Director, Clinical Nutrition Services at RWJBarnabas Health – West Orange, New Jersey

Job Title: Director

Location: SBC Corporation

Department Name: Support Services

Req #: 0000238607

Status: Salaried

Shift: Day

Pay Range: $134,893.00 - $182,106.00 per year

Pay Transparency:

The above reflects the anticipated annual salary range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.

The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.

Job Overview:

The Corporate Director of Clinical Nutrition Services is responsible for the overarching vision, standardization, and quality of Medical Nutrition Therapy across the entire health system. This role ensures that clinical nutrition services are integrated into the patient care model, driving improved clinical outcomes, reduced lengths of stay, and decreased readmission rates. This corporate leader focuses on system-wide policy, evidence-based practice protocols, and the professional development of the clinical dietician workforce while partnering with Aramark.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Degree in Clinical Nutrition
• A minimum of five years of experience as a director leading Clinical Nutrition Operations in a large hospital, hospitality industry, integrated healthcare delivery system or academic medical center.
• Demonstrated success in managing annual operational budgets exceeding $30 million and achieving significant (minimum 5-7%) productivity and process improvement year-over-year.
• Proven track record as the lead for successful, large-scale patient throughput and capacity management initiatives.
• Exceptional financial, analytical, project management, and contract negotiation skills demonstrated in a competitive market.
• Must possess strong research and analytical skills, as well as excellent written & oral communications skills
• Ability to deliver information accurately in a fast-paced environment with insight and perspective.

Essential Functions:

• Standardized Care: Establish and maintain system-wide evidence-based nutrition protocols (e.g malnutrition scoring, enteral/parenteral nutrition guidelines).
• Quality Metrics: Develop and monitor clinical KPIs, such as the percentage of patients screened for malnutrition and the accuracy of nutrition-focused physical exams (NFPE)
• Compliance: Ensure all clinical nutrition practices meet or exceed standards set by The Joint Commission (TJC), CMS, state-specific health departments.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Partner with Chief Medical Officers and Chief Nursing Officers to embed nutrition into clinical pathways.
• Technology Oversight: Lead the optimization of the HER for nutrition documentation, automated screening, and data extraction.
• Competency Frameworks: Oversee the credentialing and competency assessment of all Registered Dietitians within the system..
• Scope of Practice: Advocate for and implement advanced practice roles for dietitians, including order-writing privileges where applicable.
• Research: Encourage and oversee clinical nutrition research and participation in multi-center trials or quality improvement projects.
• Malnutrition Documentation: Collaborate with clinical documentation improvement and coding teams to ensure accurate capture of malnutrition diagnoses to reflect patient acuity and optimize reimbursement.
• Labor Management: Manage the clinical labor budget, ensuring appropriate dietitian-to-patient ratios across diverse clinical settings.
• Leadership Development: Promote teamwork and professional growth, encouraging creativity and accountability. Build a robust, cohesive leadership team and talent pipeline for succession planning across all Clinical Nutrition functions.
• Budget & Resource Accountability: Monitor and manage multi-site, multi-million dollar operational and capital budgets with an emphasis on transparency, financial efficiency, and return on investment (ROI).
• Leadership Development: Promote teamwork and professional growth, encouraging creativity and accountability. Build a robust, cohesive leadership team and talent pipeline for succession planning across all Food Services functions.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits and Perks:

At RWJBarnabas Health, our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Driven by our Total Wellbeing promise, our market-competitive offerings include comprehensive benefits and resources to support our employees’ physical, emotional, financial, personal, career, and community wellbeing. These benefits and resources include, but are not limited to:

• Paid Time Off including Vacation, Holidays, and Sick Time
• Retirement Plans
• Medical and Prescription Drug Insurance
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Disability and Life Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Student Loan Planning Support
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Wellness Programs
• Voluntary Benefits (e.g., Pet Insurance)
• Community and Volunteer Opportunities
• Discounts Through our Partners such as NJ Devils, NJ PAC, and Verizon
• ….and more!

Choosing RWJBarnabas Health!

RWJBarnabas Health is the premier health care destination providing patient-centered, high-quality academic medicine in a compassionate and equitable manner, while delivering a best-in-class work experience to every member of the team. We honor and appreciate the privilege of creating and sustaining healthier communities, one person and one community at a time. As the leading academic health system in New Jersey, we advance innovative strategies in high-quality patient care, education, and research to address both the clinical and social determinants of health.

RWJBarnabas Health aims to truly make a unique impact in local communities throughout New Jersey. From vastly improving the health of local residents to creating educational and career opportunities, this combination greatly benefits the state. We understand the growing and evolving needs of residents in New Jersey—whether that be enhancing the coordination for treating complex health conditions or improving community health through local programs and education.