How to hire a dietary supervisor

How to hire a dietary supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step dietary supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a dietary supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dietary supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The dietary supervisor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A dietary supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, dietary supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of dietary supervisors.

   Type of Dietary Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Dietary Supervisor		$13-25
   Front Of House Manager	A front of house manager coordinates and supervises the front house team. Front of house managers make sure that every client receives a warm welcome... Show more	$12-29
   Chef/Kitchen Manager	A kitchen manager or chef is someone who oversees the overall operations in the kitchen as well as the food operations. Kitchen managers make certain that food and related products are well prepared, cooked, and served to customers... Show more	$16-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Service
   • Patients
   • Tray Line
   • Meal Service
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Food Safety
   • Food Handling
   • Cleanliness
   • Infection Control
   • Payroll
   • Menu Planning
   • Culinary
   • Safety Standards
   • MDS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and implement a comprehensive HACCP program to achieve a high level of sanitation and compliance with appropriate regulatory agencies.
   • Assist with writing and posting work and duty schedules.train employees in HACCP for food protection.
   • participate in schedule training and consistent implementation of culinary initiatives and service standards.
   • Provide nutritional assessments and recommendations, maintain current and changes on patients nutritional profile.
   • Work with patients to create personalize dietary plans to satisfy their nutritional requirements and personal preferences.
   • Develop and implement a comprehensive HACCP program to achieve a high level of sanitation and compliance with appropriate regulatory agencies.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your dietary supervisor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A dietary supervisor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, dietary supervisors' average salary in kansas is 41% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level dietary supervisors earn 46% less than senior-level dietary supervisors.
   • Certifications. A dietary supervisor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a dietary supervisor's salary.

   Average dietary supervisor salary

   $38,614yearly

   $18.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level dietary supervisor salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a dietary supervisor job description

   A job description for a dietary supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a dietary supervisor job description:

   Dietary supervisor job description example

   Key Job Duties and Responsibilities
   
   The Dietary Supervisor assures meals are prepared according to the dietician approved menus and in accordance with Federal and State regulations. Must have the ability to successfully cook for an average of 30 or more residents at a time. Plans menus in consultation with a dietician taking advantage of foods in season and local availability, and with the input from the residents to meet most of the resident's preferences. Supervises cooks and dietary aides; may serve meals when needed, order supplies, keeps records and accounts, creates, and maintains employee schedules. Participates in assessing, planning, and maintaining all residents' dietary needs.
   
   Duties and Responsibilities
   
   * Comply with the Facility's personnel, safety, and corporate policies and procedures.
   * Report witnessed or reported allegations of resident abuse/neglect immediately to the Executive Director.
   * Treat residents, family members, visitors, and team members with respect and dignity.
   * Maintain the confidentiality of all resident and family information.
   * Report to work on time and as scheduled.
   * Assure that meals and snacks are prepared according to the menus; that meals taste good and are presentable.
   * Assures all meals are served to residents according to the physician's orders.
   * Assures all items needed to prepare foods on the menu are available to dietary staff. Ensures there are adequate foods, supplies and equipment available.
   * Assures that kitchen equipment is clean, in working order and available to dietary staff.
   * Required to implement and maintain a weekly cleaning schedule.
   * All infection control procedures are maintained in preparation and storage of food and equipment.
   * Maintains and keeps accurate accounting for all budgets assigned and gets approval from Executive Director to spend money in excess of the budget.
   * Responsible for dietary department staff.
   * Participates in care plan meetings and complies with goals and approaches set forth in residents' care plan and get feedback from residents on satisfaction of meals and make changes and as needed.
   
   * Monitors personal and staff compliance to residents' rights.
   * Responsible of compliance to all State and Federal regulations including blood borne pathogens, infection control, use of hazardous materials and fire safety.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right dietary supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with dietary supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit dietary supervisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your dietary supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit dietary supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with dietary supervisor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dietary supervisor

   Once you've decided on a perfect dietary supervisor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new dietary supervisor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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