K12 Commissary Production Kitchen Manager

Job Details: Job Location: DC - Commissary - Washington, DC, Position Type: Full-Time Salary, Salary Range: $60000.00 - $65000.00Salary/year, Job Category: Operations - Food Service, ABOUT GENUINE FOODS 

At Genuine Foods we create nourishing food environments at schools and workplaces through great-tasting and wholesome meals, made from genuine ingredients. We are a growing social enterprise that uses food to enhance health, productivity and happiness. We believe that fresh, scratch-made food together with unparalleled service and meaningful enrichment programs can transform lives and build community. Food service management is what we do, but what we achieve together with our customers, our partners and our dedicated team goes beyond the plate. 

This is a Monday-Friday schedule! 

ABOUT THIS POSITION 

The Production Kitchen Manager leads the people and processes that power our DC Commissary — a high-volume, high-accountability kitchen operation supplying schools across the region. This role reports to and works alongside the Regional Director of Operations and in concert with the Genuine Foods management team to build, train, and hold accountable a team that runs a tight, compliant, well-documented kitchen every single day. Success in this role means the commissary passes every inspection, every audit, and every review — and that the people on the floor are trained, certified, and set up to get it right the first time. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

People & Team Leadership 

Leads, schedules, and develops commissary staff and delivery drivers, building a team that takes ownership of quality and compliance rather than needing to be told. 

Trains staff on recipe execution, food safety protocols, and all Genuine Foods processes; verifies training actually sticks through observation and coaching, not just sign-off. 

Sets the tone for accountability on the floor — corrects issues in the moment, documents recurring problems, and escalates patterns to the Regional Director of Operations before they become compliance risks. 

Builds bench strength by identifying and developing staff who can step up as leads or cover shifts, reducing single points of failure in the kitchen. 

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance 

Owns HACCP plan execution and daily food safety logs for the commissary, including temperature monitoring, cooling logs, and corrective action documentation. 

Maintains ServSafe-certified coverage on every shift and ensures all staff complete required food safety and allergen training on schedule. 

Works with our nutritionist to ensure menu cycles and any changes remain fully compliant with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), including recipe standardization, correct portioning, and required documentation. 

Maintains inspection-ready records at all times — production records, receiving logs, sanitation checklists — anticipating health department and client audits rather than reacting to them. 

Leads or supports corrective action plans following any health inspection finding, client audit, or internal quality review, with clear documentation of root cause and resolution. 

Production & Operations 

Executes a monthly 21-day meal cycle for lunch, breakfast and snack that is high-quality, tastes good, and is financially sustainable. 

Manages food and labor costs for the unit and communicates with the Regional Director of Operations to ensure budgets are met. 

Manages and schedules commissary staff, including delivery drivers and their routes, to ensure on-time, accurate delivery to all sites. 

Places orders for all food and non-food products and serves as lead contact for vendors. 

Tracks orders and counts inventory to monitor actual versus projected costs. 

Constantly communicates with the Regional Director of Operations to ensure the region is running smoothly, staffing is adequate, and any issues — operational or compliance-related — are resolved quickly. 

All other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications:

Minimum of 2 years of experience in a formal kitchen setting with a love for food and people; a culinary degree is not required but highly desirable. 

Previous management experience in a fast-paced, high-volume food environment, ideally including direct responsibility for food safety compliance. 

ServSafe certification required (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire); working knowledge of HACCP principles strongly preferred. 

Demonstrated experience maintaining compliance documentation — production records, temperature logs, corrective action reports — in a manner that would hold up to an outside audit. 

Track record of training, coaching, and holding a team accountable to standards, with the ability to build consensus while still driving results. 

Mission-driven team player with a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and the willingness to pitch in and support colleagues. 

Entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to lead a team to best-in-class performance while building consensus and affecting positive change. 

School food service and/or contract food management is a plus. 

Self-motivated, able to lead and be a proactive problem solver, and make sound decisions on the fly. 

Understanding of professional cooking & knife handling skills, local and seasonal ingredients, and diverse cooking styles and cultures. 

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including written, phone, electronic and in-person. 

Must be able to stand for long periods of time. 

Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. 

Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Dropbox, Slack, etc.). 

Benefits and Perks:  

Health and retirement benefits 

Paid time off 

401K 

Performance-based bonuses 

GENUINE VALUES 

Trustworthiness: Integrity. Transparency. Reliability. Consistency. Best quality possible. Delivery excellence. 

Personal accountability: Ownership in solving problems. No excuses. Never compromising. Learn from mistakes. Financial stewardship of the bottom line (ours and customers’), without sacrificing quality. 

People first: Human centered solutions/approach. Whole person. Teamwork. Hospitality. Every single person matters. Humanity. Empathy. Meeting people where they are. Culturally responsive. 

Entrepreneurial: Adaptable. Nimble. Go the extra mile. Responsive. Encouraged to try new things. 

Genuine: Real, tasty, scratch-cooked healthy food. Strive for the highest quality, freshest and tastiest product at the price customers can afford. Authentic interactions. Honest. Positive. Proven. Professional. 

Genuine Foods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.