LunchAssist Consultant

About LunchAssist

LunchAssist is a small business that puts school nutrition directors' most pressing challenges at the heart of its brand. We ease compliance and training-related pain points so school nutrition professionals can focus on feeding students. After nine years of serving more than 500 school districts, we are looking for a highly driven consultant to join our growing team.

LunchAssist launched in 2016 by helping a handful of directors ace their Administrative Reviews. Since then, the company has expanded to offering consulting, online courses, short, bilingual training videos, and intuitive school nutrition resources. We also offer proprietary, industry-specific software designed around USDA's professional standards training and tracking requirements.

Overview

As a Consultant, you will work with school food authorities (SFAs) to provide individualized training, guidance, mentorship, and technical assistance on all areas of USDA school nutrition program rules and regulations. Your goal will be to assist school nutrition directors with keeping their programs in compliance, and support them in achieving district-specific goals (scratch-cooking, farm-to-school, etc.) Over time you will become very familiar with LunchAssist clients and will take a great sense of pride in helping them ace their audits, improve their programs, and stay on track. As a LunchAssist Consultant, your work will lower the mental load of operating school nutrition programs and put school nutrition directors at ease.

Working at LunchAssist is an opportunity to engage in a growing, California-certified small, women-owned business at the intersection of nutrition, compliance, and technology. Our virtual workplace is fast-paced, highly collaborative, and entrepreneurial. It is an excellent fit for individuals who feel most energized when working and learning amongst a close-knit team of badass school nutrition nerds who love to debate policy and dig deep into program rules and regulations. We encourage candidates with most of the listed qualifications to apply. We do not expect all candidates to fit this job description 100%.

Compensation

At LunchAssist, we ask a lot of our team, which is why we give so much in return:

• Generous Paid Time Off : ~5 weeks per year (split between sick/vacation/holidays).
• Benefits : Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life
• Retirement : 401(k) matching (after one year of service)
• Remote Work : A home office stipend helps offset the cost of working from home. Occasional travel to visit clients, teach in-person workshops, and attend conferences ensures you stay connected to your team and the people you serve (up to 20% travel).
• Flexibility : Our team works from various time zones, so staff has the autonomy to set their own schedules provided they are available until 6 p.m. Pacific.
• Competitive Salary : Starting at $85,000 per year with growth potential.

Requirements

To be considered for this role, we are looking for someone who has previously worked as a State Agency Reviewer with a wide breadth of school nutrition experience and knowledge who can assist School Nutrition Directors in the following areas:

• Administrative Reviews (SNP & CACFP)
• At-risk Afterschool Meals (CACFP)
• Cafeteria Fund Guidance
• Civil Rights
• Crediting Meal Components
• Eligibility and Benefit Issuance
• Farm-to-School
• Food Safety
• Kitchen Equipment Basics
• Meal Counting & Claiming Guidance
• Menu Planning
• Procurement (the bidding/purchasing process & Procurement Reviews)
• Provision 2 (P2) and Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
• Strategies to Increase Capacity for Scratch Cooking
• Summer Meal Programs

LunchAssist Consultants must be comfortable advising school nutrition directors on program requirements, brainstorming areas for program improvement, preparing them for administrative reviews, and problem-solving with clients. This position builds lasting relationships by offering one-on-one coaching, training, mentoring, technical assistance, and support. Strong communication skills are essential, as is a friendly, open-minded, non-judgemental demeanor that puts clients at ease. Client support is provided virtually through Zoom meetings, phone calls, email, and occasional in-person visits to school districts. This individual must be flexible, organized, resourceful, adaptable, adept at virtual workspaces, and willing to take the initiative needed to support clients in a way that resonates with each client's needs and unique learning style and in alignment with LunchAssist consulting protocols. In addition to having subject-matter expertise, the ideal candidate is a self-driven, natural leader who will interact gracefully with colleagues, clients, and key partners and represent the brand and ethos of the organization.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary Consultant for SFAs, contribute to the development of training, resources, and tools, and support LunchAssist's organizational growth:

• Advise school nutrition directors on USDA and State agency requirements.

• Manage communications with and provide technical assistance to clients.

• Provide menu planning support, including nutrient analysis and recipe crediting.

• Prepare clients to ace their SNP/CACFP Administrative Reviews and Procurement Reviews.

• Assist clients with various special projects that align with their district-wide goals, including scratch cooking, farm-to-school, upgrading equipment and facilities, introducing salad bars, improving financial management, working on bids/procurement, applying for CEP/P2, etc.

• Hold clients accountable for meeting their goals for compliance and program improvement.

• Contribute to webinars, virtual boot camps, training videos, and newsletters.

• Engage in development, design, and copyediting for LunchAssist's products and services.

• Engage in ongoing, company-wide strategic planning and marketing.

• Present about LunchAssist's work at meetings, conferences, events, and webinars.

• Other related duties as mutually agreed upon.

Experience, Abilities, & Attributes

• A minimum of 4 years working with school nutrition programs (strong preference for experience as a State agency reviewer/auditor)
• Certification as a Registered Dietitian or a comparable degree in a related field.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience using nutrient analysis software and crediting meal components
• Experience presenting educational content and providing training
• Experience with customer service and dedication to delivering excellent customer care
• Ability to manage work independently and also to work collaboratively with others
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to problem solve and deal well with ambiguity
• Flexible/adaptable to changing conditions
• Ability to work well under pressure and in a fast-paced environment
• A growth-oriented and entrepreneurial mindset
• Strong leadership skills
• Strong work ethic and dedication to LunchAssist's core values

Schedule & Work Environment

• Full-time, salaried, exempt from overtime.
• Must be available until 6 pm Pacific (strong preference for candidates based in Pacific or Mountain Time Zones)
• LunchAssist staff must provide their own office space, computer, printer, phone, and high-speed internet access. A home office stipend is provided.
• 80% remote with up to 20% travel (site visits, in-person training, conferences)

Apply

• Include a resume and a cover letter explaining why you are interested and what qualifies you for the position;
• Please provide detail as to your specific experience conducting Administrative Reviews for the School Nutrition Program - applicants who fail to detail their specific experience with Administrative Reviews will not be considered.
• Due to the high volume of applications, we kindly ask that you do not contact LunchAssist with questions about this position, however successful candidates will have ample opportunity to ask questions throughout the interview process.