LOCATION:  Greene County, FNEP Office on Walnut Street (Springfield, MO) and serves the 16 counties in the Southwest Region. 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: This position serves as the coordinator of the family nutrition program in the sixteen county Southwest Region and functions in a leadership and team environment with extension faculty, administrators and program staff.  This program is funded by USDA Food Stamp grant and USDA Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program which serve food stamp eligible families and youth with nutrition education programming.  Responsibilities include providing leadership for personnel, grant administration, financial management, curriculum implementation, program management, evaluation and reporting.  Leadership is shared for staff training and development.  The personnel function includes direct supervision of 20-25 secretarial and program support staff.  

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY 

·      Plan, deliver, coordinate and report adult educational programs in nutrition and health subject-matter areas (nutrition, health, food safety, food resource management, physical activity promotion) to Missouri citizens that result in individual, family and community impacts. A majority of effort will focus on the Family Nutrition Education Programs, which includes the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program and the Family Nutrition Program. 

·      Possess group facilitation capabilities, public speaking abilities, knowledge of adult teaching/learning processes, distance learning techniques, Internet use, and meeting coordination are skills needed to ensure high audience satisfaction and learning. 

·      Provide information dissemination to groups as well as individuals in the nutrition and health subject-matter that result in individual, family and community impact.  

·      Demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in the work environment and in educational programming to meet the needs of all potential stakeholders and clients, including racial/ethnic minorities, underserved audiences, women and people with disabilities. 

RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION 

·      Ability to develop coalitions and foster multi-disciplinary teamwork among colleagues, individuals, and organizations to enhance the learning environment within the community and state.  

·      Ability to work effectively within the higher education environment, with the general population, partner organizations, culturally diverse audiences and county extension councils. 

·      Able to communicate and promote the value and measurable impacts of extension education to key stakeholders, councils and targeted decision makers.  

·      Ability to develop and cultivate external funding sources to enhance local programs. 

·      Demonstrated ability in written and oral communication, organizational skills, interpersonal and public relations.  

PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS 

·      Remain up to date professionally on nutrition, health, physical activity and /or food safety research/techniques; engage in professional development; identify local program needs; and understand demographic trends. 

·      Develop and execute an annual work plan aligned with local, regional and state objectives of the Human Environmental Sciences program, in cooperation with regional director, program director, and colleagues. 

·      Ability to travel and to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends, to fulfill assigned responsibilities.  

QUALIFICATIONS 

·      An earned master's degree in nutrition, dietetics, health, exercise physiology, food science or related area with appropriate coursework exhibited is required.   

·      Professional experience in applying and transferring research-based knowledge in nutrition, health, food science, and physical activity promotion to audiences of all age groups. Experience in providing educational programs is preferred.  

·      Knowledge in personnel management and supervision experience preferred.

ACCOUNTABILITY

The nutrition and health education specialist is accountable to the regional director and receives programmatic leadership from the Human Environmental Sciences program director.