Nutrition and Certification Manager

POSITION: Manager, Nutrition & Certification

LOCATION: Remote, CA-resident highly preferred

JOB TYPE: Full-time, exempt

Reports To: Senior Manager, Nutrition, Standards & Certification

About Eat Real®

Our current food system is hurting our children and our planet. Processed food is the top driver of disease and climate change. Why isn’t school lunch the best meal of the day for many kids? That’s where Eat Real comes in.

Founded in 2012, Eat Real provides kids across America access to real food – food that nourishes our children and regenerates our planet. We also raise awareness and advocate for redesigning the nation’s food system.

In 2022, Eat Real’s certification program included over 500 schools across the country, helping make 120 million healthier and greener meals accessible to over 300,000 students. Our community-driven K-12 program and certification model gets rid of heavily processed foods, and unhealthy ingredients, and cuts from the diet of more than 10 pounds of sugar per student per year. We’ve added kid-friendly, plant-based options to school menus and increased local sourcing. This strengthens local economies while improving nutrition security and reducing food waste. Our impact is proven - we have an additional 2,000 schools on the waitlist to be Eat Real Certified.

We also generate awareness of these issues and advocate for policy change. Recently, we helped build the School Meals for All coalition of 70+ nonprofits that successfully passed universal free meals for K-12 students in California. We also began hosting special community dinners with innovative chefs, doctors, health experts, thought leaders, community activists, and school leaders to have them experience our program and spread the word. And we’re getting noticed! We received a Fast Company World Changing Idea Award and CBS News just featured a segment on our impact.

In the past three years, we’ve increased our impact tenfold - and we’re just getting started!

THE ROLE:

The Nutrition & Certification Manager will manage the Eat Real Certified processes related to understanding and implementing the Eat Real Certified standards and certification program in K-12 schools. This position will partner with the Chief Program & Impact Officer, Senior Manager, Nutrition, Standards & Certification, and entire team to contribute to an organization where success is defined by the excellence of our work, the quality of our work environment, our growth, and most importantly, our impact in transforming the quality of school food for our nation’s children.

The Nutrition & Certification Manager will provide essential scientific content knowledge and research in support of both our K-12 certification and community education efforts. In addition, this position will contribute significantly to the development of support and guidance tools for our program participants and larger K-12 network as well as support in data strategy and collection for impact reporting.

Primary responsibilities:

Eat Real Certification Assessments and Program Support

• Provide oversight for the certification assessment process, including support for contract Registered Dietitians, content and technical support, report and scorecard reviews, report communications with food service directors and support for the action planning process

• Participate in the development of internal processes and tools to ensure efficient and thorough execution of certification assessments and follow-up

• Collaborate with the Program Manager - K-12 Schools/program team to provide integrated program management support for school district participants, including detailed development of implementation timelines

Nutrition and Sustainability Expertise

• Support the Senior Manager, Nutrition, Standards & Certification by researching, organizing, and documenting current scientific evidence related to our standards

• Contribute to the evaluation and update of existing Eat Real K-12 certification standards and supporting rationale, tools, and documents

• Partner with department leadership and advisory board members to recommend and promote policy positions for Eat Real based upon up-to-date and validated scientific data

• Represent Eat Real’s nutrition and scientific point of view externally with key stakeholders, partners, potential donors & Board of Directors

Education and Impact

• Collaborate with the Program Manager- K-12 Schools to lead in the development of guidance and education tools related to the Eat Real standards for participating school districts and additional stakeholders

• Contribute to development of impact measurement data strategy and structure

• Manage certification data & support in development of impact reports and grant reporting needs

• Support in the the development of Public Health Alerts and other nutrition related communications as needed

• Participate in ongoing professional development and continuing education to stay current on emerging nutrition and sustainability related research

• Partner with direct manager, leadership team, and other team members to contribute to Eat Real’s growth & impact strategies and related initiatives when/as needed

• Write reports and/or support development of materials or presentations to key customers, partners, potential donors & Board of Directors

• Support Eat Real team with miscellaneous day-to-day operations and other duties on an as needed basis

Program Team

• Participate as member of the Program team contributing to its evolution, ongoing growth, and strategic planning as Eat Real continues to scale

• Support Senior Manager, Nutrition, Standards & Certification on strategic projects

• Support the development of grant proposals on an as needed basis

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Proven success in the development, implementation and/or management of nutrition programs, preferably for a mission-driven organization, non-profit or social enterprise

• 3+ years in a K-12 school food related role

• Experience with the development and/or implementation of nutrition related assessments

• Demonstrated accomplishments in creation and execution of engaging and effective peer and external customer training programs

• Solid analytical & critical thinking skills to support problem solving

• Sophisticated project management skills

• Strong collaborative & inclusive work style, communication & interpersonal skills

• Self-direction, passion, tenacity and a positive, “let’s get it done” attitude

• Powerful sense of integrity, humility & sense of humor

• Proficiency in cloud-based software applications for project management, communications, word processing, spreadsheets, CRM, presentations, and simple graphic design (e.g. Google Suite, MS Office, Asana, Canva, Slack, etc.)

• Bachelor’s Degree in nutrition or related field with a strong preference for a Registered Dietitian

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Eat Real is a 100% remote environment based in Richmond, CA. Must be able to work remotely, generally West Coast hours. Preference for Bay Area location. Work schedule is flexible with availability during standard business hours expected as well as flexibility for evenings or weekend hours for special events and meetings, as needed. Ability to travel as needed; driver’s license and ability to lift up to fifty pounds required.

The above is an overview of responsibilities and as needs arise there will be additional miscellaneous responsibilities.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW

Eat Real is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our organization and in our work. Every day we strive to create a healthier future for our colleagues, communities, and planet.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

This position is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. Eat Real offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and benefits including generous PTO, paid family leave, health insurance, and a 401(k) plan, as well as a home office stipend.

Pay band: $ $70,125 -$97,900 per year.