routine audits of kitchens, storage areas, temperature logs, sanitation practices, and meal service to ensure consistent regulatory readiness.
• Monitor staff performance, attendance, and coverage needs through routine site presence and follow-up to address gaps in a timely manner.
• Supervise other culinary staff, as needed.
• Ensure 100% adherence to approved menus, recipes, measurements, portions, and substitutions across assigned sites.
• Monitor accuracy and compliance of modified-texture, therapeutic, kosher, and special diets.
• Partners with clinical and dietary teams to support individualized needs and timely menu updates.
• Manage inventory, ordering, and supply utilization to support budget compliance, reduce waste, and prevent overstocking or shortages.
• Ensure supplies are allocated appropriately across apartments and sites to maximize resources and maintain consistent service delivery.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-site culinary operations with consistency, accountability, and service excellence.
• Knowledgeable of cost control practices.
• Knowledge of therapeutic, modified texture, kosher, and special diets.
• Proven capacity to build high-performing teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Service Management, Nutrition, Hospitality, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• NYSDOH – NYC Food Handler’s Certificate required.

Skills

• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills.
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations.
• Experience managing staff across multiple locations.
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic systems for documentations, scheduling, timekeeping, inventory, and communication.

Benefits

• Generous vacation time, in addition to paid agency holidays and sick days.
• Affordable and high-quality medical/dental/vision plans.
• Tuition assistance and educational loan forgiveness.
• Free continuing education opportunities.
• 403(b) retirement benefits and a pension.
• Flexible spending accounts for health and transportation.
• 24/7 Accessible Employee Assistance Program.
• Life and disability insurance.