Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition) to oversee the clinical nutrition section, provide administrative and technical supervision to staff, and lead innovative nutrition programs in facility-level settings including community clinics.

The role emphasizes leadership, evidence-based practice, and coordination with food service to support veteran care, education materials, and regulatory compliance under VA guidelines.

Qualifications

• Citizenship requirement and English language proficiency as per 38 U.S.C.
• Registration as a Dietitian (RDN) per CDR; foreign degrees may require ACEND evaluation
• Specialized experience at GS-11 level with supervisory responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Serves as professional and technical advisor to staff and healthcare professionals
• Represents the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects and committees
• Exercises supervisory and personnel management authorities for subordinate staff
• Develops procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and compliance
• Leads contingency planning and ensures continuity of clinical operations
• Implements training plans based on evidence-based nutrition
• Drives performance improvement and analyzes data to improve outcomes
• Collaborates with food services to enhance veteran dining experience

Skills

Accreditation knowledge

Nutrition expertise

EBN guidelines

Goal setting

Staff supervision

Data analysis

Education

RDN credential (CDR)

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Summary

The Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition) assignment oversee the clinical nutrition section of NFS providing administrative and technical supervision over staff at the GS11 level and below and may supervise advanced practice and/or program coordinator dietitian(s). The Supervisory Dietitian is responsible for the execution of clinical nutrition programming within the facility - community-based clinics - and the local community.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C.
• 7407(a)
• English Language Proficiency: Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.
• 7403(f) Registration
• (1) All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. - bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR - as such this occupation is considered professional and scientific with a positive education requirement and the procedures in Part I - Chapter 4 of this Handbook will be followed when applying Veteran's preference
• Foreign Education: To be creditable - college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND® and meet ACEND®'s International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam
• In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above - you must meet the following: Specialized Experience: At least 1 year of experience as a Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) grade level
• Experience includes: Provides Clinical Nutrition Section specific leadership and exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities
• Develops procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitors compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures
• Identifies and prioritized problems - sets long and short-term goals - identifies action plans for the clinical section and nutrition programs
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrated the following Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs): DEMONSTRATED KNOWLEDGE - SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): 1
• Knowledge of accrediting requirements in clinical nutrition to assess staff compliance and implement performance improvements
• 2
• Skill as a nutrition expert to provide technical guidance - direction and staff development
• 3
• Skill in Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines to develop - implement and coordinate best practices
• 4
• Skill in establishing goals and objectives to coordinate activities - evaluate accomplishments and solve problems
• 5
• Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e. - plan - organize - delegate - direct - control and review activities and performance)
• 6
• Ability to analyze data in order to recommend allocation of resources
• Assignment: Supervisory Dietitians Clinical Nutrition in this assignment oversees the Clinical Nutrition Section and serve as the professional and technical advisors to staff and other health care professionals
• They represent the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects - committees and/or workgroups
• Supervisory Dietitians provide Clinical Nutrition Section-specific leadership and exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities in planning - directing and assessing the work and competence of subordinate staff
• They provide administrative management and direction of the clinical nutrition section
• Supervisory Dietitians develop procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitor compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures
• They lead the action planning process to attain goals and resolve deficiencies
• Supervisory Dietitians build and implement contingency plans within the section - ensuring continuity of clinical operations in all internal and external emergencies
• They execute the training plan for the clinical section and ensure staff remain updated on advances and changes in medical nutrition therapy
• Supervisory Dietitians analyze data (i.e. - event capture - clinic utilization) to recommend the allocation of clinical nutrition resources
• They ensure evidence-based guidelines are integrated into clinical practice
• Supervisory Dietitians collaborate closely with the food service section to enhance the Veteran dining experience and support the strategic goals of the food service section
• References: VA Handbook 5005/154 - Part II - Appendix G20 - Dietitian Qualification Standards - dated October 14 - 2022
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

Duties

• Duties Include: Serves as a professional and technical advisor to staff and other health care professionals
• Represents the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects - committees - and/or workgroups within the department and facility
• Exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and assumes full responsibility in planning - directing - and assessing work of subordinate staff
• Develops procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitors compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures
• Builds and implements contingency plans within the section - ensuring continuity of clinical operations in internal and external emergency situations
• Establishes a training plan for the clinical section that is based on evidence-based nutrition
• Develops and leads clinical nutrition operations
• Ensures evidence-based guidelines are integrated into clinical practice
• Ensures Veteran education materials are written with based on evidence-based guidelines - current literature - practice and research
• Leads performance improvement efforts within Clinical Nutrition section - acting on quality improvement data and plans
• Collaborates with the food operations staff - bridging the work of the clinical nutrition staff to the food services provided to Veterans
• Identifies and prioritizes problems - sets long and short-term goals - develops action plans and analyses data to evaluate progress to improve outcomes
• Develops and updates policies and procedures and the establishment and oversight of a system for regulatory compliance
• May perform other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD99521S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized