Dietary Manager Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A dietary manager runs the kitchen and dining service in a nursing home or senior living community: menus, diets, food safety, the kitchen team and the budget. In skilled nursing, federal rules set who can hold the job. This page has a dietary manager job description template you can copy, the duties, the exact federal qualifications, the CDM, CFPP credential and what the role pays.
What a dietary manager does
A dietary manager runs the kitchen and dining service in a nursing home, assisted living community or hospital. They plan and order food, supervise cooks and dietary aides, make sure every resident gets the right diet and texture, keep the kitchen ready for a health inspection and a state survey on any day, and work with the dietitian and the care team on residents’ nutrition. In a skilled nursing facility, the title often doubles as the legally designated director of food and nutrition services.
Federal statistics count dietary managers as food service managers (SOC 11-9051). O*NET lists “CDM (Certified Dietary Manager)” and “Dining Service Director” among the reported titles for that occupation. Most food service managers work in restaurants, so the pay and employment figures on this page describe the whole occupation rather than healthcare dietary managers alone; we say so wherever it matters.
Dietary manager duties
Food service operations
- Plan menus with the dietitian and make sure they are followed
- Order, receive and store food and supplies within budget, and keep inventory records
- Oversee production, tray line and dining room service, including portion sizes and presentation
- Monitor food safety, sanitation and temperature logs, and correct problems before an inspector finds them
Resident nutrition
- Make sure each resident receives the ordered diet, texture and fluid consistency
- Interview residents about preferences, allergies, cultural and religious needs, and update tray cards
- Take part in care planning with the interdisciplinary team, and act on the dietitian’s recommendations
- Track and respond to weight loss, meal refusals and food complaints
People and compliance
- Hire, train, schedule and supervise cooks and dietary aides
- Keep the records surveyors and health inspectors ask for
- Monitor the department budget and payroll
O*NET’s task list for food service managers covers most of this in general terms: keeping “records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies,” maintaining food and equipment inventories, monitoring budgets and payroll, scheduling and receiving deliveries, and organizing training, hiring and evaluation. The healthcare-specific part, diets and care planning, comes from the federal nursing home rules below.
| Working conditions (food service managers) | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Working with a team: extremely important | 97% |
| Constant contact with others | 94% |
| Face-to-face discussions | 93% every day |
| Indoors, environmentally controlled | 91% every day |
| Standing | 65% continually or almost continually |
| More than 40 hours a week | 41% |
BLS adds that food service managers’ schedules include early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays. In a facility that serves three meals a day, 365 days a year, the dietary manager is the person called when the cook does not show up. Say in the posting how weekend coverage works.
Federal qualifications for a nursing home dietary manager
For facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid, 42 CFR 483.60 sets the rule. If a qualified dietitian or other clinically qualified nutrition professional is not employed full time, “the facility must designate a person to serve as the director of food and nutrition services” (42 CFR 483.60(a)(2)). That director “must at a minimum meet one of the following qualifications”:
- (A) A certified dietary manager; or
- (B) A certified food service manager; or
- (C) Has similar national certification for food service management and safety from a national certifying body;
- (D) Has an associate’s or higher degree in food service management or in hospitality, if the course study includes food service or restaurant management, from an accredited institution of higher learning; or
- (E) Has 2 or more years of experience in the position of director of food and nutrition services in a nursing facility setting and has completed a course of study in food safety and management, by no later than October 1, 2023, that includes topics integral to managing dietary operations including, but not limited to, foodborne illness, sanitation procedures, and food purchasing/receiving.
The director must also meet state requirements for food service or dietary managers where a state has set them, and must receive “frequently scheduled consultations from a qualified dietitian or other clinically qualified nutrition professional” (483.60(a)(2)(ii) and (iii)). The same section requires a member of the food and nutrition services staff to participate on the interdisciplinary care team (483.60(b)), and menus that meet residents’ nutritional needs, are prepared in advance, are followed and reflect residents’ religious, cultural and ethnic needs (483.60(c)).
The CDM, CFPP credential
The most common credential for the role is the Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP), awarded by the Certifying Board for Dietary Managers after an exam. The board lists five eligibility pathways, including graduating from an ANFP-approved foodservice manager training program; a two- or four-year degree in foodservice management, nutrition, culinary arts or hotel-restaurant management; a 90-hour foodservice course plus two years of full-time non-commercial foodservice management experience; a military dietary or foodservice program of at least 90 hours plus two years’ experience; or another degree plus five years of full-time non-commercial foodservice management experience.
That matters for hiring. A strong dietary aide or cook with a few years in your kitchen can often reach eligibility through an approved training program. If you are willing to sponsor it, say so; it widens the pool and gives your own staff a promotion path.
Dietary manager job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a skilled nursing facility; notes below cover assisted living and hospitals.
Job title
Dietary Manager [/ Director of Food and Nutrition Services / Dining Services Director], [Facility name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Facility name], a [number]-bed [skilled nursing / assisted living / continuing care] community, is hiring a dietary manager to lead our food and nutrition services department. You run a kitchen that serves [number] meals a day, lead a team of [number] cooks and dietary aides, and make sure every resident gets the right diet, texture and preferences at every meal. You work with our [consultant / full-time] dietitian and take part in resident care planning.
[Schedule and weekend coverage]. [Pay range]. [Benefits and what is good about working here].
What you will do
• Direct daily food production, tray line and dining service
• Plan and follow menus with the dietitian, including therapeutic and texture-modified diets
• Interview residents on admission and regularly about preferences, allergies and cultural or religious needs
• Take part in care plan meetings and act on the dietitian’s recommendations
• Order, receive and store food and supplies within budget, and keep inventory
• Keep the kitchen in compliance with food safety and sanitation standards and ready for survey
• Hire, train, schedule and supervise cooks and dietary aides
• Manage the department budget, payroll and records
What you need
• One of: Certified Dietary Manager (CDM, CFPP); certified food service manager; similar national food service management and safety certification; or an associate degree or higher in food service management or hospitality [or able to obtain [credential] within [time frame], if permitted]
• [Number] years of food service supervision, ideally in healthcare or senior living
• [State-required food manager or dietary manager credential, if any]
• Able to stand and walk for much of the day and work in a hot kitchen
• Able to pass a background check and health screening
Nice to have
• Experience with [menu or diet software]
• Survey experience in skilled nursing
• ServSafe or other food protection manager certification
What we offer
• [Pay range]
• [Schedule: weekday hours, how weekends are covered]
• [Benefits and when they start]
• [Paid CDM exam and continuing education]
• [Growth: multi-site or regional dining roles]
How to apply
[One step. Name, phone and current credential.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Credential | In a certified nursing home without a full-time dietitian, one of the qualifications in 42 CFR 483.60(a)(2)(i) is required for the designated director. Name them exactly rather than writing “CDM preferred.” |
| Experience | Ask for food service supervision, but do not require healthcare experience if you will train on diets and survey. BLS says food service managers typically need less than five years of related experience. |
| Education | BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry level for food service managers. In a nursing home, the regulation’s degree option is one path; the credential options are others. |
| Food safety certification | BLS notes some states and localities require food safety certification for managers. Check yours and list it if it applies. |
| Schedule | State weekend and holiday coverage. It is the most common reason candidates turn down dietary manager offers after the interview. |
Customizing it by setting
Skilled nursing
Lead with the survey and care-plan work, the dietitian’s hours and the credential requirement. Surveyors will read your kitchen as closely as your nursing floor.
Assisted living and senior living
The federal nursing home rule does not apply to assisted living, which is licensed by states; check your state rules. The job often shifts toward restaurant-style dining and resident experience. Say whether the role covers catering, events and multiple dining venues. See senior living staffing.
Hospitals
Larger departments, patient tray service, retail cafeterias and more clinical staff. The title is often food service manager or patient services manager; say how many staff report to the role.
What dietary managers earn
Food service managers had a median wage of $69,390 a year, or $33.36 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,960 and the highest 10 percent more than $107,640. BLS does not publish a separate figure for healthcare dietary managers. The industries it does list are dominated by hospitality:
| Industry | Median annual wage, food service managers (May 2025) | Share of food service managers |
|---|---|---|
| Traveler accommodation | $82,170 | 3% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $79,450 | 2% |
| Food services and drinking places | $65,060 | 55% |
A further 31 percent of food service managers are self-employed. There were 344,300 food service managers in 2025, and BLS projects employment to grow 6 percent by 2035, an increase of 19,900 jobs, with about 38,800 openings a year.
What it costs to reach a dietary manager
We match dietary managers to the management and professional role family in our benchmark. Across our managed Meta campaigns it ran a median cost per applicant of $16.87, with a wide middle half from $4.62 to $60.11, a blended figure of $5.45 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
A band that wide means results depend heavily on the campaign. Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. For a credentialed role, ask about the credential in the first question of a short form and leave everything else for the phone call. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire; see the full benchmark.
Staffing the rest of the kitchen? See the dietary aide, cook, dietitian, dishwasher and housekeeping supervisor job descriptions, and healthcare recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your HR file and survey binder. The ad has to reach a kitchen manager who is not looking.
- First line: pay, schedule and weekends. “Monday to Friday, every third weekend on call” is a headline.
- Say whether you will pay for the CDM credential.
- Name the team size and the dietitian support, because those set the workload.
- One short step to apply.
More on writing the ad is on job ad copywriting, and assisted living recruitment covers the wider senior living market.
Frequently asked questions
What does a dietary manager do?
A dietary manager runs food and nutrition services in a nursing home, assisted living community or hospital. They oversee menus and food production, make sure each resident receives the right diet and texture, supervise cooks and dietary aides, order food within budget, keep the kitchen compliant with food safety standards, and work with the dietitian and care team on residents’ nutrition.
What are the duties of a dietary manager in a nursing home?
Directing daily food production and tray line, following dietitian-approved menus, interviewing residents about preferences and allergies, taking part in care plan meetings, tracking weight loss and meal refusals, ordering and storing food, maintaining sanitation and temperature records, and hiring, training and scheduling kitchen staff. Federal rules also require food and nutrition staff to participate on the interdisciplinary team.
What qualifications does a nursing home dietary manager need?
Under 42 CFR 483.60(a)(2), if no qualified dietitian is employed full time, the designated director of food and nutrition services must be a certified dietary manager, a certified food service manager, hold a similar national food service management and safety certification, or have an associate or higher degree in food service management or hospitality. An experience route required training completed by October 1, 2023. State requirements also apply.
What is a CDM, CFPP?
CDM, CFPP stands for Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional. It is awarded by the Certifying Board for Dietary Managers after an exam. Eligibility pathways include completing an ANFP-approved training program, a relevant two- or four-year degree, or a qualifying course or degree combined with years of non-commercial foodservice management experience.
How much do dietary managers make?
BLS counts dietary managers as food service managers, who had a median wage of $33.36 an hour, or $69,390 a year, in May 2025. BLS does not publish a separate figure for healthcare settings, and the industries it lists are mostly hospitality, so check local pay for nursing homes and senior living before you set a range.
What are good dietary manager interview questions?
Ask how they make sure every tray matches the resident’s diet order, what they would do if a surveyor found a temperature log gap, how they handle a resident who keeps refusing meals, how they cover a weekend when a cook calls out, and how they work with a consultant dietitian. Strong answers show systems, not heroics, and put resident safety first.
What is the difference between a dietary manager and a dietitian?
A dietitian is a clinical nutrition professional with a degree, supervised practice and usually a state license or certification, who assesses residents and recommends diets. A dietary manager runs the kitchen and food service operation and carries out those recommendations. When a nursing home does not employ a qualified dietitian full time, it must designate a qualified director of food and nutrition services who receives frequent consultations from one.
Does assisted living require a certified dietary manager?
The federal requirement in 42 CFR 483.60 applies to long-term care facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid, not to state-licensed assisted living. Assisted living rules are set by each state, and some address food service staffing. Check your state licensing rules; many operators still prefer a certified dietary manager for the role.
How much does it cost to recruit a dietary manager?
We match dietary managers to the management and professional role family in our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. That family ran a median cost per applicant of $16.87 on Meta, with a wide middle half from $4.62 to $60.11 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median was $13.88. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring a dietary manager?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of qualified kitchen leaders who are not job hunting is the part we do.
Pay, employment, projection and industry data for food service managers (SOC 11-9051), the occupation that includes dietary managers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, food service managers, last modified 14 September 2026; task, title and work-context data from O*NET OnLine 11-9051.00. Wage figures are May 2025 OEWS. Federal qualifications: 42 CFR 483.60, eCFR, up to date as of 22 September 2026. Credential: Certifying Board for Dietary Managers. Read at source 24 September 2026. General information, not legal advice. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.