Assistant/Associate Extension Agent (Nutrition)

Louisiana State University; Covington, Northern (LA, KY); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement benefits

Medical insurance options

Dental and vision insurance

Tuition exemption

Job summary

The LSU AgCenter invites applications for an Assistant/Associate Extension Agent (Nutrition) based in Covington, LA. You will deliver community-based nutrition education focused on healthy eating, activity, weight management, and chronic disease prevention across St.

Tammany and Washington Parishes. You’ll plan, implement, evaluate, and report interventions, recruit volunteers, engage diverse communities, build advisory partnerships, and stay current with nutrition science while traveling

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in nutrition, family and consumer sciences or related field.
• Registered dietitian preferred.
• GPA requirements: overall 2.5 (undergrad) / 3.0 (graduate work).
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Experience recruiting, training and supervising adults and volunteers.
• Knowledge of public relations and ability to work with diverse audiences.
• Willingness to travel overnight and evenings/weekends.

Responsibilities

• Deliver community-based nutrition education focusing on health, wellness, and chronic disease prevention.
• Plan, implement, evaluate and report nutrition interventions.
• Recruit, train and supervise volunteers; build partnerships with community stakeholders.
• Engage with local officials, health professionals, and residents to identify nutrition needs.
• Coordinate programming across parishes and communicate via multiple channels.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Community outreach

Leadership development

Collaboration

Public relations

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in nutrition or related field

Job description

Job Posting Title: Assistant/Associate Extension Agent (Nutrition)

Position Type: Faculty

Department: LSUAG PL4 - Southeast - Parish - Washington (Amy Marie Varnado (00082119))

Work Location: 0101 St. Tammany Parish Extension Office

Pay Grade: Academic

Job Description

This position serves stakeholders in St. Tammany and Washington Parishes in Southeast Louisiana. Fifty percent of the employee’s time and Extension educational efforts will be dedicated to programming and service delivery in St. Tammany Parish and 50 percent will support Extension educational efforts in St. Washington Parish. The assigned domicile office is located in Covington, LA. Together, the two parishes encompass a combined population of 323,844 residents. The LSU AgCenter’s Healthy Communities Program is designed to reach citizens within their communities with health, wellness, and nutrition information and food buying and preparation skills with the goal of achieving increased knowledge and behavioral change leading to healthier lifestyles to impact the trend of increased obesity and related chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. The Assistant/Associate Nutrition & Community Health (NCH) Extension Agent is responsible for delivering community-based nutrition education with a focus on healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, general health and wellness, and chronic disease prevention. The agent will conduct nutrition education programs throughout the year, primarily targeting Louisiana’s adult population, with youth programming offered as time and requests allow. Most programming will include an interactive educational session and food demonstration and/or tasting to engage participants and reinforce healthy eating practices. The agent will lead efforts in planning, implementing, conducting, evaluating, and reporting interventions that involve food, nutrition, physical activity, and general health. Additional responsibilities include participating in participant recruitment, community outreach, health expos, health fairs, and Ag Extension events. Agents are expected to highlight NCH programs in the assigned parish(es) and distribute nutrition education through in-person sessions, print media, local public media, mass media, social media, and other communication platforms. The agent will be comfortable working with diverse audiences and delivering education to groups with various learning styles. Agents will be aware of community, city/town, parish, and regional partnerships, resources, and contacts which can help support local and parish NCH programming. The agent will organize and maintain an advisory committee composed of local government officials, volunteers, health professionals, and community residents to identify and address local nutrition-related needs. As an AgCenter Extension employee, the agent must be committed to ongoing professional development, staying abreast of current trends in nutrition, and sharing evidence-based nutrition information related to specific program topics with the public. This position requires occasional overnight travel and availability to work evenings and weekends to meet community needs. The agent will serve under the supervision and guidance of the parish chair, regional director, NCH regional coordinator, and NCH state office staff. The agent may be assigned other tasks by supervisors and is expected to collaborate with other Extension faculty at parish, regional, and state levels.

Qualification Requirements

A baccalaureate degree in nutrition, family and consumer sciences, human sciences, vocational education or a closely related field from an accredited college or university is required. A registered dietician with community experience is preferred. Persons with only an undergraduate degree must have a minimum 2.5 overall grade-point average based on a 4-point grading system. If the applicant has pursued any graduate courses, the grade-point average of all graduate work must be at least 3.0 on a 4.0 system. The applicant must demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. Experience in recruiting, training and supervising adults and volunteers and experience in teaching and applying principles of leadership development to both youth and adult audiences is also desired. Knowledge of public relations and the ability to cope with change is highly desirable characteristics. Ability to work with and through others is essential as is the ability to function with minimum supervision. The successful candidate will exemplify a positive attitude and a passion to improve the lives of others. Some overnight, weekend and evening work may be required.

Salary and Benefits

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

• retirement
• multiple medical insurance options
• supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc)
• Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses)
• university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas)
• generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System

Conditions of Employment

A personal automobile and appropriate insurance coverage is required (travel allowance provided). Satisfactory completion of one specific graduate level extension courses (3 credit hours) is required in year two or three of employment, prior to promotion eligibility to associate agent. Additionally, a faculty member who does not have a related master’s degree must complete an additional 12 hours of related graduate level coursework in order to be promoted to associate agent and such promotion must occur in the first seven years of employment. An exception is that additional agent experience may be substituted for 12 hours of coursework, but not for the required course.

Background Check

Background Check - An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.

Additional Position Information

Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance. Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.

Benefits - The LSU AgCenter has an attractive benefits package with a wide variety of benefit options. Benefits offered include retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc), Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses), university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas), generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System.

• retirement
• multiple medical insurance options
• supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc)
• Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses)
• university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas)
• generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System

Application Information

Date Available: Upon completion of the selection process.

Application Deadline: October 4, 2026, or until a suitable candidate is identified.