Senior Nutrition Aide

Full Job Description

The City of Pasadena's Public Health Department is seeking a Senior Nutrition Aide to serve the community through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.

This position provides nutrition education and assistance to qualifying participants.

The Senior Nutrition Aide determines eligibility and assess nutritional status, conducts individual and/or group education and breastfeeding support, provides referrals, and performs client outreach as well as performs a variety of related duties as assigned by the Supervisor.

This is a full-time, limited term, grant funded position.

The ideal candidate will possess strong written and oral communication skills and initiative, in addition is a certified WIC Nutrition Assistant (WNA).

The City of Pasadena has had its own Public Health Department for over 125 years. Many Public Health positions are funded through external grants with various time durations.

We have been fortunate to sustain most of our positions over many years through success and growth and we have many opportunities for our employees.

These are limited-term grant-funded positions with current funding through October 1, 2028. We are excited about serving our community and we hope you are too. Come join our team and grow with us!

Please note: This examination is authorized as Promotional and Open Competitive, with the promotional eligibility list taking precedence.

This recruitment is also open until filled, with a first review of applications scheduled for October 23, 2025. Apply now!

Requirements

The major responsibilities of this position are listed below.

The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this class.

For more detailed information, please review the Senior Nutrition Aide job description.

• Screens new applicants and certifies existing WIC participants for nutrition risk factors and determines program eligibility in accordance with Federal and State standards.
• Performs nutritional and breastfeeding risk assessments, including review of medical data of program participants.
• Performs anthropometric (height and weight measurements) for women, infants, and children, as needed.
• Performs non-invasive hemoglobin screening for participants, as needed.
• Educates participants on specific topics related to nutrition and/or breastfeeding in a one-on-one counseling or group setting by phone or by video conferencing.
• Provides nutrition counseling for non-high-risk participants, according to the agency’s nutrition education services plan.
• Documents all nutrition education, eligibility screening, and all participant contacts in a timely manner and according to WIC Program policy and procedures.
• Prescribes appropriate food packages to participants and issues WIC benefits including loading electronic benefits to WIC Card.
• Provides general information about the WIC Program to the public, community members, and/or partner programs during outreach or as requested.
• Responds to inquiries by phone, online, email, and in person, handling questions of a more difficult nature.
• Assists with outreach in the community performing tabling events at various locations not limited to schools, health care facilities, and community parks.
• Serves as primary back-up support for all office procedures and performs various clerical tasks as required.
• Actively participates in program’s internal quality improvement as part of federal and state requirement.
• Demonstrates cooperative behavior with peers and supervisors.
• Maintains strict confidentiality regarding information of all program participants.
• Works as a team with other employees to ensure smooth operation of the site.
• Attends trainings and in-service meetings to receive updates and maintain current knowledge of required standards of program development, including modifications and updates to local agency protocols, policies, and WIC Web Information System Exchange (WIC WISE).
• Travels between WIC sites and to off-site trainings as assigned.
• Meets established productivity and quality standards for assigned duties.

Qualifications

COMPETENCIES

The following list represents the core competencies needed for success in this position.

• Adaptability – Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires.
• Learning Agility – Seeking learning opportunities and applying the lessons to one’s work.
• Handling Stress - Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity.
• Handling Conflict – Managing interpersonally strained situations.
• Informing - Proactively obtaining and sharing information
• Professional Integrity & Ethics - Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability.
• Writing – Communicating effectively in writing.
• Self-Management - Showing personal organization, self-discipline, and dependability.
• Oral Communication - Engaging effectively in dialogue.
• Relationship Building – Establishing rapport and maintaining mutually productive relationships.
• Teamwork – Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• High School diploma and one year of experience in the nutrition field that includes heavy public contact and/or at least one year working in WIC Program administration.
• WIC Nutrition Assistant (WNA) certificate is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, Health Science, Public Health, or a related field is desired. Please attach transcripts at time of application, if applicable.
• Experience and/or training in the WIC Web Information System Exchange (WIC WISE) is highly desired.
• Bilingual is highly desired (Spanish/Mandarin/other).

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process will consist of a training and experience evaluation and the most qualified candidates may be invited to participate in an oral examination and department-level interviews.

VACANCY INFORMATION

There are currently three vacancies in the WIC Program of the Public Health Department. The resulting eligibility list from this recruitment may be used to fill this vacancy and similar vacancies in the future.

Candidates selected for this position are subject to a one-year probationary work period.

Additional Information

Possession of or ability to obtain a Class C California driver's license, access to a car and proof of automobile insurance to travel to different work sites in the city is required.

Ability to lift at least 25 lbs.

WIC Nutrition Assistant (WNA) certificate is required for level of Senior Nutrition Aide.