Register Dietician

POSITION OVERVIEW:    

The Mishkon Division provides support and services in a healthy and safe environment for individuals with intellectual/ developmental disabilities living in residential programs and in community settings. Our core values are to provide a healthy and safe environment that promotes person centered planning, community integration, and close collaboration with families and the community. This is all accomplished through an Orthodox Jewish lens, and with an understanding that staff, at all levels of the division, is the determining factor in achieving positive outcomes for our clients.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Registered Dietitian provides non-supervisory clinical nutrition services for Mishkon ICF and IRA residential programs serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The role assesses nutritional needs, develops and monitors nutrition care plans, supports therapeutic and modified-texture diets, reviews menus and meal service practices, and collaborates with residential, nursing, medical, clinical, culinary, QIDP, BIS, and leadership teams to promote health, safety, compliance, kosher requirements, and person-centered care. The RD ensures compliance with CMS, OPWDD, Department of  Health (DOH), and agency requirements while promoting optimal health, nutritional well-being, safety and quality of life. This position provides guidance, training, consultation, and follow-up but does not supervise staff, approve timekeeping, conduct performance evaluations, or manage discipline.

KEY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Clinical Nutrition & Care Planning:

• Complete initial, annual semi-annual, quarterly, and as needed nutrition assessments for ICF and IRA individuals based on medical status, weights, labs, intake, allergies, swallowing needs, preferences, kosher requirements, and diet restrictions.
• Develop, implement, monitor, and revise nutrition care plans consistent with physician orders, Life Plans, IPPs, PONS, IDT recommendations, and individual goals.
• Provide nutrition interventions for weight management, diabetes, GI concerns, cardiac/renal needs, dysphagia-related diets, allergies, malnutrition risk, hydration, tube-feeding, fluid modifications and other clinical concerns.
• Monitor outcomes, document required assessments and follow-up, and communicate nutrition risks and recommendations to nursing, medical residential, QIDP, BIS, culinary, and leadership teams.
• Participate in mealtime observations and assess food presentation, prescribed diet consistency, texture modifications, pacing, adaptive equipment, and dining supports in accordance with each individual’s prescribed mealtime guidelines.

Dietary Compliance & Meal Service Support:

• Review menus for nutritional adequacy, therapeutic diets, modified textures, substitutions, adaptive equipment recommendations, and special dietary accommodations for assigned ICF and IRA programs.
• Collaborate with culinary and residential teams to ensure meals are prepared and served according to diet implementation observations in ICF units and IRA homes.
• Support corrective action and staff guidance when nutrition or dietary concerns are identified through audits, surveys, incidents, meal observations, or quality reviews.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Education & Training:

• Participate as a non-supervisory clinical resource in IDT meetings, clinical reviews, annual/semi-annual Individualized Program Planning (IPP) meetings, Life Plan meetings, case conferences, and transition planning as needed.
• Provide nutrition education and practical training to individuals, families, DSPs, residential staff, nursing, culinary staff, QIDPs, BIS staff, and program leadership.
• Collaborate with medical providers, speech-language pathologists, nurses, behavior health, residential, Day Habilitation, and culinary teams to coordinate safe nutrition supports.
• Review swallow evaluations and monitor implementation of prescribed diet consistencies and dysphagia-related nutrition recommendations in accordance with physician orders and clinical recommendations.
• Escalate staffing, coverage, performance, or disciplinary concerns to the appropriate supervisor or program leader.

Regulatory Readiness & Quality Assurance:

• Maintain nutrition services consistent with OPWDD, DOH, organizational policies, professional standards, and applicable ICF/IRA requirements.
• Conduct nutrition-related audits of diet orders, documentation, weight monitoring, meal service, food safety, sanitation, menu adherence, and corrective action completion.
• Participate in surveys, audits, incident reviews, and quality improvement activities; identify trends, risks, training needs, and opportunities for improvements.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Maintain professional knowledge through continuing education and evidence-based nutrition practice.
• Assist with nutrition policies, procedures, forms, menus, training materials, trackers, and program tools.
• Respond in a timely manner to nutrition questions, urgent dietary needs, and consultation requests; perform other related non-supervisory duties as assigned.

EDUCATIONAL/TRAININGS REQUIRED (Level 1 BIS, 633.16(b)(32):

• Registered Dietician credential through the Commission on Dietetic Registration required.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Nutrition, Dietetics, or related field required; graduate degree preferred where applicable.
• Current New York State certification/licensure in dietetics-nutrition, or eligibility to obtain, preferred or as required.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Clinical nutrition assessment, care planning, documentation, and follow-up for ICF/IRA residential settings.
• Knowledge of therapeutic diets, modified textures, food allergies, dysphagia precautions, hydration, food safety, sanitation, and complex medical needs.
• Ability to work effectively in consultative, non-supervisory role with IDT members, residential staff, culinary staff, individuals, families, and providers.
• Understanding of OPWDD/DOH compliance, audit readiness, person-centered care, kosher food service, and culturally responsive communication.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED / LANGUAGE PREFERENCE:

• Minimum 2 years of Registered Dietitian experience preferred, ideally in ICF, IRA, OPWDD, long-term care, healthcare, developmental disabilities, residential, or community-based settings.
• Experience with nutrition assessments, care plans, progress notes, menu reviews, meal observations, staff training, and interdisciplinary recommendations.
• Knowledge of IDD, aging-related needs, complex medical needs, dysphagia precautions, residential dietary supports, and kosher food service preferred.

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, electronic health records, documentation systems, communication platforms, and tracking tools.

VISUAL AND MANUAL DEXTERITY:

• Ability to review records, diet orders, menus, labels, portion sizes, textures, documentation, and regulatory guidance accurately.
• Manual dexterity to use a computer, documentation systems, office-equipment, measuring tools, and nutrition-related materials.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. and bend, stand, walk, and move through kitchen, dining, residential, and office environments as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Work in office, ICF residential units, IRA homes, kitchen, dining, and program environments; regular travel between Brooklyn programs required.
• May stand or walk for extended periods during meal observations, audits, site visits, kitchen reviews, and training activities.
• Role is on-supervisory and does not include direct staff supervision, scheduling authority, performance management, or disciplinary responsibility.

If you join us, you’ll have these great benefits:

• Generous vacation time, in addition to paid agency holidays and sick days
• Affordable and high-quality medical/dental/vision plans 
• Tuition assistance and educational loan forgiveness
• Free continuing education opportunities 
• 403(b) retirement benefits and a pension
• Flexible spending accounts for health and transportation 
• 24/7 Accessible Employee Assistance Program  
• Life and disability insurance 

 Who we are:

The Jewish Board delivers innovative, high-quality, and compassionate mental health and social services to over 45,000 New Yorkers each year. We are unique in serving everyone from infants and their families to children, teens, and adults. We are proud to employ and serve people of all religions, races, cultural backgrounds, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams to help support our mission, and we strongly encourage candidates from historically marginalized backgrounds to apply to work with us.

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