Nutritionist II (WIC Lead Registered Dietitian) TLT/SDA

Nutritionist II (Lead Dietitian)

Public Health - Seattle & King County is seeking a Nutritionist II (Lead Dietitian) to provide leadership and services at our Auburn Public Health Center based with the Southeast King County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) team. This position will lead Nutrition Assistants and Registered Dietitians and collaborate on the Auburn Public Health leadership team. WIC is for pregnant individuals, new and breast/chest-feeding parents, and children under age five.

WIC supports families and children through healthy foods, nutrition education, breast/chest-feeding support, and connections to additional resources and programs like First Steps (Maternity Support Services and Infant Case Management).

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) positions are "at-will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last 12-months. However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels. As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity. For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial County probation. You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

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Work Schedule

Typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. Workdays, hours and location may vary depending on business need. Work schedule may include occasional Saturdays based upon clinic service needs and may be required to work these hours. These hours are subject to change with advance notice. This is a non-exempt position and is subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime eligible.

Work Location

This position will be based at the Auburn Public Health Center located at 901 Auburn Wy N, Auburn, WA 98002. There may be need for this position to provide coverage at the other Southeast King County WIC sites: Birch Creek, Enumclaw, Health Point-Auburn, Health Point-Kent, and Muckleshoot. This is an in-person 5 days a week position.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Job Duties

• Conduct individual sessions to assess client's nutritional needs using anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and dietary information, for clients within the WIC and MNT programs; implement and document care plans as necessary.
• Assess the changing needs of medically complex and high-risk clients, primarily pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children.
• Accurately obtain and document anthropometric measurements for infants, children and adults.
• Provide health care education with other multi-disciplinary team members regarding nutrition and other health related topics as needed.
• Provide breastfeeding education and support to pregnant women and new mothers.
• Regularly utilize clinic practice management software (Cascades) and data systems.
• Review, monitor and schedule the work of staff in WIC program; problem solve day-to-day operational issues as assigned by the site supervisor.
• Assist in the staff hiring process; provide input to performance evaluations; provide day-to-day coaching and on-the job training to new employees and WIC staff as assigned; ensure WIC competency requirements are met.
• Collaborate with site supervisor and program staff to coordinate designated quality assurance activities and ensure compliance with set standards.
• Oversee the collection and analysis of site-specific data to identify populations at risk and participate in research into and improvement of health care delivery.
• Coordinate care with team members and other health care providers and make referrals to appropriate services; provide and document case management as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with supervisor to ensure team workflows meet WIC standards, strategize and implement workflow changes as needed.
• Provide or facilitate community outreach efforts related to WIC program and services.
• Develop and present educational information to clients individually, in classes or to community groups on nutrition and food related topics.
• Participate collaboratively with the community to assess and address health issues, including the development of health programs.
• Develop and implement nutrition standards for targeted populations such as prenatal and high-risk patients.
• Provide technical assistance and nutrition consultation; may provide in-service training for staff.
• Precept nutrition interns from various educational institutions.
• Prepare and facilitate monthly WIC team meetings.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Bachelor or Master's of Science, or Master of Public Health in Nutrition.
• Current Registered Dietitian (RD) registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration or have the ability to attain registration by date of hire.
• Must be Washington State Certified Dietitian (CD) or be able to obtain within 30 days.
• A National Provider Identifier (NPI) must be obtained within the first 30 days of employment.
• Candidates selected will also be required to successfully complete the department credentialing process once hired and maintain credentialing for the duration of employment.
• Documentation of current BLS/CPR certification with AED training required at time of offer. CPR/AED Heartsaver courses do not meet this requirement.
• Ability to obtain Washington State Medical Assistant-Registered or Phlebotomist license within 30 days of hire in order to perform hemoglobin/hematocrit testing on WIC participants.
• Demonstrated experience advancing equity and social justice principles and practices that address the place, race, policy, and systemic inequities on communities and populations.
• Experience providing WIC services.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Two (2) years of WIC leadership experience.
• Familiarity with WIC Electronic Charting System (Cascades).
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, or another language other than English.
• Established skills in quality improvement processes in a large Public Health organization.
• Demonstrated advanced leadership, group process, and group facilitation skills.
• Previous experience coordinating breastfeeding promotion and support activities.
• Demonstrated experience with program monitors and audits.
• Experience developing and modifying electronic charting and documentation systems for nutrition services.
• Demonstrated advanced Excel, Office 365, and Microsoft Teams skills.
• Work experience providing training on nutrition services and principles to other staff.
• Established knowledge of local health and social service resources available in the community and skill in establishing working relationships with community partners.