Associate Director Food Service

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A rewarding career that fits your life. Learn how Banner Health, a certified Great Place To Work®, prioritizes team members and strives to be the best place to work in health care.

The Associate Director, Culinary & Nutrition Services provides strategic direction, planning, and supervision of food services and clinical nutrition services at Banner Estrella Medical Center. This leader ensures the delivery of efficient, high-quality meal service and nutritional care to patients and customers across all food and beverage operations. Areas of oversight include patient food services, retail food and beverage units, catering services, and clinical dietary care. The leader who steps into this role would report to the Guest Services Director who is accountable for all aspects of retail and patient food services on a 24-hour basis.

The core functions of this role are to oversee all aspects of food and nutrition services including menu planning, recipe development, food production, procurement, retail operations, patient dietary counseling, and clinical nutrition care. The Associate Director leads personnel actions, manages departmental information systems, drives innovation through emerging trends and technologies, ensures quality and regulatory compliance, and maintains full financial accountability including budget development, revenue forecasting, and monthly expense reconciliation.

This leader will directly support a team of approximately:

• 66 Staff Members
• 3 Supervisors
• 3 Leads

Schedule Expectations

This is a varied schedule, primarily day-shift based, with the following expectations:

• Core hours: No earlier than 6:00 AM, no later than 9:00 AM start
• Evening coverage: 2 days per month with shifts ending at 8:30 PM to support the evening team
• Late-night coverage: 1 shift ending at 11:00 PM approximately every 60 days, based on business need

Preferred Qualifications

• Hospital Kitchen Operations: Hands-on experience managing and supporting a hospital kitchen environment, with a strong understanding of the unique demands of healthcare food service
• Multi-Area Food Service Expertise: Working knowledge that extends across all areas where food is supported within a healthcare facility, including:
  • Cafeteria operations — high-volume service and workflow management
  • Café and coffee shop — specialty food and beverage program oversight
  • Barista and cashiering services — front-of-house customer experience and point-of-sale operations
  • Patient room service programs — individualized, patient-centered meal delivery
• Healthcare Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with healthcare food service compliance standards and accreditation requirements
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work across departments and service lines within a hospital or health system setting

Disclaimer: This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, or qualifications required. Banner Health reserves the right to modify job duties or requirements at any time.

POSITION SUMMARY
This position provides direction, planning and supervision of food services and clinical nutrition services to ensure that the department provides efficient, high quality meal service and nutritional care to patients and customers. These services may also include multiple retail food/beverage units and catering services. The position provides strategic direction to ensure the department goals are consistent with organizational objectives.

CORE FUNCTIONS
1. Provides required leadership, planning, and direction to create and deliver high quality food and nutrition services and dietary care. Oversees menu planning and recipe development, food production, procurement and storage of food and nutritional supplies and equipment, retail operations, patient food services, and patient dietary counseling.

2. Plans and directs the implementation of information systems for the department. Works with organization and vendor resources to implement and manage systems for patient menus and ordering, the management of food production and forecasting, retail sales accounting and tracking, and patient dietary services.

3. Directs personnel actions including recruiting, new hire actions, interviewing and selection of new staff, salary determinations, training, and performance management. Supports staff training and development to motivate staff to provide highest level of service and to remain current on industry trends. Establishes and communicates team goals and provides feedback and recommendations for improvement. Creates cohesive teams committed to clinical, product and service quality.

4. Brings innovative and synergistic ideas into the workplace by evaluating new products, emerging trends and technologies, economic changes, and industry innovation. Participates in system-wide task forces and/or teams to assess and promote the use of common practices and economies.

5. Manages quality, safety and compliance for all facility food and nutrition services. Creates and administers measures and benchmarks for all required outcomes in product and service quality, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, safe work practices and employee engagement and satisfaction. Assures that all reporting staff maintain required food handling and professional certification.

6. Manages the department’s financial performance. Forecasts and manages retail food and catering revenues. Develops and manages operational and capital budgets. Manages operating expenses and other key indicators within agreed upon parameters. Reconciles monthly operating expense budget variances.

7. Under the general supervision of a facility administrator, this position is responsible for all aspects of retail and patient food services on a 24-hour basis and for all clinical nutrition and patient dietary care services. The position plans and provides systems to support customer needs and evaluate service levels. Position organizes, directs and modifies food service activities to ensure high quality, cost-effective, and efficient operations. The position develops budgets, goals, and objectives for the department and is responsible for menus, quality assurance and utilization management programs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Service Management, or equivalent experience and training. Requires a level of nutrition and dietary knowledge as normally evidenced by certification as a Registered Dietitian. Effective January 1, 2024 the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requires a minimum of Master's degree to be eligible to take the registration examination.

Must have five or more years of broad experience in the management of both retail and patient food service, production and procurement, and experience in managing clinical nutrition services. Must be able to budget and apply clinical skills to quality assurance and utilization management. Requires strong abilities in leadership, communications, business analysis and planning, and the ability to plan and direct the work of others.

Employees working at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital must possess an Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card at the time of hire and maintain the card for the duration of their employment. An Arizona Criminal History Affidavit must be signed upon hire.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Additional related education and/or experience preferred.

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