ABOUT HEALTHY KIDS INC.
What began in 2021 as a statewide pilot with one childcare center and three employees has grown into a company operating two central kitchens, in Morgantown and Huntington, with a team of approximately 25. Today, we prepare more than 2,000 chef-led, from-scratch meals each day for childcare centers and schools across West Virginia. Our team includes chefs, nutrition professionals, farmers, and community partners who share a passion for feeding children real food.
We believe children deserve healthy meals. We prioritize from-scratch cooking, real and recognizable ingredients, local West Virginia products whenever possible, and food that tastes good to kids. Our standards go beyond minimum program requirements because the health of the children we serve is at the heart of every decision.
Healthy Kids is growing, and this is an important next step in building the leadership and infrastructure needed for that growth.
POSITION SUMMARY
Healthy Kids Inc. is hiring a Kitchen Operations Manager to take day-to-day ownership of our Morgantown Central Kitchen. This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for the people, systems, production, food safety, costs, inventory, delivery coordination, and client service that keep our meals moving accurately and on time each day.
The right person is highly organized, calm under pressure, comfortable making decisions, and able to lead with both accountability and heart. This person does not need to arrive knowing every detail of food service or federal nutrition programs. We can teach the right candidate our kitchen systems, food standards, and program requirements. What matters most is sound judgment, strong follow-through, attention to detail, leadership potential, and a genuine desire to learn.
The manager will work alongside the team when needed, particularly during peak periods or unexpected staffing challenges. Their primary responsibility, however, is to lead and coordinate the full operation so the kitchen functions safely, accurately, and efficiently.
ROLE OWNERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING
The Kitchen Operations Manager will work closely with the Founding team to learn how to make routine staffing, scheduling, purchasing, production, workflow, and client-service decisions within established budgets, policies, food standards, and program requirements.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Team Leadership
- Lead the Morgantown kitchen team with clarity, consistency, respect, and a calm sense of urgency.
- Coordinate daily staffing, work assignments, break coverage, call-offs, and production priorities.
- Ensure employees understand the day’s priorities, quantities, food-safety expectations, and delivery deadlines.
- Build a healthy kitchen culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, open communication, high standards, and practical problem-solving, while protecting the energy, joy, and sense of fun that make Healthy Kids a great place to work.
- Coordinate volunteers and interns so their work supports, rather than disrupts, daily production.
Production and Delivery Logistics
- Build and manage daily and weekly production plans across meal programs using established systems, menus, recipes, meal counts, and production software.
- Translate site counts into accurate production quantities, portions, packaging, allergen meals, loading instructions, and delivery needs.
- Oversee production flow so meals are prepared, packed, labeled, loaded, and dispatched accurately and on time.
- Coordinate drivers, routes, loading accuracy, and real-time responses to late deliveries, shortages, vehicle issues, or unexpected site changes.
- Step into production when needed while maintaining responsibility for the overall operation.
- Partner with the culinary team on menu development and maintain standardized recipes, portions, yields, and preparation instructions.
Food Safety, Allergens, and Program Compliance
- Own daily food-safety and sanitation compliance, including receiving and storage controls, temperature logs, cleaning schedules, labeling and dating, corrective actions, and safe equipment practices.
- Maintain and enforce allergen protocols that prevent cross-contact and support the safe preparation, identification, packaging, and delivery of modified meals.
- Learn and consistently apply applicable federal child nutrition program requirements, including CACFP and SFSP school meal-pattern standards.
- Maintain timely and accurate production records, meal counts, menus, purchasing documentation, food-safety records, and other materials needed for client billing, program compliance, and reviews.
- Keep the kitchen prepared for health-department inspections, client visits, and announced or unannounced program reviews.
Financial, Inventory, and Facility Management
- Manage food and staffing costs within approved guidelines and understand how daily decisions affect the kitchen’s financial performance.
- Monitor labor hours, food usage, portions, waste, purchasing, and other operating expenses; flag concerns early and recommend practical solutions.
- Complete accurate inventory counts, maintain appropriate stock levels, and anticipate shortages before they affect production.
- Place and track food and supply orders; receive deliveries and verify quality, quantity, condition, and pricing against orders.
- Maintain organized coolers, freezers, dry storage, production areas, and supply areas using established inventory and food-safety practices.
- Prepare or contribute to regular production, labor, food-cost, waste, inventory, and operational reports for leadership review.
Client, Vendor, and Farmer Relationships
- Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for the childcare centers and schools served by the Morgantown kitchen.
- Communicate promptly, clearly, and professionally by email and phone; resolve routine concerns and escalate significant issues when needed.
- Maintain strong working relationships with distributors, vendors, and service providers.
- Coordinate with local farmers to source and integrate seasonal West Virginia products into purchasing and menu plans whenever practical.
- Identify recurring client or vendor issues and improve the underlying process, rather than repeatedly treating the symptom.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
- Meals leave the kitchen safely, accurately, on time, and in the correct quantities.
- The kitchen stays within established food and labor cost targets, with concerns identified early.
- Staff schedules are dependable, appropriate to production volume, and communicated in advance.
- Inventory is accurate, waste is monitored, and shortages are anticipated before they interrupt service.
- Client questions and concerns are handled promptly, professionally, and with strong follow-through.
- Food-safety, allergen, production, and meal-program documentation is complete, accurate, and review-ready.
- The team understands expectations, receives useful feedback, and is held accountable in a respectful and consistent way.
- The manager improves systems over time and brings forward practical, technology-supported solutions.
- The Morgantown kitchen operates effectively without routine Founder intervention.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Operational leadership: Keeps people, information, and work moving while maintaining clear priorities and standards.
Organization and attention to detail: Understands that a small mistake in a meal count, allergen plan, order, or delivery can affect an entire site. Attention to detail is critical.
Calm problem-solving: Responds thoughtfully and decisively when a staffing issue, shortage, delivery problem, or last-minute change occurs.
Accountability and follow-through: Closes loops, documents decisions, meets deadlines, and does not wait for repeated reminders.
People leadership: Sets expectations clearly, gives constructive feedback, listens well, and treats people with dignity.
Learning agility: Can learn food-service systems, federal meal requirements, software, and kitchen workflows quickly and apply them consistently.
Business mindset: Recognizes how labor, ordering, portions, waste, quality, and client retention affect the kitchen’s sustainability.
Technology and process improvement: Looks for practical ways to use systems, data, automation, and AI-enabled tools to reduce errors and improve workflow.
Mission alignment: Cares about children’s health, real food, local agriculture, and the opportunity to build a better food system in West Virginia.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Demonstrated experience organizing people, schedules, projects, logistics, production, or another detail-intensive operation.
- Prior experience supervising or informally leading others strongly preferred. High-potential candidates with clear leadership ability will also be considered.
- Education, training, or professional experience in business management, operations, logistics, hospitality, food-service management, culinary operations, or a related field is welcomed. Relevant hands-on experience and demonstrated ability will be considered equally alongside formal education.
- Commercial kitchen, institutional food service, catering, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, or school nutrition is helpful but not required.
- Clear, professional written and verbal communication.
- Comfort using email, spreadsheets, scheduling tools, production or inventory systems, and AI-enabled tools; able to learn new software quickly.
- ServSafe Manager Certificate preferred at hire and required within 30 days of starting. Healthy Kids Inc. will cover the cost.
- Dependably available and ready to lead at 6:00 AM. Consistent, on-time attendance is essential.
We recognize that strong operational leaders come from many professional and educational backgrounds. If your experience has prepared you to organize people, manage details, solve problems, and take ownership, we encourage you to apply even if you have not previously worked in food service.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS
This is a physical, hands-on kitchen environment. The position requires prolonged standing and walking; regular lifting and carrying of up to 50 pounds; frequent reaching, bending, and repetitive motion; and working around heat, steam, refrigeration, sharp equipment, and common food allergens. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
SCHEDULE
Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM. No regularly scheduled weekends. Limited after-hours communication may occasionally be needed for urgent operational matters, but it is not intended to be the norm.
COMPENSATION
Hourly, commensurate with experience. Final compensation will reflect the candidate’s relevant experience, leadership readiness, and demonstrated ability to take ownership of the operation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Other duties may be assigned as needed to support the operation.
Healthy Kids Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.
This job description does not constitute an employment contract and may be updated as the role and business evolve.
Work Location: In person
