Food Service Operations Manager

Location: Jackson, MS Area

Salary: $40,000–$50,000

Benefits: Employee discounts, PTO

About the Opportunity

A corporate dining operation is seeking to identify a hands-on Food Service Operations Manager to oversee an employee cafeteria within a large manufacturing facility serving approximately 700–800 employees. The operation provides breakfast, lunch, and limited evening meal service with a mix of traditional hot meals, made-to-order selections, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and grab-and-go offerings. This is an excellent opportunity for a food service leader who enjoys being actively involved in the operation rather than managing from an office.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily employee cafeteria operations, including breakfast, lunch, and limited evening meal service
• Lead and work alongside the culinary team during food preparation, cooking, and service
• Ensure consistent execution of hot entrées, sides, sandwiches, salads, desserts, grab-and-go items, and other menu offerings
• Maintain standards for food quality, freshness, presentation, portioning, and service readiness
• Supervise, schedule, train, and provide daily direction to food service employees
• Monitor employee attendance, performance, productivity, and adherence to workplace expectations
• Ensure appropriate staffing and preparation levels based on anticipated business needs
• Manage food, beverage, paper product, cleaning supply, and operating supply ordering
• Receive deliveries and maintain organized inventory, storage, labeling, and product rotation
• Monitor food costs through effective portion control, production planning, inventory management, and waste reduction
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, temperature control, storage, and employee hygiene standards
• Ensure kitchen equipment, workstations, storage areas, and service areas remain clean and organized
• Prepare menus, schedules, invoices, reports, and other operational documentation
• Communicate effectively with employees, vendors, customers, and company leadership
• Identify and resolve operational concerns while maintaining consistent service

Ideal Experience

• Previous supervisory or management experience in a restaurant, cafeteria, catering, institutional dining, corporate dining, or similar food service operation
• Hands-on cooking experience in an operation preparing fresh food beyond primarily prepackaged or fast-food products
• Experience supervising employees, creating schedules, and coordinating daily staffing
• Strong working knowledge of food preparation, sanitation, food safety, ordering, and inventory procedures
• Experience preparing traditional hot meals from scratch is highly preferred
• High-volume food service experience within corporate dining, manufacturing, healthcare, education, or a similar environment is a plus
• Experience with made-to-order stations, grab-and-go programs, or multiple meal periods preferred
• Current food safety or food manager certification is a plus
• Basic computer proficiency, including Microsoft Word, email, document scanning, and electronic communication
• Strong organization, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills
• Dependable, hands-on leadership style with the ability to take ownership of daily operations

To be considered, please submit your resume to: sydneyc@geckohospitality.com