ASSOCTIATE DIRECTOR, NUTRITION

The D C Central Kitchen Inc•Washington, DC

1d•$85,000 - $95,000

About The Position

The Associate Director, Nutrition provides strategic leadership and oversight for key nutrition programs within DC Central Kitchen’s Food Access and Nutrition Department, including menu programming and implementation, nutrition education, engagement, and outreach. Reporting to the Director of Food Access and Nutrition, the role ensures programs align with the organization’s mission and values and comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. The Associate Director also helps advance Food is Medicine initiatives, represents DC Central Kitchen at local and other forums, and works with community, school, business, nonprofit, and media partners. The role oversees nutrition program deliverables and operations, including the development and implementation of nutritious menus for K–12, adult, and senior programs. It collaborates with culinary operations, procurement, and other staff on standardized recipes, nutrient equivalents, and menus that meet program guidelines, dietary accommodations, and production capabilities. It also manages program documentation, reporting, evaluation, budgets, and continuous quality improvement. The Associate Director mentors and develops team members, delegates responsibilities, and coordinates dietetic intern relationships and precepting in partnership with the Nutrition Manager. The role leads nutrition outreach and education activities across the organization, including curriculum for Culinary Job Training classes, and cultivates relationships with schools, community partners, clients, and corner stores. The position requires a Registered Dietitian, relevant food-service management experience, and the ability to oversee USDA nutrition programs and their compliance requirements.

Requirements

Registered Dietitian (RD) credential.
Bachelor’s degree in nutrition, dietetics, or a related field.
Five to seven years of food service management experience focused on K–12 nutrition and nutrition education program development, or commensurate experience.
Demonstrated experience overseeing and managing USDA programs, including SBP, NSLP, CACFP, SSO, and FSMP, with understanding of local HSA and OSSE guidelines.
Experience using K–12 menu software and developing and implementing menus, particularly for diverse populations.
Strong program management and evaluation skills, including data analysis and informed decision-making.
Leadership and communication skills, including the ability to mentor and motivate team members.
Ability to use AI tools effectively while exercising sound judgment about their limitations and applying human effort where nuance, original thinking, and emotional intelligence are needed.
Financial management skills, including budget development and oversight.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including SharePoint, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Current ServSafe Managers Certification.
Valid driver’s license.
Demonstrated cultural competence and commitment to DC Central Kitchen’s mission and values.
Strong experience delegating tasks.
Ability to travel locally independently and attend occasional night and weekend events.
Ability to move lightweight items weighing up to 20 pounds and perform occasional moderate physical activity involving office or kitchen equipment.
Ability to work in office and commercial kitchen environments where extreme temperatures, fumes, dirt, smoke, loud noise, and varied odors may be common.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Experience in community-level nutrition outreach.
Experience planning, conducting, and evaluating nutrition programs and cooking classes.
Knowledge of the Food is Medicine movement.
Experience in research-based program evaluation.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction and oversight for nutrition program growth, partner engagement, and nutrition thought leadership.
Design evidence-based nutrition programming and lead organization-wide menu programming, nutrition education, engagement, and outreach.
Develop and implement program evaluation strategies to measure impact and inform improvements.
Assist the Director in advancing the nutrition portfolio, including Food is Medicine initiatives, and serve as an internal nutrition subject matter expert.
Represent DC Central Kitchen at relevant forums and events.
Supervise the creation and implementation of nutritious menus for K–12, adult, and senior programs, ensuring compliance with USDA guidelines, contracts, and dietary accommodations.
Collaborate with culinary operations, procurement, and other staff to develop and test standardized recipes, accurate K–12 nutrient equivalents, and menus.
Ensure menus reflect current nutritional guidelines and align with production kitchen capabilities.
Oversee day-to-day operations of assigned programs and deliverables.
Coordinate with the Institutional Giving Manager and departmental Associate Directors on nutrition-focused grant deliverables and reporting data.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, including Child Nutrition Programs, partner agency relationships, and contracts.
Develop and maintain documentation and reporting systems to track program performance and compliance.
Delegate responsibilities effectively to team members.
Mentor, coach, train, and develop direct and indirect reports, providing direction and performance feedback.
Foster a collaborative work environment that supports professional growth.
Coordinate dietetic intern relationships and precepting with the Nutrition Manager.
Build and maintain relationships with community and school partners, clients, corner stores, and other stakeholders.
Lead the development and execution of organizational nutrition standards, messaging, outreach, and deliverables for grants, contracts, and partner agencies.
Partner with Workforce Development leadership to create nutrition curriculum for Culinary Job Training classes and delegate teaching to nutrition team members.
Manage program budgets and allocate resources responsibly.
Monitor expenditures and identify cost savings and efficiency improvements.
Create and implement systems to evaluate program effectiveness and use data to drive improvements.

Benefits

Medical, vision, and dental insurance, with DCCK paying 100% of employee premiums for individual coverage.
Flexible Spending Accounts.
Paid time off, including vacation, sick, and personal leave.
11 company-paid holidays.
Bonding leave for new parents.
Commuter benefits plan.
Matching 401(k) program.
Basic life and supplemental life insurance.
Short-term and long-term disability.
Wellness reimbursement program.