TN Healthy Schools Specialist

Join Us!

At Action for Healthy Kids, we don't just talk about improving student health - we build the networks, tools, and partnerships that make it happen. Join us and take the lead in driving meaningful change that reaches kids, families, and entire school districts.

We're seeking a Healthy Schools Specialist (TN only) to support school districts participating in a new rural school health initiative across Tennessee through coaching, partnership development, technical assistance, and systems-level school health improvement. If you're passionate about whole child health, relationship-building, and helping communities create sustainable change for students, AND you reside in Tennessee, we'd love to meet you.

Action for Healthy Kids is a national non-profit organization raising the bar on the health of the whole child to extraordinary levels across the country. AFHK mobilizes school professionals, families, and communities to take actions that lead to healthy eating, physical activity, and healthier schools where kids thrive. We partner with dedicated volunteers - teachers, students, moms, dads, school wellness experts, and more - from within the ranks of our 140,000+ constituency to create healthful school changes.

We are committed impacting holistic changes, focusing on serving students from under-resourced communities.

To learn more, please visit us ionfor

Healthy

Kids.org.

Reporting to the Director, District Impact Network, the Healthy Schools Specialist plays a central role in supporting rural Tennessee school districts as they assess needs, develop locally driven action plans, implement evidence-informed policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies, and build sustainable systems that advance whole child health.

• Full-time, exempt, grant-funded position (up to five years or until grant funding ends)
• Remote Tennessee-based position
• Standard business hours (Monday-Friday) with flexibility as needed to collaborate across time zones and support district and partner needs

• Primarily desk-based with extended seated work
• Regular computer use and virtual meetings
• Light items typically handled (e.g., notebooks, reports, small equipment)

• Regular travel throughout Tennessee, including rural communities for district meetings, site visits, partner engagement, trainings, and convenings
• Travel may comprise up to 25% of work time

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned rural Tennessee school districts, providing consistent virtual and in-person support through onboarding, district meetings, site visits, action planning, and technical assistance
• Build and strengthen relationships with district leaders, health advisory councils, family-facing organizations, and community partners
• Facilitate partnership meetings and community listening opportunities to inform locally driven planning and implementation
• Support districts in using tools and data sources such as WellSAT, the School Health Index, Coordinated School Health data, wellness policy reviews, readiness findings, and community input to identify priorities and track progress
• Provide coaching, technical assistance, and professional learning to support evidence-informed PSE strategies across nutrition, physical activity, emotional and behavioral health, substance use prevention, and family and community engagement
• Help districts effectively manage grant-funded activities by reviewing action plans and budgets, monitoring milestones and deliverables, and troubleshooting implementation barriers
• Partner with AFHK's Research & Evaluation team to support data quality, documentation, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts
• Plan and help deliver Tennessee-based communities of practice, regional convenings, localized summits, and peer learning opportunities
• Support sustainability efforts by helping districts embed effective practices into policies, partnerships, and operating routines
• Connect districts to AFHK's District Impact Network and other organizational supports
• Serve as an ambassador for AFHK by identifying opportunities to engage additional Tennessee districts, partners, and stakeholders
• Contribute implementation updates, outcomes, and success stories for grant reporting, donor stewardship, and funder engagement activities

• Bachelor's degree in public health, education, school health, health promotion, community health, social work, or a related field…