New York State School Food Operations Specialist

Full-time, Remote in New York State

About the Chef Ann Foundation

Founded in 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) believes that all children should have equal access to fresh, healthy, delicious food, providing them the foundation to thrive and meet their true potential. We ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide cook-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, we’ve reached over 19,000 schools and over 5.9 million children in all 50 states with our school food programming.

Job Description

The School Food Operations Specialist resides within the New York State School Food Operations Program and reports to the Senior School Food Operations Specialist. In this role at the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF), you will provide expert technical support and programmatic guidance to school districts partnering with Sullivan 180 in Sullivan County and supporting New York Healthy School Food Pathways programs. Focused on driving scratch cooking and sustainable practices, you will leverage deep expertise in USDA regulations, procurement processes, and food service operations to deliver high-impact virtual and on-site assistance. Specifically, the Specialist reviews operational content, provides targeted feedback, and guides district teams across the five core pillars of school food operations: food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Expertise

• Answers technical and operational questions regarding USDA regulations, procurement, school food operations, etc.
• Provides on-site and virtual operational expertise to support the New York Healthy School Food Pathway programs.
• Reviews all operational content associated with district work and provides feedback on recommendations for districts and technical assistance.
• Attends meetings as needed with funders and stakeholders to answer operational questions.
• Provides districts with technical assistance (in-person and virtual) to increase scratch cooking, focused on CAF’s five key areas of school food operations: food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing.
• Supports food service directors with the educational components of the New York Healthy School Food Pathway programs.

Programs Support

• Supports the development of assessment reports to support technical assistance provided to districts.
• Provides on-site training, including but not limited to scratch cooking, recipe development, and local procurement, for districts.
• Assists in relationship development with potential, new, and existing host districts for the New York Healthy School Food Pathway programs.
• Represents CAF in trade-based channels, conferences, and collaboratives.
• Works with the Operations team to complete implementation tasks with districts that contract with CAF;
• Ensures that the districts stay engaged and are moving through key program milestones.
• Leads and/or participates in virtual learning sessions for New York Healthy School Food Pathway programs and other CAF professional development programs.
• Coordinates schedules, travel, and district outreach strategy with the School Food Operations team.
• Works with the districts and CAF Marketing Team to highlight program results in districts’ communities and nationally.
• Develops and delivers presentations for webinars, conferences, and other public opportunities focused on specific areas of school food operations.
• Ensures CAF initiatives are managed at the highest level and represent the organization’s commitment to quality, result-driven programming.
• Stay current on emerging trends, factors, and regulations that influence the school food landscape, particularly in the state you reside; reflect this knowledge in the programming.
• And other duties as assigned within the scope of the position.

Position Requirements

• Four (4) years of college or equivalent advanced training to qualify for a Bachelor’s Degree with a relevant major: Culinary, Nutrition, Food Service.
• Minimum of four (4) years of experience in school food service with preference for those operating in a scratch-cook operation.
• Minimum of two (2) years of culinary experience, or an equivalent combination of formal culinary training and professional kitchen experience.
• Ability to travel locally throughout New York State and nationally; 50% to 75% of time spent traveling.
• Must possess and maintain a current, valid driver's license in their state of residence and possess reliable transportation.
• Technology Skill Level: Basic Level: Asana or PM Software, Google WorkSpace, Zoom-Virtual Meetings.

Preferred Education, Formal Training, and Experience:

• Demonstrated experience understanding and developing fiscal budgets and models for school food programs.
• Demonstrated experience in understanding menu planning and K-12 recipe/menu software as it relates to ingredient-based, cook-from-scratch meal programs.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of K-12 procurement including RFPs, purchasing cooperatives, and inventory management.

Essential Traits

• Ability to build strong, trusting relationships with school food operators.
• A strong writer and editor who can create and edit content for school food operators.
• Able to create and run impactful training programs for school food operators.
• Knowledge of NSLP (National School Food Lunch Program) regulations and proactive about staying informed on new regulations.
• Very organized and able to meet targeted outcomes.
• A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness.
• Very strong ability to think ahead and to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work with different personalities and backgrounds.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Effective telephone and email customer service skills.
• Flexible mindset and innovative thinker.
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training.
• An ability to adapt to shifting priorities.

Compensation

Compensation ranges between $66,027 - $89,215 per year and will be commensurate with the candidate’s previous experience and credentials. The Chef Ann Foundation is a great place to work. It provides its staff with a competitive benefits package, including medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, group life insurance, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, hospital indemnity, 403(b) retirement plan with a match, paid parental and sabbatical leaves, holidays & paid time off. We are a fully remote national organization whose headquarters are located in Boulder, CO, with team members spread across the US. This position is remote and can be based anywhere in the State of New York.

Travel

This job requires the individual to travel from school to school, and driving and a driver’s license may be required, except in rare situations where the geographic territory that the individual will cover has alternative forms of transportation that are readily available.

Posting will close on October 29, 2026.

Anticipated position start date is January 4, 2027.

At the Chef Ann Foundation, our work to ensure access to fresh, healthy school food for all is built on the idea of equity. We support and celebrate differences; our team and community are stronger with every new voice. CAF is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.