School and Community Nutrition Programs Training Specialist; Specialist III Education

The main purpose of this position is to work in the administration of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), specializing in project management and training for the Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (OSCNP); supporting and providing nutrition program training and technical assistance to agencies participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition programs administered by OSCNP. This position will develop and support statewide training initiatives and grant projects for the USDA Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) administered by OSCNP.

This includes the development of training content and resources, and the delivery of in-person and virtual training and technical assistance to support program effectiveness of participating agencies. The position works collaboratively with MSDE and external partners and participates in activities to support the goals and mission of MSDE. This position also evaluates training effectiveness, and the professional development needs of agencies.

Core program training areas include CNP food service operations and administration requirements, wellness policies, nutrition promotion, and other areas as directed. The position also contributes to the development, implementation, and evaluation of CNP grants, including USDA's Team Nutrition (TN) Training and Farm to School grants, and manages contracts, including statewide training for school nutrition professionals.

• Develop high-quality training slides, job aids, workbooks, videos, and online courses utilizing design tools (i.e., Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, Canva, Canvas) for in-person and/or virtual meetings, trainings, and technical assistance activities aligned with USDA regulatory guidance and meal requirements, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and other education, nutrition, and professional development requirements.
• Conduct training activities and provide technical assistance virtually and/or in-person to agencies participating in the USDA nutrition programs administered by OSCNP to include the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), At-Risk After school Program and others. This often includes managing registration, venue selection, training promotion, enrollment, and designing effective learning activities.
• Develop and conduct training activities for staff development aligned with State and USDA regulatory guidance.
• Coordinate content and training activities facilitated through OSCNP’s learning management system (Canvas) as assigned. This often includes managing registration, training promotion, enrollment, and designing effective learning activities.
• Evaluate training effectiveness through the design of surveys and other assessment tools and analysis of results. This includes developing tools to assess knowledge and skills, formative assessment, process evaluation, and analysis of results.
• Coordinate with OSCNP staff members to plan, implement, and evaluate training activities, including collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of internal colleagues and key external stakeholders.
• Facilitate needs assessment activities to contribute to strategic planning for the OSCNP and to identify priorities for training and technical resource development.
• Prepare data and reports as requested by the OSCNP Director, Supervisor, Program Specialists, MSDE, USDA, or external partners.

A Master’s degree or the equivalent of 36 credit hours of post-baccalaureate coursework from an accredited college or university in;
Food Service Administration, Consumer Science, Health Science, Dietetics, Nutrition, Public Health, Education,…