Program Manager for Food Access and Community Gardens - Public Health Sciences

The Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, in Hershey, PA is interested in hiring an eligible candidate to work with the Penn State Health (PSH) Community Relations Department to manage all food access projects and community gardens. A prioritized community health need for PSH is Food & Nutrition Security and has been since 2014 as a result of the first CHNA conducted in 2012. Also known as the Research Project Manager, this position is needed to manage and evaluate this ever-growing robust body of work.

Position duties and responsibilities will include:

• Manage all operations of the Food & Nutrition Security programs including community gardens, produce refrigerators, farmstands/markets, food boxes and pantries, Veggie RX, school-based programs, produce distribution and education.

• Work directly with Community partners in establishing locations, budget and logistics of the project. Maintain project plans and budgets.

• Provide guidance, oversight and supervision to garden managers and other community partners to ensure they are meeting their project deliverables.

• Evaluate effectiveness of programs and continue to expand across our six-county services area of Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry counties, especially in urban areas.

• Track food access data in REDCap and track community benefit data in the Community Benefit Inventory for Social Accountability (CBISA). Support research activities by providing connections to data as needed.

• Collaborate with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and other community partners to geocode, map and target food access areas across our six counties to ensure expansion is targeted to where needed compared to indicators such as child food insecurity, chronic conditions and food deserts.

• Lead and facilitate the CHNA Food & Nutrition Security Task Force comprised of community partners and internal PSH/PSU employees; and collaborate with other CHNA Task Forces.

• Coordinate Food Access work across the College of Medicine and Penn State Health.

• Promote and ensure health equity in all Food and Nutrition Security projects.

• Develop program toolkits, presentations and publications to promote best practices, emerging trends and lessons learned to internal and external partners to further expand this work in other areas.

• Mentor students in their practicums and research experiences related to Food & Nutrition Security.

Our ideal candidate would possess the following:

• Strong communications and operational execution

• Strong knowledge of community and population health and the impact on health systems

• Orientation to detail, ability to plan, organize and carry out multiple tasks in an effective manner

• Proficient with Microsoft Office products (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint), REDCap and CBISA.

• Good interpersonal, public relations and communications skills, including the ability to develop presentations

• Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community

• Awareness of cultural needs around food access

• Required to be ServSafe Manager certification needed (can be acquired through the Food Bank after being hired)

• Reliable car and positive driver's history

Bilingual abilities are preferred. It will require a hybrid, flexible work schedule, extensive sitting and dexterity to perform work on a PC, and ability to lift 50 pounds.

This is a limited-term position funded for one year from date of hire, withpossibility of refunding.

The following clearances must be successfully completed for this position:

• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Background Check
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Check

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion inall ofits forms.We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.