Associate Commissioner of Food Security and Nutrition Programs

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Job Description - Associate Commissioner of Food Security and Nutrition Programs (260006R0)

Job Description

Associate Commissioner of Food Security and Nutrition Programs - ( 260006R0 )

Description

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) assists and empowers low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency. DTA is actively searching for an Associate Commissioner for Food Security and Nutrition
. To be successful in this position, you must be able to lead and influence change. You thrive in a fast-moving, dynamic environment. You have a knack for building relationships with various stakeholders. You are passionate about policy and program management. You are an innovator who thinks outside the box. You strive to develop programs and strategies that will make a lasting impact.

You are empathetic, intellectually curious, and aspire to effect change.

Addressing food insecurity is one of the four identified pillars of the Department of Transitional Assistance’s mission. Facing the highest caseload in agency history, serving over a million individuals, the need for services is profound. As a member of the executive team, the Associate Commissioner for Food Security and Nutrition will lead the administration of the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and ensure all food security unit initiatives are communicated to other business units, concurrently ensuring all questions and concerns related to the food security programs are considered in Department-wide initiatives.

In addition, the Associate Commander for Food Security and Nutrition is responsible for providing supervision, support, guidance, and vision to the SNAP Director, the Director of Food Access and Nutrition, and the Director of the Healthy Incentives Program.

The primary tool at DTA’s disposal to address food insecurity is SNAP. SNAP is a federally funded program that provides vital nutrition assistance to the residents of the Commonwealth. SNAP serves as a nutritional asset for low-income individuals and families while simultaneously functioning as an economic benefactor. Currently, SNAP benefits in Massachusetts exceed $2 billion annually, with over one million residents receiving SNAP benefits.

Additional programs under the umbrella of food security and nutrition include the SNAP Outreach Program, SNAP Nutrition Education Program (SNAP Ed), Summer EBT (S-EBT), and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).

Another primary focus of the Associate Commissioner for Food Security and Nutrition is to recognize opportunities for agencies and organizations to streamline programs and policies to increase access to nutritious food and improve the overall health of the residents of the Commonwealth. This includes but is not limited to leadership roles in statewide, cross-secretariat and cross-agency food security work groups, researching and developing strategies to decrease food deserts, implementing innovative strategies to increase access to services within ones community, reconciling policies, programs, and operations across government agencies, reduce administrative burden while improving service delivery, widening access to Department nutrition and employment programs, and continue to grow the collaboration between state agencies and local farmers.

• Advance DTA’s mission to address the issue of food insecurity by maximizing enrollment and access to the SNAP, Summer EBT, Nutrition Education, and Healthy Incentives Programs.
• Support internal culture shifts with a highlight on client engagement,…