Senior Director of Nutrition Programs bei SERVING SENIORS

Description

Job Title: Senior Director of Nutrition Programs

Reports To: Chief Programs & Services Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Department: Nutrition

Department Level: M3

Job Purpose

The Senior Director of Nutrition Programs provides broad leadership and oversight for Serving Seniors’ countywide nutrition services, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and cost-effective delivery of meal programs. This position leads through a team of managers while remaining hands-on as needed to maintain smooth operations, resolve issues, and ensure service excellence.

The Senior Director is responsible for maintaining compliance with all County of San Diego AIS contractual requirements, including performance reporting, audits, and achievement of annual meal, revenue, and expenditure targets. This role plays a key part in driving operational consistency, staff development, and continuous improvement across multiple meal sites and service models.

Who We Are

Established in 1970, Serving Seniors helps San Diego County’s low-income seniors overcome poverty through whole-person, wraparound support including meals, housing, health and social services, and enrichment activities. We work at numerous sites across the county and in the homes of hundreds of homebound seniors. Our flagship Gary & Mary West Senior Wellness Center in downtown San Diego is unlike any other senior center in the nation. Bringing together a range of supportive services under one roof, the Senior Wellness Center operates 365 days a year and offers two floors of integrated care, including health and social services, housing navigation, enrichment activities, lifelong learning, a Cyber Café and linkage to over 25 onsite direct service partners, including a senior dental center. Last fiscal year, we provided over 1,400,000 meals and coordinated services to 6,800 older adults.

Our Mission: Helping seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Our Vision: All seniors, regardless of income, are able to thrive, engage in their communities, lead purposeful lives, and have a place they call home.

Our Core Values:

Advocacy - Acknowledging and supporting the needs of older adults at the individual, community, and policy-level.

Person-Centered - Seeing the whole person, providing coordinated support, and treating all with dignity and respect.

Integrity – Representing the values of honesty, trust, and transparency within our community.

Compassion & Empathy – Approaching our work with a heartfelt desire to better understand and serve.

Impact – Measuring and evaluating programs to ensure that for every dollar invested, there is a positive impact in the lives of those we serve.

Inclusive – Promoting an environment that nurtures differences and allows individuals to be their entire, authentic selves.

Top Workplace Award Recipient

Serving Seniors has received the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Top Workplaces Award nine out of the ten years the awards program has taken place, and most recently for five years in a row from 2019-2025.

Requirements

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, structure, and accountability for the Nutrition Department, overseeing all functions including food production, meal service, and distribution operations.
• Supervise and support management-level staff, fostering clear communication, accountability, and collaboration.
• Remain operationally engaged and able to step in during emergencies, staff shortages, or large-scale service needs to maintain program continuity.
• Ensure all operations reflect Serving Seniors’ mission, values, and standards of service.
• Ensure adherence to all contractual, regulatory, and funding requirements for the County of San Diego AIS Nutrition Services contract.
• Oversees preparation and submission of reports, including monthly operational meal reports, program monitoring and audit documentation, Requests for Proposals, etc.
• Track and achieve contractual targets for meal production, service volume, and budget utilization.
• Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure expenditures and revenues align with AIS guidelines and approved funding levels.
• Maintain accountability for spending, ensuring adherence to approved budgets, cost controls, and funding requirements.
• Oversee purchasing, vendor management, and inventory systems to ensure fiscal responsibility and operational efficiency.
• Ensure department-wide adherence to food safety, sanitation, and nutrition standards.
• Oversee consistent implementation of policies, procedures, and performance metrics across all sites and service models.
• Utilize data and reporting tools to monitor program performance, identify trends, and recommend operational or staffing adjustments.
• Collaborate with Facilities, Fleet, and Health & Social Services departments to support integrated, efficient service delivery.
• Lead, coach, and develop management staff to ensure effective supervision, accountability, and professional growth across all levels.
• Promote a positive departmental culture rooted in teamwork, respect, and continuous learning.
• Support training, performance evaluation, and succession planning efforts to strengthen the department’s management bench.
• Represent the Nutrition Department in cross-departmental meetings, community collaborations, and funder communications.
• Serve as one of the primary liaisons to the County’s AIS Nutrition Program staff and other regulatory entities.
• Provide program data, updates, and operational insights in support of grants, development initiatives, and external reporting.
• Fulfill mandated reporting responsibilities by identifying and reporting suspected elder or dependent adult abuse to Adult Protective Services.

Required Qualifications

Education

• A bachelor's degree in Food Service Management, Business Administration, Nutrition, or related field.

Experience

• 8+ years of relevant experience
• 3+ years of successful management experience in relevant industry
• Experience leading high-volume, multi-site, compliance-driven programs and working with government programs
• Experience working with older adults clients is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suites: Outlook, Word, Teams, and informatics.
• Proficiency in Excel.
• Ability to work independently and set priorities to meet deadlines and hold teams accountable.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Able to learn and adapt to new technologies, software, and systems quickly.
• Excellent organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Must demonstrate a high degree of accuracy in work output.
• Ability to use good judgment and maintain confidentiality.
• Strong professional, organizational, and interpersonal skills to effectively relate with all members of the team.
• Impeccable customer service skills
• Excellent communication skills
• A valid California Driver’s License

Preferred Qualifications

• Food Protection Manager certificate in the state of California.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Onsite position – office provided.
• Position is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 20 pounds.
• Requires specific vision abilities to include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Why our current employees enjoy working for us:

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package. Serving Seniors pays 100% of employees medical & dental coverage. (For employees who qualify for benefits)
• We offer paid holidays and paid time off to all employees
• We offer a floating holiday to all employees
• We offer up to a 3% match on 403(b) retirement plans, to all employees
• We’ve been voted a best place to work for over five years in San Diego
• We are a stable company with over 50 years of experience
• We have served thousands of older adults throughout San Diego County making a positive impact and providing a higher quality of life to these individuals

Pay: 95k DOE 

This employer is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and E-Verify employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.