JobsAdvocate Health

Food Service Lead

Advocate Health · Oshkosh, WI

Posted Sep 14, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a day when you were leading the food service team and everything seemed to hit at once — call-offs, a big tray count, and a supply issue. Walk me through how you handled it.

whether the candidate can prioritize and stay calm under simultaneous operational pressure

Tell me about a time you had to give a team member feedback about their performance that they didn't want to hear.

comfort with direct, in-the-moment coaching rather than avoiding conflict

What's your experience with peer interviewing, and how do you weigh in when you don't have final hiring authority?

ability to contribute meaningfully to hiring decisions within a defined scope of authority

Tell me about a time you caught a food safety issue before it became a real problem.

proactive vigilance around ServSafe and HACCP standards, not just reactive compliance

Tell me about a time you had to lead by example on a task you didn't necessarily enjoy doing yourself.

willingness to work alongside the team rather than only direct from the sidelines

This role rotates between shifts, covers weekends and holidays, and sometimes helps out in Fond du Lac. How have you handled that kind of schedule unpredictability before?

realistic fit with the demanding, variable schedule the job actually requires

Technical

How would you go about training a trayline worker who doesn't understand the different IDDSI texture levels?

depth of knowledge in dysphagia diet standards and ability to translate that knowledge into hands-on training

Walk me through how you'd set up staff assignments on a day where you're short two people and still need to hit tray line times.

practical scheduling and workload triage skills specific to a hospital food service operation

How do you make sure allergy information and specialized diet orders actually reach the cooks and trayline workers correctly, every time?

understanding of communication systems between diet office, kitchen, and service staff to prevent errors

Situational

Say you're doing your daily sanitation inspection and you find cooling logs haven't been filled out for the last shift. What do you do next?

understanding of Board of Health and HACCP documentation requirements and how they follow through on corrective action

A patient's family member stops you in the hallway upset about a meal delivered to the wrong room with the wrong diet order. How do you handle it right there?

service recovery skills and judgment in a patient-facing, healthcare-specific setting

What does a bedside patient round actually look like for you, and what do you do with what you learn from it?

whether rounding is treated as a genuine feedback loop or a box-checking exercise

If you noticed quality improvement indicators trending in the wrong direction over a couple weeks, what would you do?

grasp of QMS/PI processes and initiative in addressing data before it becomes a bigger issue

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 11903 AMC Oshkosh - Food and Nutrition Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Rotates between first and second shift, available on holidays and weekends as needed. Assist in Fond du Lac as needed Pay Range: $20.80 - $31.20 Major Responsibilities: • ​​​Lead and oversee daily operations of the Food Service Team, including cooks, diet office, production, and food service workers.  • ​Assign and monitor staff assignments, ensuring schedules meet departmental workload demands and adjust as needed.  • ​Demonstrate enthusiasm, teamwork, quality work, safety, and positive service-minded behavior to set an example for team members.  • ​Participate in peer interviewing for new team members and make hiring recommendations.  • ​Assist in training team members in food production, sanitation standards, and safety procedures.  • ​Ensure production team members follow recipes, complete production sheets, and maintain cooling and temperature logs.  • ​Ensure all food is received and stored according to Board of Health standards.  • ​Conduct daily safety and sanitation inspections, taking corrective action as needed.  • ​Maintain communication with team members about job performance and lead work alongside them, providing guidance throughout the day.  • ​Participate in the QMS/PI program, recording daily temperatures, monitoring quality improvement indicators, and maintaining documentation.  Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required: • Current or within 6 months: State of Illinois or Wisconsin Department of Public Health Food Service Manager Sanitation License. SERV Safe Certification and CPDH Certification if working within Chiago city limits . ServSafe Allergen License   Education Required: • ​ ​ Minimal High School Diploma or GED with 3-4 years working in lead/supervisory role, healthcare environment. ​   Experience Required: • ​​ Minimal High School Diploma or GED with 3-4 years working in lead/supervisory role, healthcare environment . POS and cash handling experience ​   Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • ​Principles and practices of effective team member supervision including development, team building, leadership, motivation, and communication • ServSafe and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) including food safety, food handling, and sanitation procedures • Must be able to oversee the production and serving of food to fit patient population. This includes knowledge of allergies and specialized diets to meet the developmental feeding needs of children through adults. • Knowledge of IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative and can distinguish the various levels of texture and modified foods- ability to train this to the department team members including the cooks, trayline workers, cafeteria workers and diet office representatives. • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to interact efficiently with hospital staff, patients, and their families. • Conduct bedside patient rounds to find out if the FNS department is providing the patient with excellent service. • Performs service recovery as needed. • Principles and practices of effective team member supervision including development, team building, leadership, motivation, and communication. Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • ​​​​Ability to work under stressful and difficult situations.  • Ability to work flexible hours and days, including evenings, nights, holidays and weekends.  • Ability to work as a team member.  • Ability to complete numerous simultaneous projects within the given time constraints.  • Ability to respond quickly to peak service demands.  • Ability to motivate and lead people to accomplish tasks.  • Ability to analyze situations and develop workable plans to resolve them.  • Ability to see the “entire picture” and manage accordingly.  • Excellent attendance and punctuality.  • Highly skilled in operational and personnel management problem solving.  • Position requires standing, bending and heavy lifting.  • This requirement supersedes any previous lifting requirement effective 08/01/2014. Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For lifts over 35 pounds, lifting equipment is expected to be used or lift with at least one other associate when available. Unique lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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