Supervisory Dietitian (Food Operations)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Leavenworth (KS); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Supervisory Dietitian (Food Operations) to oversee food service and production and supervise wage-grade staff, ensuring Veteran-focused Food Forward meal programs are delivered with evidence-based guidelines.

The role emphasizes applying nutrition standards to menus, mentoring staff, and coordinating across departments to maintain safety, quality, and operational performance in diverse service settings.

Qualifications

• Must be an RDN or RD registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
• Bachelor's degree or higher from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent.
• Foreign education must be evaluated by ACEND for eligibility to take the CDR exam.
• Current VA grandfathering provisions may apply to qualification requirements.

Responsibilities

• Oversee food service and production and supervise wage-grade staff.
• Apply Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines to develop and coordinate best practices.
• Ensure menus meet nutrition standards and Veteran-focused meal programs are implemented.
• Provide technical guidance, direction, and staff development in food operations.

Skills

Staff supervision

Performance improvement

Nutritional standards

Evidence-based practice

Resource analysis

Education

RDN/RD credential

ACEND accredited program

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

In the Supervisory Dietitian (Food Operations) role, employees oversee food service and production. They provide supervision to staff while ensuring the execution of Veteran-focused "Food Forward" meal programs. This may involve conventional, convenience, and advanced cooking methods, along with room service. Supervisory Dietitians manage wage-grade staff, including supervisors, and ensure that evidence-based guidelines are integrated into food operations.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
  • RDN credential.
    • Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following:
      • Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent. 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. ~AND~
      • Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.

Grade Determinations:

To qualify for the GS-12 you must possess at least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of standards to assess staff compliance and implement performance improvements.
• Skill in establishing goals and objectives in order to coordinate activities, evaluate accomplishments and solve problems.
• Skill in applying nutritional knowledge to ensure menus meet nutrition standards.
• Ability to utilize Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines in order to develop, implement and coordinate best practices.
• Ability to serve as a food operations expert, providing technical guidance, direction and staff development.
• Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance).
• Ability to analyze data in order to recommend allocation of resources.

Reference:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.