Registered Dietitian - I

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play, and learn! For more information about Placer County, please visit www.placer.ca.gov.

The Department of Health and Human Services - Public Health division is currently hiring for the permanent position of Nutritionist - I.

We are seeking a self-motivated and flexible individual with outstanding customer service skills to provide services for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program. This federal assistance program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. The Nutritionist - I provides counseling to high-risk participants, communicates with healthcare providers on WIC participants' behalf regarding access to healthcare and therapeutic formula requests, and is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of nutrition education materials and class lesson planning.

The eligible list from this recruitment may also be used to fill future temporary/extra-help and/or permanent vacancies. Temporary/Extra-help assignments are limited to 28 hours per week with a cap of 999 hours or 960 hours for CalPERS retired annuitants in a fiscal year and are not eligible for benefits. Extra-help appointments made from this eligible list may transition to permanent status, should vacancies arise.

Employees who are designated to use a second language in the normal course and scope of work will receive five percent (5%) bilingual pay.

Depending on area of assignment, telecommute options may be available, subject to approval by the Appointing Authority.

This recruitment is open until filled. To be considered in the first round of interviews, please submit your application no later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. After this date, applications will be screened on a bi-weekly basis.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees, including:

• Holidays: 14 paid holidays per year, 2 of which are floating holidays*
• Vacation leave: 10 days/year with ability to accrue 25 days/year
• Sick leave: 12 days/year*
• Cafeteria plan: 6% of employee’s salary will be contributed towards employee to use towards 401(k), dependent care, medical co-insurance, or cash
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance available for employees and dependents
• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to employee
• CalPERS retirement plans
• Retiree medical insurance
• Deferred compensation
• Education allowance: up to $1,200 per year
• Bilingual incentive: incumbents may be eligible for bilingual incentive pay depending upon operational needs and certification of proficiency.

*Amounts will be prorated for part-time employees and employees hired after the first of the year.

The information above represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire about the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department. For a detailed listing of benefits, please click here to view Professional benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To provide nutrition education and counseling to eligible low income pregnant women and families of young children as part of the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Food Program (WIC); and to develop appropriate educational materials.

This is the entry level class in the Nutritionist series.  This class is distinguished from the journey by the performance of the more routine tasks and duties assigned to positions within this series.  Employees at this level are not expected to perform with the same independence of direction and judgement on matters allocated to the journey level.  Since this class is typically used as a training class, employees may have only limited or no directly related work experience.  Employees work under general supervision while learning job tasks.

• Assess program participants' nutritional status, including a general assessment of social well-being; review clinic intake information, verifying eligibility status; analyze medical data relative to nutritional status; identify high risk individuals.
• Provide nutrition education on a group or individual basis; develop theme for classroom settings and select and/or prepare appropriate instructional materials; prepare periodic program newsletter.
• Coordinate with other public health professionals to ensure an integrated approach to service delivery; make referrals as appropriate within the Public Health Nursing Division or to other County departments or community agencies/resources.
• Prepare and present in-service training to public health and other program staff as directed; provide nutrition consultation to public health staff, other program staff, and outside agencies.
• Maintain appropriate records and documentation relative to departmental, regulatory, and funding source requirements.
• May oversee clinic staff in absence of program coordinator.
• Assist with clinic set up and take down as appropriate.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience and Training
Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: No professional experience is required.

Training: Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in food and nutrition or a related field, including an academic internship approved by the American Dietetic Association.

Required License or Certificate:

• Possession of a valid certificate as a Registered Dietitian.
• May need to possess a valid driver's license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• Principles of nutrition.
• Recommended nutritional requirements for various age groups; impact of various medical conditions upon nutrition requirements.
• Educational methods used in counseling low literacy groups; instructional methods used in training professional and technical staff.
• Comparative costs of various foods relative to their nutritional values.
• Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand all aspects of the job; intermittently analyze work papers, reports and special projects, identify and interpret technical and numerical information; observe and problem solve operational and technical policies and procedures; explain program and nutritional information to participants, families, and various County staff.
• On an intermittent basis, sit at a desk for long periods of time; intermittently walk, stand, bend, and reach while making educational presentations.  Intermittently twist to reach equipment surrounding desk; sufficient acuity to see and hear participants; use telephone, and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means; and lift heavy weight.
• Provide nutritional assessment, including analysis of diets for nutritional adequacy, relevance to medical conditions, and identification of high risk cases.
• Prepare and present nutritional information appropriate for client groups with low literacy skills and from a variety of socio-economic, age, and ethnic populations.
• Relate to and communicate with individuals who may be dysfunctional and socio-economically disadvantaged.
• Provide individual nutritional counseling.
• Prepare and present nutritional training to professional and technical staff.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Obtain information through interview and deal fairly and courteously with the public.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively and determine proper course of action.
• Use a computer, calculator, typewriter, telephone, photocopy machine, and various audiovisual equipment.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Length of Probation:

• All permanent appointments from open eligible lists to open positions in the classified service shall serve a probationary period of twelve (12) months or two thousand eighty (2,080) hours, whichever is more.

Bargaining Unit:

• Professional

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.