Sports Dietitian - Wilkes Barre Area Schools

The Nutrition Group•Wilkes-Barre, PA

11h•$60,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

Serving as the Sports Dietitian Food Service Specialist, this full-time role leads the athletic nutrition program while ensuring meal services meet federal standards for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. The position balances hands-on team education with administrative compliance to fuel student-athletes for peak academic and athletic performance. The role entails oversight of all aspects of food production and service, assisting the DFN Team with overall program success. This includes preparing and training staff to prepare food in accordance with USDA, Department of Education, school district, and The Nutrition Group policies, within the framework of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The position reports to the Director of Food & Nutrition to highlight areas for focus and growth within the Sports Academy Program, including menus, quality control, paperwork compliance, staff training needs, and district catering expectations. Overall responsibility lies with the Regional Manager for the effective operating performance of the school district’s Sports Academy Program, in conjunction with the contractual agreement, including financial results, accountability, and quality control.

Requirements

Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Nutrition, Dietetics.
Valid PA Act 34 (Criminal), Act 151 (Child Abuse), and FBI Fingerprint clearances.
Mandated Reporter status.

Responsibilities

Oversee National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) regulations.
Design school menus that satisfy both federal guidelines and Sports Academy Program needs.
Support cafeteria and school meal services as needed, including supervisory and hands-on execution and meal preparation.
Build targeted pre-game meal protocols and hydration strategies.
Implement post-game refueling strategies to minimize fatigue and accelerate muscle repair.
Deliver interactive sports nutrition workshops to Sports Academy Program students and potentially expand the Nutrition Education program to additional grade levels.
Create team-wide seasonal meal blueprints for pre-game, game-day, and recovery fueling.
Maintain precise documentation for state nutritional audits and administrative reviews.
Conduct nutrition workshops and presentations for athletic teams.
Collaborate daily with DFNs, cafeteria staff, coaches, athletic trainers, and school administrators.
Assist the DFN Team in training, developing, motivating, evaluating, and terminating employees in conjunction with school district and The Nutrition Group policies.
Utilize employee job descriptions and performance standards to guide and train employees, providing feedback to the DFN Team for formal appraisals and developing plans for future training or adjustments to responsibilities.
Conduct individual employee personnel development programs and training programs on a continuing basis, fostering an open-door climate for employees.
Assist with annual training of and enforce OSHA regulations for existing staff and new hires, conducting safety education to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.
Establish a system of regular personal contact to address cafeteria employee dissatisfaction and work with the DFN Team to resolve issues.
Make recommendations to the DFN Team on unit work schedules.
Maintain effective job goal performance with high employee morale.
Treat all employees according to established labor agreements and/or school district and The Nutrition Group policies.
Indoctrinate and train staff to be personally neat and provide cheerful, competent, and efficient service.
Establish a formal program of pre-school, in-service, and on-the-job training, coordinating these sessions as part of formal manager and employee meetings, and encouraging employee participation in team training days.
Train all staff in food quality, recipe compliance, and HACCP protocol, with a particular focus on cooks and lead production personnel.
Constantly evaluate established menus for student satisfaction and production practicality, maintaining and submitting written corrective, constructive comments to supervision.
Work with staff to establish a reliable system of attendance prediction related to the purchasing program and actual production to eliminate waste.
Purchase food and supplies only from approved vendors and ensure proper security of all inventory.
Supervise all specifications and purchasing procedures of the district, the NSLP, and The Nutrition Group.
Purchase only those items authorized by The Nutrition Group’s buyer.
Understand, communicate, and practice the NSLP and The Nutrition Group food standards in each school of the district.
Maintain an up-to-date and complete recipe file in each unit and ensure recipes are used.
Utilize all leftovers properly and quickly or store them for future use.
Meet or exceed reimbursable nutritional requirements and maintain detailed, accurate production records in accordance with USDA and Department of Education when in production, ensuring all staff follow the same procedure.
Understand food production practices and constantly upgrade production standards to all technological developments.
Keep and maintain accurate production records in compliance with USDA/AR regulations and ensure all staff knows how to complete them, providing on-the-spot training and communication with the DFN Team for improvement areas.
Meet regularly with Sports Academy Program students, acting on customer complaints, suggestions, and requests immediately.
Communicate with client contacts as required, building good working relationships with all people and departments connected with food service, and ensuring proper relations with suppliers.
Participate in meetings with the DFN Team to keep them informed and group directed.
Offer to become part of school district committees, organizations, etc.
Contribute pictures and articles for Board Reports describing the progress of the food service program.
Meet with DFN Team, DFN Lead Director & Regional Manager on a regular basis to discuss the status of the operation and maintain effective two-way communication.
Conduct at least one major special promotion event each month in every school district.
Maintain ongoing information-seeking communications such as student suggestion boxes and opinion surveys, with proper follow-up reports.
Ensure that communications upward and downward are effectively maintained.
Maintain an attitude of management that provides the motivating force in developing awareness, alertness, and interest in producing the maximum possible results with the minimum expenditure of school district resources.
Transmit the attitude of management successfully to the cafeteria staff and eventually to the customer, toward the goal of providing service cheerfully, willingly, and conscientiously to all parties at all times.