Food Services Manager

Overview

Filing Period:
We will be accepting online applications from Monday, February 9, 2026 at 8:00 A.M. (PT) until Monday, February 23, 2026, 5:00 P.M. (PT).

Type Of Recruitment:
We encourage applications from anyone.

Exam Number: J4791M

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Why work for us? With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation. As the largest employer in Southern California, over 116,000 employees in more than 38 Departments provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities and many more. We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee.

The County has more than 2,300 different job descriptions, offering a lifetime of opportunities and careers. We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the country. Join us and discover a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.

• Plans, organizes, and coordinates food ordering, food preparation including pre-portioned meals, culinary and meal service activities, including special therapeutic diets, through established legal requirements, procedures, and standards to ensure achievement of Correctional Services Division's objectives.
• Develops written procedures and instructions for food storage and preparation, including sanitation, safety, equipment maintenance and operation; through subordinate supervisors, monitors quality and quantity of food preparation and initiates corrective action, as necessary.
• Makes recommendations regarding the master menu and food substitutes, as necessary, to accommodate such factors as food item availability, food perishability, food item cost, inmate and employee acceptance, and budgetary production capabilities.
• Standardizes recipes in terms of numbers of portions to be served; adjusts quantities of ingredients and food preparation procedures to ensure maintenance of quality standards when the volume to be prepared is greater or lesser than the standard recipe.
• Plans and directs meal production and serving operations; prepares task lists for culinary workers, organizes and assigns all food preparation and serving tasks, and plans meals tray distribution; and compiles written procedures in manual form.
• Supervises the scheduling and assignment of subordinate kitchen personnel to provide culinary services for all meals and adjusts assignments in accordance with workload demand, work simplification and the availability and capabilities of the staff.
• Analyzes and corrects item cost controls to ensure continued product competitiveness with outside vendors.
• Supervises or performs the ordering of food and supplies to maintain an appropriate inventory; interviews food and equipment vendor representatives regarding new food products or new items of food service equipment; samples or tests new food items and evaluates their potential for use in the custody kitchen, contract cities, and staff meals.
• Provides on-the-job training of cooks, food service personnel and/or inmates in food preparation and service operations, practices, and standards.
• Evaluates, directly or through subordinate supervisors, the work of all personnel assigned to the culinary staff and counsels them on improving their performance; writes performance evaluations and injury reports; directs subordinate supervisors in the effective recommendation or initiation of disciplinary action and the adjustment of employee grievances.
• Confers with facility administrators in order to integrate the food service program with the funding schedule of the penal institutions.
• Conducts studies and implements improvements in methods of ordering, storing, preparing and distributing food; develops solutions to problems of staffing, space, equipment and service levels and prepares budget requests for the section.

For more information, please view the classification specification:
Food Services Manager

Requirements To Qualify

Option A: Graduation from an accredited college AND two (2) years' experience at the level of Los Angeles County Head Cook classification managing the food service operation of a hospital, school, or other industrial or commercial establishment involving the supervision of cooks and food service workers in the purchase, preparation, distribution, and service of several hundred meals a day.

Option B: Two (2) years' experience as a Chief Cook or higher.

License: A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to use an alternative method of…