Qualifications & Job Opportunities

USDA professional standards for school nutrition staff members are coming soon. See below for information regarding the positions available within school nutrition.

• District level School Nutrition Directors are professionals who oversee all aspects of the school nutrition program for the district independently or alongside additional school nutrition professionals. They are directly responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of school foodservice in a district. Generally a district director-level position requires higher education in nutrition, hospitality, culinary arts, and/or business administration. Note: more director jobs are becoming available due to retiring professionals creating an opportunity for young professionals.
• School Nutrition Managers, also known as school foodservice managers, work in a single school and report to the school nutrition director. Manager’s job functions include menu planning, procurement, food production, sanitation, service, recordkeeping, marketing, personnel management, and professional development.
• School Nutrition Assistants or Technicians are foodservice employees that work in a local cafeteria under the school nutrition manager. They are involved in routine operations of school nutrition programs for a participating school(s). For example, this may include preparing and serving meals, processing transactions at the point of service, and reviewing free/reduced applications.

Information gathered from: USDA and the Institute of Child Nutrition