Specialist, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships - Food and N

The Office of Operations (OoO) is comprised of the Strategic School Operations, Food & Nutrition Services, School Security, and Facilities divisions. OoO is responsible for guiding the operations and functions for all 118 schools within the District. Our mission is to ensure DCPS Stakeholders – principals, teachers, students, and central services teams – have the operational systems, facilities, and support to be excellent.

The Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) division is recognized for its healthy and innovative school food. The scope of the DCPS FNS’ operations extends beyond school meals to include nutrition-related activities such as school gardens and farm-to-school as well as environmental sustainability and stewardship initiatives for cafeteria operations. FNS is made up of three smaller teams: Finance, Stratregy & Data, Nutrition, Compliance & Partnerships, and Food Service Operations.

The mission of the DCPS FNS is: All DC Public Schools students are engaged and have access to wholesome and delicious meals that promote long-term wellness, preparation for learning, and satisfaction with their school.

The Specialist, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships, Food & Nutrition Services is responsible for oversight of several activities and projects for nutrition, compliance, and partnership development and maintenance. The Specialist will lead efforts to ensure compliance with all Child Nutrition Programs, to include the National School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, Free Summer Meals Program, and DC Healthy Schools Act. This role will act as the lead liaison with the FNS field specialist operations team, ensuring compliance activities are executed throughout all school cafeterias. When required, the Specialist of Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships will represent DCPS and the Manager, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships at meetings and events internally as well as across other agencies and community partners. This includes external-facing partnerships with food-related organizations locally and nationally to drive the public image and work of FNS through social media, traditional print, and televised media and websites.

The Specialist, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships - Food and Nutrition Services will report to the Manager, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Ensures that DCPS maintains a 100% level of compliance with USDA regulations with respect to school nutrition guidelines.
• Leads nutrition, compliance, policy, and partnership initiatives; and liaises with other agencies, community partners, and stakeholders.
• Acts as the primary liaison with the Food and Nutrition Services Operations team, ensuring collaboration and systems development for consistency of child nutrition program operations and compliance.
• Travels offsite to schools, agency, and community partners to deepen understanding, communicate, and support FNS initiatives, as assigned.
• Interacts with and responds effectively to urgent requests from multiple internal and external DCPS stakeholders.
• Identifies patterns/trends in compliance concerns across multiple projects and develops longer-term, systematic solutions to address them.
• Prepares team for, and delivers, all audits and corrective action as required.
• Oversees development of corrective action initiatives and plans; creates detailed timelines for each compliance initiative; assesses and tracks project progress regularly; and drives project completion holding others accountable for responsibilities and deadlines.
• Supervises the completion and submission of all regulatory applications including, but not limited to, National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Healthy Schools Act.
• Oversees school by school records organization for all reimbursement documents.
• Supports the Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) application processing and verification; and leads the FARM support staff.
• Utilizes various computer programs to track data and create presentations, charts, graphs, tables, and memos.
• Oversees daily operations for the Nutrition and Compliance team in the absence of the Manager, Nutrition, Compliance, and Partnerships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Leadership and management experience preferred.
• Superior communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders.
• Exhibits strong project management and technical skills and experience.
• Experience developing and presenting training and technical assistance materials to a variety of audiences.
• Exhibits working knowledge of nutritional regulatory compliance.
• Ability to multitask and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner.
• Proficient in computer skills, included MS Office suite.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.