Director, Nutrition & Services

County of Santa Clara•San Jose, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under general direction of hospital administration, this role plans, administers, and directs the functions and staff of the Nutrition and Food Services Department. This department is responsible for food production for patients, visitors, guests, and employees, as well as screening patients, obtaining nutritionally relevant data, planning and modifying diets, consulting with physicians and other Health and Hospital System staff regarding special diets, instructing patients in diet modification, and monitoring patient compliance with nutritional recommendations. Due to serving patients throughout multiple hospitals and clinics, travel to different sites may be required. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California, comprising three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics, and over 60 specialty and sub-specialty services. SCVH's mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to all residents of Santa Clara County. The system includes Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), O'Connor Hospital (OCH), St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH), and Regional Medical Center (RMC), each offering a wide range of medical services.

Requirements

Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks.
Three (3) years of full-time experience as a registered dietitian/nutritionist in an administrative and/or management capacity responsible for a program of food preparation, serving, buying, storage and nutritional accounting in an institutional setting.
Possess and maintain current registration by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work.
If driving, possession of a valid California driver’s license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.
Principles and practices of nutrition, dietetics, and food production.
Legal requirements of a food program serving hospitalized patients and outpatients.
Specifications and plans for suitable buildings, work areas, and equipment for culinary departments.
Sanitation and safety measures pertinent to large scale food control and feeding programs.
Principles and practices of organization, administration, personnel management, labor relations, and budgeting.
Biochemistry, food service, diet therapy, and the interrelationship of nutrition and medicine.
Computers and computer technology as used in food and nutrition services.
English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Ability to formulate and establish uniform procedures of food control and processing, considering the differing needs of a diverse patient population.
Ability to plan and direct in-service training programs.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Ability to keep records, prepare reports, and develop and analyze statistics and accounting controls.
Ability to establish and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.

Nice To Haves

Experience in food service management in a hospital setting is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Prepares and monitors budget for the Nutrition and Food Services Department.
Ensures that adequate numbers of competent staff are available to deliver services.
Selects, orients, schedules, and evaluates staff or delegates as appropriate.
Initiates and follows through with progressive disciplinary process; documents as required.
Plans, directs, and coordinates daily operations of food services and clinical nutrition services, including dietitians and other staff.
Develops, reviews, and analyzes food accounting operations.
Reviews and approves specifications, estimates, and purchases of food, equipment, materials, and supplies.
Coordinates food production with County purchased food items.
Assesses, plans, and advocates for needs of services.
Develops standards of care, methods of service delivery, and reporting systems for inpatient and outpatient clinical nutrition services.
Monitors quality of clinical nutrition services through developing study methods, collecting and analyzing data, and regularly reviewing dietitians and support staff for compliance with departmental standards.
Develops and follows through on quality improvement/correction plans based on monitoring results.
Prepares reports and correspondence.
Develops policies and procedures for Nutrition and Food Services Department, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, including Title 22 and JCAHO.
Coordinates development of policies and procedures and educational materials.
Coordinates activities of the Nutrition and Food Services Department to ensure product availability and nutritional menu adequacy and consistency with diet manual guidelines and restrictions.
Ensures that employee trainings are planned and implemented to assure compliance with regulations and departmental/agency policies.
Coordinates student programs in the departments.
Collaborates and communicates with other departments to solve problems and provide education.
Works collaboratively with ambulatory services staff and management to develop and evaluate educational programs.
Represents Nutrition and Food Services Department on various hospital committees and task forces.
Develops and monitors customer service delivered by Nutrition and Food Services Department.
May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required.
Performs other related duties, as required.