Director, Health & Nutrition

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34+ days off

Employer-paid medical

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

403b retirement plan

Disability insurance

Long-term care insurance

Job summary

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is seeking a Director of Health & Nutrition to lead the Health & Nutrition initiatives. This leadership role oversees Food Is Medicine programs, nutrition education, culinary nutrition, healthcare partnerships, and neighbor education, serving as a primary external representative for health-related programming.

You will build strategic partnerships with healthcare systems and community organizations, and guide workforce development through culinary

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition or related field required.
• Credentialed RD by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
• Master’s Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or related field preferred.
• 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in Health, Nutrition, Food Access, Community Health, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive strategy for health, nutrition, and Food Is Medicine initiatives aligned with Second Harvest's mission and strategic priorities.
• Establish program goals, budgets, performance measures, and evaluation strategies; use data and neighbor feedback to continuously improve programs.
• Identify emerging opportunities, partnerships, and funding to expand the organization's impact related to food, nutrition, and health.
• Provide strategic leadership for Food Is Medicine initiatives and develop relationships with healthcare systems, providers, health plans, payers, and other health-related organizations.
• Identify opportunities to integrate nutritious food access and nutrition education into healthcare and community health strategies.
• Represent Second Harvest as a subject-matter leader in Food Is Medicine, nutrition, and health-related programming.
• Provide strategic leadership for programming and nutrition education experiences within the Culinary Center by developing accessible, nutritious, culturally relevant, cost-conscious cooking and food-skills education for neighbors and other audiences.
• Build partnerships with culinary, healthcare, educational, and community organizations to expand culinary nutrition programming, community engagement, and workforce development opportunities.
• Develop practical education related to grocery shopping, maximizing food budgets, understanding food labels, reduce food waste, and make healthy choices within available resources.
• Provide strategic leadership for the health, nutrition, and educational components of the Neighbor Care Center. Collaborate with internal teams and community partners to integrate food access, nutrition education, food skills, and whole-person resources into the neighbor experience.
• Develop and deliver workshops, cooking demonstrations, presentations, written resources, and other educational opportunities for neighbors, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Supervise, coach, and develop assigned staff while establishing clear expectations, priorities, performance measures, and professional development opportunities.
• Participate in leadership and cross-functional initiatives that advance organizational goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder leadership

Staff supervision

Communication

Nutrition concepts

Equity & inclusion

Partnership development

Culinary education

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition/related field

Registered Dietitian (RD) credentialed

Master’s Degree (Preferred)

Job description

We are hiring a full-time Director, Health & Nutrition to join the Community Impact Department at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

Who we are

For nearly 50 years, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has dedicated itself to nourishing and empowering their neighbors so they can thrive. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Second Harvest implements sustainable solutions to food insecurity through a strategically selected network of more than 600 partners across 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Our partners include food pantries, congregate meal sites, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, its mission, and programs, please visit secondharvestmidtn.org.

What you’ll do:

Summary:Director, Health & Nutrition provides strategic leadership for Second Harvest's initiatives connecting access to nutritious food with improved health and well-being. This position leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs that help neighbors not only access healthy food, but also gain the knowledge, skills, and resources to make the most of the food available to them.

The Director oversees Second Harvest's Food Is Medicine initiatives, nutrition education, culinary nutrition programming, healthcare partnerships, and related neighbor education. The position serves as a key organizational leader and external representative for health, nutrition, and food-as-medicine initiatives. The position develops strategic partnerships with healthcare organizations, community organizations, funders, and other stakeholders and works collaboratively across Second Harvest to advance the organization's goals related to nutrition, health, food access, and whole-person well-being.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead a comprehensive strategy for health, nutrition, and Food Is Medicine initiatives aligned with Second Harvest's mission and strategic priorities.
• Establish program goals, budgets, performance measures, and evaluation strategies; use data and neighbor feedback to continuously improve programs.
• Identify emerging opportunities, partnerships, and funding to expand the organization's impact related to food, nutrition, and health.
• Provide strategic leadership for Food Is Medicine initiatives and develop relationships with healthcare systems, providers, health plans, payers, and other health-related organizations.
• Identify opportunities to integrate nutritious food access and nutrition education into healthcare and community health strategies.
• Represent Second Harvest as a subject-matter leader in Food Is Medicine, food access, nutrition, and health-related programming.
• Provide strategic leadership for programming and nutrition education experiences within the Culinary Center by developing accessible, nutritious, culturally relevant, cost-conscious cooking and food-skills education for neighbors and other audiences.
• Build partnerships with culinary, healthcare, educational, and community organizations to expand culinary nutrition programming, community engagement, and workforce development opportunities.
• Develop practical education related to grocery shopping, maximizing food budgets, understanding food labels, reduce food waste, and make healthy choices within available resources
• Provide strategic leadership for the health, nutrition, and educational components of the Neighbor Care Center. Collaborate with internal teams and community partners to integrate food access, nutrition education, food skills, and whole-person resources into the neighbor experience.
• Develop and deliver workshops, cooking demonstrations, presentations, written resources, and other educational opportunities for neighbors, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Supervise, coach, and develop assigned staff while establishing clear expectations, priorities, performance measures, and professional development opportunities.
• Participate in leadership and cross-functional initiatives that advance organizational goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

When & Where:

Occasional duties may be necessary, as well as responding to issues, outside of normal working hours (e.g., disaster response, community events, etc.). Occasional evenings and/or weekends may be required for meetings or special events.

• Essential business/ first responder: In instances of a federal, state or locally declared emergency, Second Harvest is typically considered an essential business service and emergency responder. All employees may be required to perform regular or emergent duties on-site. Employee safety is balanced with business and community necessity. Some positions are more likely to be required on-site than others.

Is this you?

Education:

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Health Sciences, Culinary Arts, Community Health, Social Services, Education, or a related field required. Credentialed Registered Dietitian (RD) by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
• Preferred: Master’s Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Community Health, or related field.

Experience:

7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in Health, Nutrition, Food Access, Community Health, or related field.

Skills & Capabilities:

• Demonstrated experience developing and managing programs and partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects involving multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to translate technical or complex nutrition and health concepts into practical, accessible information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated commitment to dignity, equity, inclusion, and neighbor-centered service.
• Experience working with healthcare systems, health plans, or Food Is Medicine programs.
• Experience developing culinary education, cooking demonstrations, or community food-skills programming.

Allowable Substitutions:

Combination of education, experience, and/or training that provides the required knowledge and skills for the position may be considered in lieu of education/experience at the organization’s discretion.

Competencies: Coaching/Developing Others, Leadership/Strategic Thinking, Influence, Project Management

Other requirements:

Our pre-hire process requires acceptable results from the following: professional reference feedback, criminal background, Motor Vehicle Record. Current Driver’s License and automobile insurance are also required. Criminal backgrounds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering several factors (timing, frequency, severity and job relation).

What Second Harvest has to offer:

Work with a purpose: As one of middle Tennessee’s largest nonprofits, our local hunger relief work is uniquely rewarding, hands on and solutions oriented. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results. A career with Second Harvest ensures that you not only earn a paycheck, but also help your local community through meaningful work. If you are passionate about serving your neighbors in need and are committed to our mission to nourish and empower people, we invite you to join our 120+ person team in the fight against hunger, as we work to achieve our vision of a community where everyone has equitable access to the food and resources they need.

Award winning workplace: we are a best-in-class workplace because we are passionate and people focused – we listen, respect, care and challenge each other, so that our neighbors can count on us. Our employees have identified us among The Tennessean’s Top Workplaces based solely on employee surveys and feedback. There is ample opportunity to be engaged, have work-life-balance and grow with Second Harvest.

Compensation & Benefits

• 34+ days off
• medical (employee-only is 100% employer paid)
• dental
• vision
• 403b retirement (up to 3% match, 5% base, length of service vesting)
• disability insurance (short and long term)
• long-term care insurance

DEIB & Equal Employment Opportunity: Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee provides equal employment to all applicants and employees based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We believe that inclusion and belonging strengthen our team, drive innovation, and enhance our ability to serve our community.