What You'll Do

This is a grant funded position and is not eligible for severance pay.

The Research Dietitian will work with principal investigators to develop and implement research-driven feeding protocols, will translate those protocols into standardized operating procedures that ensure high-quality food service by the HNRCA metabolic kitchen, and will work with dietary technicians and other MRU/DAU staff on menu development and the delivery of research diets related to human nutrition studies. S/he will also lead and/or participate in dietary screening of study participants for various research protocols; administering protocol-specific instructions/dietary guidance to active study participants; developing and implementing research diets; managing dietary data collected by MRU; training and instructing diet technicians, dietetic interns, and other dietary staff. S/he will also lead and/or participate in the administration and review of dietary assessment tools for multiple protocols, including food records, 24-hour recalls, and food frequency questionnaires. The Research Dietitian will also assist with data entry/coding and quality control checks of dietary data collected by the MRU/DAU. In addition, s/he will assist the DAU/MRU Manager in the following: DAU-related literature searches; development and validation of new dietary assessment tools as required with new protocols; and recruitment, hiring, on-boarding, and training of permanent and temporary MRU and DAU staff.

• Collaborate with principal investigators on the development of feeding protocols dictated by research objectives; develop budgets for dietary aspects of clinical studies; develop, implement, and adjust menus and recipes according to study requirements and study participants' needs; create standardized operating procedures for the production of study meals and products; oversee production, service, and related data collection for all research diets.
• Train, educate, and manage staff and students on activities related to dietary services, including kitchen operations, recipe and menu preparation, implementation of research diets, adherence to protocol requirements, and customer service; oversee training and certification requirements, such as ServSafe, CITI, and Good Clinical Practice training; serve as dietetic intern preceptor as needed.
• Lead and/or participate in dietary screening of potential study participants for protocol-specific considerations, including food allergies, food preferences, and certain inclusion/exclusion criteria related to diet or behavioral interventions; educate/counsel research participants on dietary regimens according to protocol; monitor adherence to study protocols and document diet intervention; respond to research participant inquiries or concerns; evaluate and determine appropriate courses of action to address concerns.
• Lead and/or participate in the administration, collection, and review of diet assessment tools/data such as food records, 24-hour recalls and food frequency questionnaires, in accordance with scientific protocols. Lead and/or participate in data entry/coding, processing, and quality control of collected dietary data.
• Support DAU/MRU manager with management of staff and calendar to make sure all protocol-specific needs are covered; work closely with study coordinators and other MRU staff to keep up to date on new and altered schedules.
• Assist in dietary literature searches, the development of new dietary assessment tools, and the recommendation and adoption of new technologies.
• Respond to occasional dietary questions by phone or email during non-working hours when required by study protocol.

What We're Looking For

Basic Requirements:
Knowledge and experience typically acquired by:

• Master's Degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, or equivalent
• One to two years of experience in a research setting
• Microsoft Office, Medline/PubMed, familiarity with nutrition assessment databases
• Strong verbal communication skills; interacts well with others
• Ability to obtain ServSafe and Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training to work with human subjects within one month of start date
• Registered Dietitian (RD)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR) or similar food analysis program and familiarity with U.S. food items and food patterns
• Two or more years of research experience
• Massachusetts License for Dietitians/Nutritionists (LDN)

Special Work Schedule Requirements:

• This position may occasionally require work on evenings and/or weekends as determined by study need.

Pay Range

Minimum $67,200.00, Midpoint $83,900.00, Maximum $100,700.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.