Assistant Service Chief, Nutrition

** Assistant Service Chief, Nutrition & Food Service**

**Department of Veterans Affairs**

** VISN 8: VA SUNSHINE NETWORK**

**Location**

1 vacancy in the following location:

+ **Duties**

The Assistant Chief supports the hospital's mission and coordinates departmental activities with other services in the medical center, ambulatory clinics and the local community.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

**Management / Administrative**

* Assists in the establishment of organizational structure guidelines, performance standards, reporting requirements and assists in defining the lines of authority and supervisory controls necessary and essential in carrying out the mission of the service.

* Coordinates and evaluates Service compliance to VHA regulations, Central Office directives, ADA Laws, VISN guidelines, Medical Center policy, bargaining unit agreement, Service procedures and all accrediting and regulatory agencies including but not limited to US Food Code, The Joint Commission, OSHA, OIG and any other accrediting bodies to assure optimal nutrition care of veterans, in the continuum of care and in a multidisciplinary model.

* Provides oversight in the coordination of clinical services, menu planning, subsistence purchases, production, and delivery of safe, high quality, nutritionally adequate meals.

* Assists in the facilitation and the development of service priorities which address the goals and objectives of the medical center, VISN and Central Office and coordinates service activities to accomplish identified priorities and ensure compliance with VHA directives and medical center policy/procedures to provide for customer satisfaction.

* Assists in or provides oversight in the coordination of menu planning, subsistence purchases, production, and delivery of safe, high quality, nutritionally adequate meals

**Resource Management**

* Assists in the planning of an annual budget for subsistence, supplies, and personnel costs. Actively manages for efficient and effective utilization of resources that include, but are not limited to subsistence, supplies, personnel, equipment, space, ADP support, training funds and research.

* Benchmarks against other VA facilities and the private sector to assure cost effective services and coordinating appropriate alterations when necessary to accommodate changes associated with administration, science, community standards and research.

* Regularly evaluates program goals and objectives to determine progress, efficacy and continued need. Reprioritizes goals as needed to integrate with those of the medical center, VISN and Central Office.

**Quality Improvement**

* Assists in the development and implementation of a performance improvement program to continually monitor major functions of N&FS for quality and appropriateness.

* Assures that the Performance improvement program is incompliance with applicable standards established by OSHA, HACCP, VHA, The Joint Commission and other reviewing and accrediting agencies.

**Supervisory**

* Assists with the personnel management program for the service by providing recommendations to the Chief regarding all personnel actions.

* Promotes positive labor-management relations by hearing employee grievances and complaints that are not resolved at a lower supervisory level. Responds to EEO complaints and unfair labor practice charges.

* Delegates responsibility and authority to subordinate supervisors and/ or program coordinators and holds them responsible for the performance of their programs. Guides subordinate supervisors.

* Completes evaluations of subordinates and reviews evaluations made by subordinate supervisors.

* Oversees all contracts, COR duties and credit card purchases.

* Assists the Chief in providing leadership to N&FS, which consists of professional and non-professional staff.

**Education/Staff Development**

* Assists with the provision and allocation of staff educational funding, evaluating regularly to make certain funds are effectively utilized for the benefit of the Medical Center.

* Coordinates the education and training program in the service for all levels of employees including appropriate nutrition related training for other disciplines, students and/or trainees. Establishes a mechanism to monitor the effectiveness of N&FS training programs.

**Research**

* Facilitates participation in clinical nutrition studies and research projects that have a nutrition component.

* Assures that new information / nutritional advancements are incorporated into daily practices and procedures which ensures continued improvement in services provided.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Lean six sigma system redesign, 1 year as assistant chief or equivalent in the private sector in management of food service operations. Candidate must

demonstrate initiatives they led to improve customer satisfaction, budget controls, coordination of service compliance to regulatory agencies impacting NFS to carry the mission of the services, employee education, and initiatives for improved employee experience. **Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.** **Financial Disclosure Report: Not required** **Requirements**

** Conditions of Employment**

* You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

* All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

* Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

* You may be required to serve a probationary period

* Subject to a background/security investigation

* Must be proficient in written and spoken English

* Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

* Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

* Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

** Qualifications**

**Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met**.

**Basic Requirements**

**Qualifications:** Citizens of the United States (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

**Preferred Experience:** The individual must have earned a bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent and fulfilled each of the following criteria:

**(a)** Completed a didactic program in dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), formerly known as the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE).

**(b)** Completed an ACEND accredited or approved supervised practice program. Supervised practice programs are post-baccalaureate degree programs that provide supervised practice experiences which meet the eligibility requirements and accreditation standards of ACEND, formally known as CADE. Completion of a coordinated program in dietetics fulfills the requirements of a supervised practice program. Time spent in a dietetic internship or supervised practice program does not qualify as creditable experience.

**Registration/Certification****:** All applicants must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association