Public Health Nutritionist I/ Public Health Nutritionist I (Supervisory) - Orange County

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

THE AGENCY
The County of Orange Health Care Agency (HCA)  is a dynamic organization dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that promotes the achievement of optimal individual, family and community health. Under the leadership of the Agency Director, a new and dynamic executive team with an organizational structure comprised of seven (7) service areas - Administrative and Financial, Strategy and Special Projects, Behavioral Health, Correctional Health, Office of Care Coordination, Medical Health and Public Health - is committed to meeting the health needs of the diverse Orange County community.

THE DEPARTMENT
Through assessment, policy development and assurance, Public Health Services provides a wide range of services aimed at reducing death and disability by reducing the transmission of communicable diseases, preventing and lessening the impact of chronic diseases, and ensuring healthy and safe environments.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The department is seeking to fill one (1) Public Health Nutritionist I (Supervisory) within the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and one (1) Public Health Nutritionist I within the CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) program.

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supervisory Duties:
  • Monitor clinic flow and staff assignments to maintain efficient program operations
  • Maintain work environment where cooperation and teamwork can occur
  • Promote and encourage staff development and skills enhancement
  • Resolve staff and client conflicts and conduct corrective action plan as necessary
  • Provide input to Program Support Staff on clinic operations and needs
  • Enforce WIC Program rules and regulations
  • Provide back up for paraprofessional roles as needed
  • Maintain and ensure secure delivery of negotiable instrument (food instruments and Farmers Market Coupons)
  • Participate in Quality Improvement (QI) audits of staff to ensure efficiency and compliance to State mandates
  • Review the work of staff for accuracy
  • Develop and present performance evaluation to staff
  • Verify time sheets and mileage reimbursement claims of staff
  • Conduct staff meetings
  • Assist in mentoring Dietetic Interns

• Client Services:
  • Determine nutritional risk of participants for certification
  • Provide individual nutrition counseling for low risk and high risk contacts as defined by the State
  • Oversee services to WIC and CFHL participants/recipients such as nutrition education classes, issuance of food benefits, referrals, etc.
• Community Services
  • Implement and assist in developing population-based community interventions to guide individual clients to choose healthier diets such as coordinating and facilitating nutrition classes
  • Incorporate public health functions and essential public health nutrition services, community nutrition assessments and program, personnel, fiscal and data management skills 
  • Ensure all aspects of education are culturally competent and literacy appropriate
  • Apply, plan, manage, and evaluate techniques to public health nutrition programs and/or individual clients such as administering pre and post-tests and surveys
  • Assess, plan, implement and evaluate activities, projects and programs in order to meet defined public health measures
  • Monitor nutrition policies, procedures, protocols and quality improvement systems and contract deliverables, to assure consistency, effectiveness and compliance
  • Interact with community leaders for the purposes of offering services
• Other Administrative Duties:
  • Maintain inventory of assets (ie. Electric breast pumps, computers, etc.)
  • Perform tasks as delegated by the Administrative Manager II, HCA Program Supervisor II or Supervising Public Health Nutritionist
  • Assist with surveys to determine nutrition needs and problems of participants
  • Conduct Quality Improvement (QI) audits of staff workload and functions to monitor efficiency and quality of client care
  • Assist in initial and ongoing training of WIC and/or CFHL staff
  • Provide input to Operations Management in developing clinic procedures and/or community activities
  • Provide follow-up consultation/information for public and private providers
  • Prepare reports as needed
  • Serve as liaison with Information Technology (IT) department regarding computer system issues as needed
  • Participate in professional workshops and other trainings to update nutrition knowledge, administrative skills, and to comply with the County/State program mandates

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES:
The ideal candidate will be a Registered Dietician or Registered Dietitian Eligible. Also, supervisory experience and two (2) or more years of experience working in a Women, Infants and Children program type of setting is highly preferred. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess the knowledge, skills and abilities that demonstrates the following competencies:

• Technical Knowledge | Technical Experience
  • WIC Information System Enterprise  (WIC WISE) database
  • WIC and/or CalFresh/SNAP regulations
  • Maternal, child and infant nutrition for optimal health
  • Quality Improvement tools and intervals to conduct audits
  • Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook software
• Nutritional Care, Counseling and Advocacy
  • Being culturally sensitive to the needs of the multicultural participant background
  • Interpreting and determining the health and nutritional status of participants
  • Improving the nutrition of participants by identifying environmental factors that affect health progress
  • Developing and applying public health nutrition interventions
  • Having the ability to use participant centered techniques when conducting counseling
  • Promoting breastfeeding as optimal feeding choice for infants
• Leadership, Community Engagement and Supervision
  • Having the knowledge of personnel management and maintaining optimal clinic flow
  • Facilitating meetings with peers
  • Delegating work duties to staff effectively
  • Managing personnel issues and taking care of special participants needs and concerns effectively
  • Applying conflict resolution by using effective leadership style to inspire and motivate staff
  • Reporting team progress to upper management as requested
  • Facilitating team work and cooperation among staff
  • Writing staff work performance and providing feedback to staff
  • Collaborating with upper management and Human Resource Services (HRS) regarding personnel issues
  • Being a role model to staff and mentoring Dietetic Interns
• Training
  • Developing work and training plans for participants
  • Conducting presentations and providing training in group or individual setting
• Communication and Professionalism
  • Communicating effectively both orally and in writing
  • Assessing and identifying issues when providing services to participants and implementing improvements when necessary
  • Evaluating own practice and requesting for effective feedback from WIC colleagues to identify additional learning needs
  • Using appropriate communication method when communicating/sharing sensitive information with participants and staff
• Adaptability, Analytical Thinking and Accountability
  • Being adaptable, flexible while maintaining a focus on program quality of care and services
  • Applying different ways of assessing nutrition and health outcomes of participants
  • Using appropriate and effective study designs to evaluate diet related diseases
  • Formulating effective resolutions to problems by being consistent with the WIC's mission and vision
  • Being accountable for the "negotiable instruments" in the clinic
  • Managing workload effectively, following directions and meeting deadlines
  • Willing to take on additional assignments

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Click here to learn more about the minimum qualifications for the Public Health Nutritionist I(Supervisory) classification as well as the physical and mental requirements and the environmental and working conditions.

Physical & Mental Requirement, Environmental and Working Conditions
Physical Requirements
Must have the body mobility to walk, climb stairs, reach, bend, twist, reach overhead and stoop; stamina to sit for a prolonged period of time (up to one hour); strength to lift and carry or push and pull objects such as boxes of materials and supplies, which may weigh up to 25 lbs.; hearing for normal conversations, ability to work in diverse environments; and the ability to drive a car.

Environmental Conditions
Will be required to work in clinic or community environment; may work with individuals who have a communicable disease; may be assigned to evenings and/or weekends.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all application materials to identify qualified applicants. After screening, qualified applicants will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Application Screening(Refer/Non-Refer) 
Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those applicants that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Veterans Employment Preference
 The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.  

Structured Oral Interview (Weighted 100%)
Applicants will be interviewed and rated by an oral interview panel of job knowledge experts. Each applicant's rating will be based on responses to a series of structured questions designed to elicit the applicant's qualifications for the job.
Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedures. 
 
Eligible List 
Once the assessment process has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.