Job Description
Job DescriptionCompany Description
La Rabida Children’s Hospital provides specialized, family-centered health care to children with medically complex conditions, disabilities, and chronic illness. Through expertise, compassion, and advocacy we help children and their families reach their fullest potential, regardless of their ability to pay.
Our not-for-profit hospital, licensed for 49 beds, helps transition children from neonatal or pediatric intensive care to home, by providing medical, rehabilitative and developmental care, and by training families to continue treatments and manage the necessary equipment in the home. La Rabida also provides extensive rehabilitation for those recovering from wounds or burns and treatment for exacerbations of chronic conditions.
The hospital’s enhanced pediatric patient-centered medical home provides primary care to children with complex medical conditions and their siblings. Children with medical homes elsewhere come to La Rabida for specialty services. La Rabida offers a wide range of specialty services provided to children with sickle cell disease, diabetes, and many others. Children are supported in their emotional and developmental growth, particularly in cases where such growth has been interrupted by accident or disease.
Finally, La Rabida provides forensic and treatment services for children exposed to abuse and neglect, comprehensive assessments for youth in care, early intervention for children between 0 and 3 years of age. Care coordination services for medically complex children are also provided for those who are covered by a health plan and receive care from providers in Cook County
Job Description
The Pediatric Food and Nutrition Manager is responsible for the clinical and operational leadership of pediatric nutrition services across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty clinics. This role ensures that all children receive safe, nutritious, and developmentally appropriate meals that support growth, recovery, and chronic disease management. The manager provides oversight of both clinical nutrition and food service operations to ensure full alignment, seamless communication, and consistent delivery of therapeutic diets, calorie counts, and age-appropriate menus.
- Direct nutrition care for pediatric patients in inpatient units and outpatient clinics, ensuring individualized nutrition plans are developed and implemented.
- Review and approve pediatric menus for nutritional adequacy, therapeutic accuracy, and compliance with clinical guidelines.
- Partner with interdisciplinary care teams on patient rounds, clinic visits, case reviews, and family education.
- Ensure integration of clinical diet orders into daily food service operations, minimizing errors in therapeutic diet preparation and delivery.
- Implement quality improvement projects to enhance accuracy of calorie counts, patient satisfaction with meals, and food service responsiveness to clinical needs.
- Ensure compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, FDA, and state/local regulatory standards related to therapeutic diets and food safety.
- Supervise and mentor clinical dietitians, food service supervisors, and frontline nutrition staff.
- Provide training and continuing education for staff in pediatric nutrition, food safety, and clinical-service collaboration.
- Oversee procurement of pediatric nutrition products, formulas, and supplements, ensuring contract compliance and clinical appropriateness.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in nutrition, dietetics, or related field required; master’s degree preferred.
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) required; Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition (CSP) and/or Clinical Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) preferred.
- Minimum 5 years in clinical nutrition, including pediatric inpatient and outpatient care; at least 3 years in a leadership or management role overseeing both clinical nutrition and food service teams
- Expertise in pediatric nutrition care, calorie counting, and therapeutic diets.
- Strong operational knowledge of food service systems in healthcare.
- Proven ability to build collaboration between clinical nutrition and food service staff.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Additional Information
La Rabida Children’s Hospital is very proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
La Rabida is a place unlike any other. We understand the needs of families with children dealing with the most serious or complicated of conditions. With teams of the best healthcare providers in Chicago, we give continuous, comprehensive care, education, and support, helping families face their unique obstacles head-on.
La Rabida Children’s Hospital is very proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.