Public Health Nutritionist Full Time

Under general direction, to independently assess, plan, implement and evaluate programs and services in the field of public health and health promotion to meet the needs of the diverse population of Santa Clara County.

Typical Tasks

• Conducts needs assessment, plans, promotes, implements and evaluates nutrition programs and projects for health and disease prevention for the diverse language and cultural needs of Santa Clara County;
• Provides expertise and advocacy for nutrition issues and programs to officials at the Federal, State and local level to use for policy development and program planning in order to improve public health in Santa Clara County;
• Develops and implements protocols for nutrition services for public health programs serving low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, children, adolescents, children with special needs, the HIV/AIDs population, and clients with other chronic conditions;
• Plans, coordinates and implements training, workshops, conferences and education opportunities for staff, health care providers and the community, focusing on health and nutrition issues;
• Provides consultation and technical expertise and serves as program liaison to community organizations and programs in the area of nutrition and health promotion;
• Designs, conducts and evaluates research relating to nutrition and health status, dietary practices, nutritional needs and food access of Santa Clara County residents;
• Reviews and evaluates current statistical, epidemiological, and demographic data and interprets its findings regarding applications to public health nutrition;
• Publishes in peer-reviewed publications, makes presentations and participates in poster sessions to report research findings at professional meetings;
• Evaluates, procures and develops nutrition and health education resources to meet the diverse cultural and language needs of Santa Clara County residents;
• Designs and participates in evaluation and quality assurance of public health programs and projects;
• Designs and participates in social marketing and community-wide promotional activities;
• Provides leadership and direction to local and State agencies, coalitions, task forces and advisory boards on public health issues;
• Pursues funding to support public health nutrition services and assists in program budget process;
• Prepares reports and maintains data sets to meet program and contract requirements;
• Designs, implements and oversees media campaigns and responds to media inquiries related to nutrition as a representative of Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System (SCVH&HS);
• Provides case management, therapeutic and rehabilitation services to public health clients and program participants per protocols;
• Assists clients and families in improving access and linkages to health care, social and environmental services;
• Provides nutrition consultation and expertise in interdisciplinary Public Health team inspection of County correctional facilities;
• Designs and coordinates field work of university students and dietetic interns in public health nutrition;
• Performs related work as required.

Employment Standards

Sufficient education and experience that directly demonstrates the possession and application of the knowledge and abilities listed below.

A Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, Dietetics or related field AND two years of experience as a Nutritionist in a public or private health agency or as a Registered Dietitian at a hospital or clinic. One year of graduate study in Human Nutrition may be substituted for a year of the required experience OR possession of a Master’s degree in Public Health, Nutrition or related field may be substituted for the two years of required experience.

Certification as a Registered Dietitian (RD) with the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association.

Possession of a valid California driver’s license required at time of appointment.

Knowledge Of

• Community needs assessment and epidemiology;
• Core public health functions and essential services;
• Program planning and evaluation;
• Human nutrition and its relationship to health and disease prevention;
• Social, cultural and economic issues of the diverse population of Santa Clara County;
• Educational methods and counseling techniques as applied to public health;
• Applicable Federal, State and County regulations and mandates and ability to maintain compliance with diverse funding sources;
• Computer programs and/or software applications.

Ability to:

• Perform a needs assessment and design, implement and evaluate nutrition programs/projects;
• Perform Medical Nutrition Therapy;
• Integrate the nutrition component into public health programs and services;
• Plan, coordinate and conduct community meetings and training;
• Plan, coordinate, conduct and evaluate in-service training and presentations for professional and paraprofessional staff;
• Coordinate with other Public Health Department team members in delivery of services;
• Pursue and identify funding sources and participate in development of grant proposals and budgets;
• Identify, review, develop and evaluate nutrition education resources;
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
• Provide work direction to staff as required.