Assistant Manager, Patient Food Services

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: 225515 
Department/Program: Commercial/Retail Ops & Patient Food, Digital and Client Services 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Management, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $45.7463 - $56.0392 /hour
Closing Date: 26 August 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families, and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people of any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases, and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, Business Development, Clinical Nutrition and Food Services, the Assistant Manager, Patient Food Services provides collaborative leadership in managing the physical, financial, and human resources of Patient Food Services in support of departmental and organizational goals. In partnership with the Manager, the successful candidate provides operational leadership for patient meal service operations, including Dial for Dining, the Formula Room, Milk Room, designated off-site locations, and other assigned support service areas. The Assistant Manager works closely with Supervisors, Dietitians, and interdisciplinary teams to ensure the safe, efficient, and high-quality delivery of nutrition services while supporting operational excellence, continuous quality improvement, and exceptional patient and family experiences.

Responsibilities may include:
• Supporting the management of physical, financial, and human resources in collaboration with the Manager.
• Leading, coaching, mentoring, and supporting Supervisors, learners, and frontline staff to promote accountability, employee engagement, and operational excellence.
• Leads quality improvement, risk management, and service enhancement initiatives through the monitoring and evaluation of operational, patient experience, quality, and food safety indicators.
• Ensures compliance with food safety, therapeutic diet, occupational health and safety, regulatory, and accreditation standards.
• Making recommendations and/or taking action to effect necessary change
• Supporting day-to-day staffing, labour relations, attendance management, and performance management processes.
• Helps support the day-to-day operational expenditures in a fiscally prudent manner
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, vendors, and operational partners to support integrated patient care and service excellence.

Hours of Work

75 hours of work biweekly
Monday- Friday 0800 -1600h (flexible)
Additional and flexible hours as required 

Your Qualifications

• College Diploma in Food and Nutrition Management or equivalent required.
• Bachelor's Degree in Human Nutrition, Dietetics, or a related field considered an asset.
• Minimum two (2) to five (5) years of related food service management or supervisory experience required.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in a healthcare and/or unionized environment preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality improvement, accreditation, and healthcare food service standards.
• Experience analyzing operational, staffing, quality, and performance data to support decision-making and service improvements
• Excellent communication, organizational, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and work effectively within an interdisciplinary environment.
• Excellent time management, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work as part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.
• Advanced communication, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Competencies in other languages are considered an asset.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing), you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units, or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.