Nutrition Education Program Assistant

The following functions represent the majority of the duties performed by the position but are not meant to be all-inclusive or prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Program and Class Support

1. Assist with preparing for and carrying out nutrition education classes, cooking demonstrations, hands-on food activities, community events, and educational workshops.
2. Help prepare class materials, menus, recipes, grocery lists, supply lists, lesson materials, food demonstration notes, and participant activities.
3. Assist with setting up and breaking down classes, including moving tables and chairs, arranging demonstration areas, setting up serving stations, preparing handouts, and resetting the room after class.
4. Support hands-on demonstrations by helping with ingredient portioning, participant stations, children’s activities, food safety, and overall class flow.
5. Assist with participant check-in, attendance tracking, distribution of materials, collection of feedback forms, and general participant support.

 Food Preparation, Shopping, Kitchen Support, and Cleaning

1. Assist with grocery shopping, price comparison, food sourcing, organizing ingredients, and transporting supplies for classes and demonstrations.
2. Assist with food preparation before, during, and after classes. This may include washing produce, chopping ingredients, measuring items, assembling recipe components, portioning samples, labeling food, and packaging leftovers.
3. Assist with cleaning and resetting the kitchen, classroom, and demonstration areas. Duties may include washing dishes, loading and unloading dishwashers, wiping counters and tables, sanitizing surfaces, sweeping or spot-cleaning floors, taking out trash, putting away supplies, and leaving the space clean and organized.
4. Help maintain kitchen and demonstration supplies, including pantry items, cooking equipment, serving supplies, paper goods, cleaning supplies, food storage items, and educational materials.
5. Support recipe testing and class preparation by keeping track of prep notes, timing, serving sizes, participant feedback, supply needs, and recipe changes as directed.

 Outreach, Promotion, and Communication

1. Assist with promoting nutrition classes and community events through flyers, emails, phone calls, partner outreach, social media support, and distribution of promotional materials.
2. Help create, update, organize, and distribute class flyers, class descriptions, email reminders, registration materials, and participant follow-up messages.
3. Communicate with participants, coworkers, and community partners in a professional, respectful, timely, and culturally responsive manner.
4. Assist with maintaining contact lists, registration information, outreach records, and partner communication as assigned.

Content, Media, and Documentation Support

1. Assist with taking approved photos and short videos during classes, demonstrations, events, recipe preparation, and program activities.
2. Organize photos, videos, recipes, class materials, attendance sheets, feedback forms, sign-in sheets, supply lists, and program documents.
3. Help prepare basic program materials such as nutrition tips, recipe cards, handouts, activity sheets, food demonstration outlines, and other educational resources under the direction of the Nutrition Coordinator.
4. Assist with documenting program activities, including attendance numbers, class summaries, menu notes, participant feedback, supply usage, and event outcomes.

Research, Evaluation, and Administrative Support

1. Assist with gathering reliable nutrition, culinary, public health, food access, and community wellness information to support program planning and education.
2. Support program evaluation by helping collect, organize, and summarize surveys, attendance data, class feedback, recipe feedback, and other program information.
3. Assist with basic reports, monthly summaries, class recaps, partner updates, and documentation needed for program planning or grant-related reporting.
4. Maintain organized program files, recipes, shopping lists, class folders, supply lists, participant materials, and event documentation.
5. Attend meetings, trainings, community events, and partner meetings as requested.
6. Complete required trainings and perform other duties as assigned, including duties related to public health emergency operations.

Education:

• High School Diploma/GED or equivalent required.
• Associate’s degree or coursework in nutrition, public health, culinary arts, health education, community health, family and consumer sciences, social services, or related field preferred.

Experience:

• At least one year of experience in community programs, food service, nutrition education, public health, culinary preparation, youth programming, administrative support, outreach, or a related area preferred.
• Experience with food preparation, community events, teaching support, customer service, health education, or working with diverse community members is highly desirable.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of basic nutrition, food preparation, food safety, kitchen sanitation, and healthy cooking practices preferred.
• Ability to assist with cooking demonstrations, recipe preparation, grocery shopping, class setup, kitchen cleaning, dishes, and event breakdown.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Good interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work respectfully with children, adults, families, coworkers, community members, and external partners.
• Ability to treat all participants and community members with courtesy, dignity, and respect.
• Ability to work independently, follow directions, manage multiple tasks, and adjust to changing class or event needs.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Canva, email platforms, or basic design/content tools preferred.
• Ability to assist with photos, short videos, documentation, and digital file organization.
• Willingness to work limited evenings or weekends as needed.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Must have reliable transportation.

Licenses:

• Valid Oklahoma driver’s license.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

• Internal contact with the Nutrition Coordinator, program managers, supervisors, department staff, and other employees.
• External contact with community members, class participants, partner organizations, schools, childcare programs, community centers, vendors, and other public and private organizations.

PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Ability to stand, sit, bend, reach, lift, carry, push, pull, and perform repeated hand and wrist movements.
• Ability to stand for extended periods during food preparation, cooking demonstrations, dishwashing, cleaning, and event support.
• Ability to assist with grocery transport, room setup, kitchen cleaning, and event breakdown.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY/ACCOUNTABILITY:
Direct Supervision– None
Indirect Supervision–None
Budget/Money/Material – None
Reports to– Nutrition Coordinator/ Sustainable Nutrition Program Lead
Location – On-Site

WORKINGCONDITIONS:
Work is performed in office, kitchen, classroom, grocery store, and community settings. Duties may include shopping for groceries, transporting supplies, supporting food demonstrations, washing dishes, cleaning kitchen equipment, sanitizing food preparation areas, handling trash, and resetting rooms after classes and events.

The position may require occasional evening or weekend hours based on class schedules, outreach activities, community events, or program needs.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must follow food safety, sanitation, and department procedures.
• Must maintain THD record confidentiality according to HIPAA regulations.  
• Must possess ability and willingness to perform job-related travel. 

FLSA Status: Non-exempt