Program Associate: School Food Systems

The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) is seeking a Program Associate, School Food Systems to implement program strategies and operations related to the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub (Innovation Hub) within IPHI’s Center for Policy and Partnership Initiatives (CPPI). The Program Associate will work with staff and partners to administer the Innovation Hub and implement key components of its training and technical assistance offerings and evaluation and reporting activities. The Program Associate may also support other Food Systems and/or nutrition policy work as funding allows and will report to CPPI’s Program Director for Food Systems and Nutrition Policy.

To apply: Complete applications must include a resume, cover letter and completion of an online questionnaire. Unfortunately, incomplete applications cannot be reviewed. The cover letter should compare your qualifications, experiences and interests to the duties, responsibilities and qualifications for the position. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No phone calls please.

About IPHI and the Center for Policy & Partnership Initiatives

IPHI mobilizes stakeholders, catalyzes partnerships, and leads action to improve public health systems to maximize health, health equity, and quality of life for people and communities. IPHI has three program centers: the Center for Community Capacity Development (CCCD), the Center for Health Information Sharing and Innovation (CHISI), and the Center for Policy and Partnership Initiatives (CPPI).

The IPHI Center for Policy and Partnership Initiatives (CPPI) works to convene multi-sector partners to promote health and health equity with a policy, systems, and environmental change approach. CPPI has long convened a statewide policy and systems change coalition, the Illinois Alliance to Promote Opportunities for Health (IAPOH), focused on nutrition, physical activity and chronic disease prevention, which serves as the backbone for most of the Center’s work to improve health in schools, early care and education settings, and communities.

With support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), IPHI along with partners in Illinois, northern Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, are launching the Lake Michigan School Food Systems Innovation Hub (Innovation Hub) to strengthen the K-12 School Food supply chain, providing sub-grants to improve access to nutritious, locally grown, and culturally relevant foods for children in the Lake Michigan region. The Program Associate will support regional implementation of the Innovation Hub, especially related to the regional training, technical assistance, and evaluation strategies. The Program Associate may also support other Food Systems and/or nutrition policy work, as needed and funding is available, to support initiatives such as Healthy School Meals for All appropriation requests or new Food Systems/nutrition initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Provide administrative and program support to CPPI for the Innovation Hub and other School Food system initiatives planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Provide support and monitoring of activities and timelines to execute Innovation Hub and other School Food system strategies and deliverables.
• Support the development of regional training and technical assistance (TA) offerings for Innovation Hub sub-grantees and partners, including:
  • Coordinating partners, consultants, and key-note speakers for online and in-person meetings/events.
  • Drafting meeting agendas, training and TA materials, and background information.
  • Supporting training and TA logistics (e.g., meeting registration and Zoom set-up).
  • Tracking training and TA requests via an online grants management portal.
• Work closely with the program team and partners to support evaluation of Innovation Hub, including:
  • Supporting the drafting of evaluation reports to USDA.
  • Supporting and monitoring submission of evaluation reports from partners and sub-grantees.
  • Supporting collection and dissemination of success stories and lessons learned.
  • Implementing evaluation plan developed by Innovation Hub partners.
• Maintain current program records and files through IPHI’s Salesforce/grants management system.
• Arrange and support external conference calls, online meetings, and webinar series among grantee sites, and organizational and state partners.
• Support planning, coordination, and logistics for events, including awardee site visits.

Relationship Management and Communication

• Prepares partners for training webinars, meetings, and key deliverables by communicating expectations and processes. Serve as a key customer relations contact.
• Support communication efforts related to Innovation Hub training, TA, and evaluation results.
• Support staff and partners to attend site visits and other events, including arranging travel, processing reimbursement, and other logistics.
• Support partner and grassroots organizing related to key School Food system policy campaigns, as appropriate.

Continuous Improvement and Evaluation

• Conducts assessments and scans for information to support the program design and execution.
• Assists in updating evaluation tracking tools and collecting program evaluation data.
• Identify and recommend opportunities for improvement to training and TA offerings, based on feedback and needs of sub-awardees and partners.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to improve the execution of tasks, including but not limited to improving administrative and operational systems related to the program.
• Monitor partner activity and achievement of milestones and outcomes.
• Work with the program staff to identify and solve problems, address barriers, and conduct quality assurance and quality improvement activities.

Other duties as assigned.