Director, Nutrition Services

Overview

As the Director of Nutrition Services, you will lead the strategic, operational, and clinical aspects of nutrition programs within the Institute, ensuring patient-focused and compliant oncology nutrition care. The role involves overseeing clinical standards, workflows, and resources to support superior nutrition services in ambulatory and affiliated care settings, aligned with organizational priorities and regulatory mandates.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a comprehensive nutrition services strategy in support of growth in ambulatory care, oncology support, and network integration.
• Set and enforce evidence-based clinical nutrition practices, including screening, assessment, intervention, documentation, and follow-up to maintain high-quality oncology nutrition care.
• Manage day-to-day nutrition services operations, including staffing, scheduling, workflow optimization, and cross-coverage to ensure responsive service across all clinics.
• Ensure adherence to safety, infection prevention, allergy management, documentation protocols, privacy laws, and other applicable standards through audit and risk-response activities.
• Oversee budgets, expense control, vendor evaluation, and contract management to maintain value and continuity in nutrition services delivery.
• Create and monitor key performance indicators such as malnutrition risk detection, referral turnaround, service volume, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes, leveraging data for continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, social work, pharmacy, operations teams, and partner hospitals to integrate nutrition services within patient care pathways and support education and research needs.

Skills and Knowledge Required

• Deep expertise in clinical nutrition and medical nutrition therapy, preferably with oncology-focused experience managing complex nutrition-related symptoms and treatments.
• Proficiency in establishing clinical standards, policies, procedures, and workflows in high-acuity ambulatory healthcare settings.
• Strong understanding of malnutrition risk screening, referral systems, and documentation protocols, with the ability to implement these in clinical environments.
• Knowledge of healthcare quality assurance, safety compliance, incident response, audit preparedness, and continuous improvement frameworks such as Lean and PDSA.
• Familiarity with relevant regulations and accreditation standards, able to translate requirements into operational practice.
• Financial management capabilities including budgeting, forecasting, and vendor contract oversight linked to service demands.
• Leadership skills to develop, retain, and foster accountability within multidisciplinary teams promoting collaboration and excellence.
• Advanced stakeholder management and communication skills to align diverse clinical and operational leaders on nutrition service strategies and priorities.
• Analytical aptitude to define metrics, analyze data trends, and communicate actionable insights.
• Familiarity with electronic medical record systems, documentation workflows, and productivity software such as Microsoft Office.
• Professional discretion in handling sensitive patient information and commitment to culturally sensitive and inclusive care and communication.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health, Health Administration, or related field.
• At least 8 to 10 years of progressive clinical nutrition and nutrition services operations experience, including 1 to 2 years in managerial or leadership roles.
• Registration and licensing as a Dietitian, with professional registration from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Additional Information

The Institute is located in Boston and partners with Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals. It promotes an inclusive and equitable environment, dedicated to equitable cancer care and research. The role involves supervisory responsibilities and direct patient contact. Salary ranges from $103,600 to $131,300 annually, reflecting market rates and individual experience. The Institute is an equal opportunity employer committed to diverse hiring practices and compliance with all applicable laws.