District School Food Programs Coordinator

District School Food Programs Coordinator

Position Description
The District School Food Programs Coordinator is responsible for providing leadership, guidance and support in all areas of the district's food services programs. This position reports directly to the District Principal of Early Learning and provides leadership and supervision for the district food services team.

The District School Food Programs Coordinator participates as a professional member of the district leadership team and advises on and implements key projects and initiatives related to food services, which support the district's strategic plan.

Our ideal candidate is an enthusiastic, self-driven and collaborative individual who is passionate about local food systems. They should be skilled in program development, delivery, and monitoring, and capable of navigating both individual school and district-wide environments. This highly dynamic role has the potential to significantly impact student health and learning. The focus is on building relationships, collaborating with community partners, and implementing student-centered, locally adapted, and health-promoting food programs. The school district currently has eight schools, each with its own approach to school food programs.

Requirements

• Red Seal Chef and/or a degree in program administration and management, population health nutrition, sustainable food systems, food policy, school food service, or asset-based community development, and/or equivalent training/experience
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in food service or education related field
• Ability to express ideas effectively both orally and in writing; experience in the preparation of formal reports, and oral/written presentations
• Ability to visit schools, community partners and food preparation sites across the district.
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check
• Current BC Drivers License
• Current First Aid Certification
• Legal eligibility to work in Canada
• Food Safe Certification

Leadership Duties include:

• Identify and support opportunities and conditions required to maintain and expand existing food programs or develop new school food programs
• Build and maintain community partnerships with food producers, non-profits, local businesses, Tla'amin Nation, the Indigenous Education Council, and others who can support the aggregation, processing and distribution of local food and healthy meals to students and families
• Build staff capacity within school communities to deliver food programs, including providing resources and knowledge-building opportunities and supporting local leadership with staff orientations, work scheduling, training, and performance evaluations in accordance with qathet School District policies and procedures and applicable collective agreements
• Support new and existing school food programs to incorporate principles of inclusion, equity and diversity into their design and implementation to ensure that programs can be accessed stigma free and lend themselves to future universal models
• Support the connection and collaboration of food programs with school gardens and other food literacy programming
• Connect and liaise with public health dietitians, healthy school coordinators, and relevant regional and/or provincial networks (eg. Farm to School BC, Coalition for Healthy School Food, Ministry Communities of Practice), to support professional development and stay up to date on school food resources and opportunities
• Research and incorporate local food tracking systems as required by Ministry of Agriculture in the support of Feeding Futures funding
• And other related duties

Operations

• Support the implementation of district standard food program through menu planning, integrating local food sources, managing ordering systems, and preparing and delivering meals
• Monitoring, administering, and reporting on department operations and program budgets with the expectation of adapting operating plans to optimize the use of available resources
• Collaborate with high school culinary arts team in shared space use, menus, and resources
• Managing and overseeing all program operations, including but not limited to food inventory, pricing, ordering, cooking and food preparation, menu planning and delivery logistics
• Development, oversight, maintenance, and adaptation of food service operations in accordance with the Food Safety Act, the Public Health Act, Food Premises Regulation, Vancouver Coastal Health Food Safety, WorkSafe BC and any other applicable laws or regulations
• Liaise with District Facilities Management, as required, to inventory, order and ensure all equipment installations are compliant with municipal building codes, health regulations and qSD policies/standards

The Ideal Candidate Will:

• Be familiar with food procurement systems, relevant health policies, local schools and food providers
• Be passionate about how healthy food can enhance the lives of children and youth
• Have excellent networking, engagement, facilitation, and negotiation skills
• Have demonstrated understanding of cultural context and perspectives that include experiences working with local First Nations and supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Be highly resourceful, creative, and self-directed
• Have a high level of personal and professional integrity
• Have background in budgeting, managing, and evaluating programs

Starting date: (May 1, 2025 or agreed upon date)

This is a permanent, full-time 11-month exempt position offering a competitive salary and benefits. Weekday schedule to be determined on food preparation and delivery model and may include evenings.

Interested qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and resume which must include three professional supervisory references familiar with your professional performance. Please also include any supporting documents and transcripts.

Annual Salary: $62,389 - $77,987

Application closing date: April 16, 2025

Applications Can Be Submitted To:
School District 47 (qathet) - Human Resources Via email -

For further information regarding this position, please contact Maureen Benoit at (604) 414-2603 or

We appreciate all interest in this position however, only those selected for further interviews will be contacted by the District.