School Food Program Lead (Term Position)

School Food Program Lead

Term position, effective May 21, 2026 - May 27, 2027

Education Entities Non-Union Compensation Framework, Band 7

Salary $66,844.-$83,556 annually (pro-rated for term of employment and depending on qualifications and experience)

Closing date for applications: Midnight, May 20, 2026

Terms and conditions of employment in accordance with Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education Terms and Conditions of Employment for Non-Union Employees (Managerial)

The School Food Program Lead ensures a coordinated approach to improving school food environments. This includes supervision of all school cafeteria staff and providing leadership related to the continued development of standardized, sustainable food services across the region, as well as ensuring compliance with the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools. A priority of this position is to address health inequity by improving food security for AVRCE students and ensuring that students are fed in a non-stigmatizing, non-identifying manner. This position provides a single point of contact for Cafeteria staff, school administrators, and partners (i.e., School Health Promoter, Public Health Nutritionist) through which to coordinate any food-related initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors in dietetics, nutrition, or a related field such as food and nutritional science or biochemistry or related training. Confirmation of your educational qualifications must be included with your application.

• Experience in a supervisory position is an asset.

Responsibilities and Abilities:

• Responsible for the ongoing supervision of school cafeteria staff including recruitment, selection, and appraisal of Head Cafeteria Workers and Cafeteria Workers.
• Ability to collaborate with partners on initiatives such as food security programs and guidelines, regional school food procurement, consistent and transparent financial tracking, and recipe development.
• Ability to provide support to all AVRCE cafeterias to manage menus and recipes that meet the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia schools and are appealing to students.
• Ability to work with AVRCE regional staff and partners to support a coordinated financial tracking and operational system for ordering, receiving, and tracking of all school food with a focus on fresh and healthy food in compliance with the AVRCE and Provincial Procurement Policies.
• Ability to work with Public Health Nutritionist and AVRCE Human Resources Coordinator to provide training and professional development for cafeteria employees and school staff (including teachers and administrators).
• Support regional efforts to increase student engagement in all activities related to the school food environment and School Healthy Eating Programs (SHEP).
• Ensure School Healthy Eating Programs are equitable and inclusive to all students and are delivered in a safe non-stigmatizing environment with a goal of improving school food security.
• Work with partners on the implementation, monitoring and ongoing evaluation of food security programs.
• Coordinate partnerships with organizations to support food literacy for families (example partnerships include NSHA, Family Resource Centres, Schools Plus, etc.).
• Act as liaison between AVRCE and partners including Nourish Nova Scotia, GROW NS, NSHA staff, and other Provincial and Regional School Food Groups.
• Assess on an ongoing basis equipment required for cafeteria operations and oversee the process for maintenance, repair and replacement of equipment.
• Collaborate with the AVRCE Finance Department regarding school food finances.

A detailed job description can be obtained by contacting Cathy Rafuse, Coordinator of Equity & School Support Services at cathy.rafuse@avrce.ca or 902-538-4600 (ext. 7831).

At the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know. We will work with you to meet your needs.

To request accommodations, please contact Kelsey Ogilvie, Human Resources Manager at kelsey.ogilvie@avrce.ca or (902) 538-4600 (ext.7752). All information provided will be kept confidential and used solely to provide an accessible candidate experience.

All applications will be considered in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Non-Union Employees Policy:

• This position is first available to current “Non-Union” employees of the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education.
• Second, this position is available to Employment Equity external candidates.
• Third, if there are no successful candidates from the Employment Equity applicant pool, then other external candidates who are not members of the identified peoples will be considered for this position.

Please include the name of three work-related references with email address, telephone numbers, one of the references shall be your most recent immediate supervisor.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those short-listed for an interview will be contacted.