Health & Nutrition Equity Specialist

Description

Job Summary: The Health and Nutrition Equity Specialist will elevate the critical need for nutrition education and health equity in the communities we serve. The Specialist leads implementation of Feeding Pennsylvania’s Healthy Pantry Initiative. In addition, the Specialist will establish and cultivate strategic external partnerships, foster internal nutrition and health equity initiatives, and assess the organizational impact of GPCFB’s nutrition and wellness work. 

Requirements

Key Responsibilities 

Lead Implementation of Feeding Pennsylvania's Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI)

• Recruit pantries from the Food Bank’s network of agencies to participate in HPI, a state-wide program aimed at helping pantries deliver nutritious food to our communities.
• Assist food pantry coordinators in implementing health promotion strategies, such as behavioral economics, health communication, nutrition education, and health screening that aligns with the goals of HPI. 
• Perform ongoing assessments of pantry operations and identify opportunities to improve food sourcing and health promotion practices. 
• Work with food pantries to increase the availability of nutritious foods that promote health with an emphasis on culturally connected foods. 
• Attend required meetings and training (virtual or in-person) with Feeding Pennsylvania and other food banks participating in HPI. 
• Provide project updates and completes monthly reporting, including activity tracking and expense reports for Feeding Pennsylvania. 

Cultivate Relationships with Stakeholders in the Public Health and Nutrition Fields 

• Engage with nutrition and health professionals in the Feeding America network to identify new and emerging best practices for promoting nutrition and health equity in the emergency food system. 
• Establish partnerships with organizations in the nutrition and health sector to connect neighbors to nutrition and health education resources and services.
• Maintain partnerships with local colleges and universities 
• offering nutrition, dietetics, public health, or other related
• academic programs.
• Participate in and contribute to local, regional and national conversations about best practices for improving access to nutritious food and health promotion for individuals experiencing food insecurity.

Work Internally to Drive Change 

• Evaluate internal Health and Nutrition Equity initiatives to identify areas of improvement and adjust strategies as needed. 
• Ensure that the Food Bank upholds its commitment to the Wellness Policy by updating goals and objectives and establishing new benchmarks for success, as needed.
• Collaborate with cross-functional and cross-departmental staff to ensure implementation of the Wellness Policy.
• Identify new and emerging best practices for nutrition and health promotion.
• Support special projects and initiatives that intersect with nutrition and health equity. 
• Lead practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Develop Nutrition Education Resources

• Develop nutrition education resources including monthly newsletters, recipe cards, and digital media content in collaboration with the Food Bank’s Marketing and Communications team. 
• Develop and/or co-create course content related to health and wellness for the Gismondi Food Bank Academy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in dietetics, nutrition, public health, or related field.  
• Experience designing and developing health and nutrition educational materials tailored to diverse audiences.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work and thrive both independently and in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong project and personal organizational skills with the capacity to handle multiple assignments and respond to shifting priorities.
• Willingness to work with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions, and perceptions.
• Ability to innovate, problem-solve, test, evaluate and adjust. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Able to work evenings and weekends as needed to support the achievement of project goals and objectives.
• Ability to obtain the following Act 33 & Act 34 Clearances.
• Ability to obtain SERV Safe Food Safety Certification.  
• Must possess a vehicle and valid driver’s license. Work travel, if required, is reimbursed at the federal reimbursement rate.