Food and Nutrition Program Compliance Specialist; Nutrition Program Consultant​/Child Nutrition Director​/ESC Consultant

Food and Nutrition Program Compliance Specialist

The Texas Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Division administers 12 federal child and special nutrition programs and more than $2.5 billion in federal money annually. These programs aim to reduce hunger, encourage strong nutrition, and support local economies across Texas.

This position will report to one of the following TDA locations:
Austin, Ft. Worth, Waco, San Antonio, Lubbock, or Houston, TX.

Perform highly advanced consultative services and technical assistance work. Provide policy guidance, program expertise, implementing and process direction to Education Service Centers (ESCs), community organizations and the general public. Serves as a subject matter expert for complex, multi-faceted federal nutrition programs and leads ongoing improvement efforts and strategic initiatives to deliver responsive, solution-oriented technical assistance statewide. Work under minimal supervision with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Serve as a subject matter expert on highly complex federal nutrition programs, providing direction, procedural guidance and clarification to all Contracting Entities (CE) and ESC Child Nutrition Specialists, coordinating and ensuring consistent statewide responses that support compliance.

Lead ongoing initiatives to measure ESC performance, support ongoing improvement projects and build tools and resources to improve systemic capacity to deliver high quality technical assistance and support to contracting organizations.

Coordinate, plan, and prioritize training and procedural guidance to all CE on all food and nutrition programs. Review and identify training topics and materials that are needed to address CE audit performance and CE training requests across the state for child nutrition programs.

Serve as a subject matter expert on highly complex federal nutrition programs to include orientation and training on all food program areas and provide excellent technical assistance to customers that accurately reflects TDA guidance.

Keep abreast of the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to provide guidance and direction to designated or identified work groups on policy affecting efforts to support federal nutrition programs.

Collaborate in policy and compliance meetings, providing relevant information on operational and current processes to ensure proper understanding and coordinated direction, including the resolution of noncompliance and related issues.

Plan, develop, and implement program policies, procedures, standards, manuals in accordance with program objectives and goals; determining trends and resolving technical problems; and recommending appropriate changes.

Follow all TDA policies and procedures.

Perform other duties as assigned.

To be considered for the position, applicants must submit a State of Texas Application through CAPPS Careers or WIT – experience listed on the application must state how each of the following qualifications are met:

Bachelor's degree (one year of work experience related to the duties and responsibilities may substitute for one year of college).

Minimum three (3) years of work experience as a Child Nutrition Supervisor, Coordinator, Director, or related with operational and managerial application for the School Nutrition Program, manager of community programs with operational and managerial application for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and/or ESC Consultant with experience supporting child nutrition operations.

Work experience reviewing, analyzing, and/or applying federal and state policies to federal programs.

Work experience in developing and providing one-on-one and group training to a diverse audience.

Valid Texas driver's license…