Public Health Nutritionist

at  ChathamKent

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has an opening for a temporary full-time Public Health Nutritionist with the Public Health Unit. This temporary full-time opportunity is for a period up to January 2027.
Note: Preference will be given to CUPE 12.3 members.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Using evidence-informed strategies, the Public Health Nutritionist works as part of an interdisciplinary team to lead and manage nutrition related programs by developing and conducting community needs assessments and evaluations, and planning campaigns and programs/services to meet objectives as outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards. Additionally the Public Health Nutritionist provides food and nutrition advisory service to the public and provides guidance and support for policy development and implementation in the area of Healthy Eating. This position supports the ongoing operations of the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Baccalaureate degree in foods and nutrition from a recognized university; or an equivalent of related education and experience
• A master’s degree from an accredited University with a concentration in community nutrition or public health nutrition or equivalent preferred
• Two years experience in a related position
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong computer skills, specifically Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) (or other similar software program)
• All employees will be required to complete their Health & Safety and other on-line mandatory training on or before their first day of employment; other training (including Health & Safety policies) may also be required

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of continuous quality improvement principles and/or experience participating in CQI projects is an asset
• The ability to communicate both written and oral French language is an asset

DRIVER’S LICENCE/VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS

Because this position would be required to travel, a valid Province of Ontario driver’s license with a reliable motor vehicle is necessary.

BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS

Successful candidates will be required to complete a background check prior to commencement of employment. A background check may include the following: education/certification verification and employment reference check. Because of the environment this position will be working in, the successful candidate will be required to furnish an original Police Information Search (Vulnerable Sector Check) prior to commencement of employment.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL AND/OR SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

• Mask fit testing (N95)
• Walking: constant walking on level surface (may occasionally need to walk on rough surface when at community events, such as at a park, however most frequently the nutritionist’s work will be within the office environment or at a community center/building on level surface)
• Sitting: frequent sitting in a vehicle seat, sitting in a chair (the Nutritionist spends a considerable amount of time seated in a chair in the office environment or in a vehicle while travelling to and from community events; stool may be a seat option in the community when a chair is not available)
• Reaching: frequent reaching above shoulder, below shoulder, forward, handling (often will be required to reach when gathering materials to use in community events/trainings)
• Lifting: frequent lifting floor to waist, carrying, transferring (up to 16.78 kgs or 37 lbs) (will be required to lift items needed in teaching classes or participating in community events; items will need to be gathered from storage for use in events; storage may be below or above shoulder)
• Hands: frequent fine finger dexterity (movement), mousing (writing and keyboarding are critical job demands, for charting, documenting, preparing presentation materials, report writing, data collection etc.)
• Climbing: frequent climbing stairs (a step stool or ladder may be used when retrieving items from storage for use in classes and event; stair use may be needed to access classrooms within the community as well as at the health unit office)

• Demonstrate Chatham-Kent’s core values and competencies
• Work with regional and provincial groups, as well as local groups to improve food security, and healthy eating in Chatham-Kent and Ontario
• Create opportunities to share knowledge, tools, expertise and experience within and outside the organization
• Display dedication in achieving public health standards of excellence and acts as an inspiration to others for high performance
• Set clear and realistic goals, activities, timelines, deliverables and accountabilities for own team/function in conjunction with team members
• Transfer or seek to transfer public health knowledge and skills (e.g. mentorship)
• Coordinate and guide development of project plans for nutrition and consult with Program Manager
• Use a wide range of strategies and techniques to effectively manage conflicts and disputes
• Advocate for healthy public policies and services that promote and protect the health and well-being of individuals and communities
• Leverage existing partnerships and alliances to promote public health and nutritional-related issues
• Advocate for the creation of nutritional-related programs to address and accommodate diverse populations
• Communicate the importance of delivering nutritional-related programs that meet the unique needs of diverse groups
• Communicate complex issues clearly and credibly with widely varied audiences
• Provide progress reports on program plans and update Program Manager
• Strong written communication skills, ability to complete scientific/academic reports, reports to Board of Health and develop research reports
• Apply knowledge of public health sciences and other professional knowledge to their practice of dietetics
• Assess the impact of findings from an ethical, political, scientific, socio-cultural and economic perspective on communities
• Review current and emergent demographic trends to determine nutritional-related programming that meets the unique needs of diverse groups
• Use appropriate strategies and techniques to manage conflicts
• Demonstrate appropriate uses of information for decision-making and collects, summarizes and interprets information relevant to policy, planning, management and evaluation of programs
• Identify the role of evidence in developing health policies and programs, and appropriately applies evidence to these tasks
• Develops and implements program evaluation using established objectives and standards
• Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of writing styles and effectively adapts style to the appropriate audience
• Demonstrate how ethics inform professional conduct and the legal implications of protecting confidentiality including the conditions whereby information can be shared
• Balance public health interests with the rights of the individual client and community or population understanding that they may not be aligned
• Demonstrate accountability to the public, and act to ensure practice meets legislative requirements and regulatory standards (e.g. Ontario Public Health Standards, OSNPPH)
• Adhere to principles, standards, professional/personal boundaries, and codes of conduct established by the OSNPPH and organizational policies
• Collect both primary and secondary data for use in community and program assessment
• Guide primary research related to Healthy Eating and Food security issues.
• Consult multiple sources of information to obtain comprehensive information on issues, concerns or situations
• Identify relevant connections, patterns or trends in the information/data available regarding food, nutrition, diet and health for the public, professionals, group leaders and the media
• Produce reports and position papers related to nutrition and participate in knowledge exchange opportunities
• Participate in the development of operational plans, objectives and work plans and document activities