Dietitian

The Role and Team

We are  looking for a senior Dietitian  to join our team  on a 9 – 12 months contract.

We are seeking a band 6 (or above) Dietitian with experience  of  working in a hospital environment, including Care of the Elderly.  The successful candidate will have the drive to make an impact on the success of apetito, a determination to provide an excellent nutrition focused  service  and a genuine passion to make a real difference for our customers by enabling them to eat for health and make informed choices.

You will  have a key role in supporting our business unit teams across all of our sectors including Wiltshire Farm Foods, Care homes, Healthcare, Nurseries and Community meals. You will have the  confidence and ability to provide  nutrition support, advice  and communications throughout the business and directly with our customers .

You will provide leadership support for our Graduate Dietitian and work closely with colleagues across the business including product development, sales, marketing and P.R. You will be responsible for ensuring all health and nutrition claims are compliant with current legislation, nutrition standards are maintained or improved, and nutrition is fully considered in the development of new and improved meals.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading supplier of food to the health and social care sectors. Servicing over 400 hospitals, 450 care homes and thousands more through our work with Local Authorities, we produce delicious, nutritious and sustainable meals for people at home or in care. Through our food we look to ‘make a real difference’ to all our customers, up and down the country.

Our Values

Established in 1958, as a family-owned business, our values sit at the very heart of what we do. We are proud to be a business that ‘makes a real difference’, committed to producing ‘great food to be proud of’. We have developed a range of products designed to ‘enhance health and well-being’ for all our customers. We are proud supporters of British food and farming and focus on using the best ‘ethical and sustainably’ sourced produce.

We are driven by a ‘passion for service’, dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people, offering healthy and delicious meals to customers across the UK.

Ethical & Sustainable

As a business which operates within food manufacturing, we believe we have an obligation to make a positive contribution on society. With over 300 products in our range, we ensure our produce is ethically and sustainably sourced, working only with suppliers who share our commitment to making a positive impact.

We’re a proud member of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs, that promote respect for workers rights globally. All our new suppliers now operate under the ETI’s guidelines.

We are also a member of The UK’s Plastics Pact, an initiative looking to transform the plastic packaging industry in the UK. As part of the initiative, we have committed, along with other ambitious targets, to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic completely by 2025.

We have also made a commitment to our employees – we’re recognised as an accredited Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation. Joining an elite group of FTSE 100 companies and public sector organisations.

Responsibilities

• To provide customer facing dietetic support for our business unit  teams e.g. with key tender submissions, presentations and shows, responding to customer queries and menu development & planning
• Leadership  and  line management support for our Graduate Dietitian.
• Manage dietary and nutrition information in brochures and nutrition communications e.g. Wiltshire Farm Foods brochure and special diet guides.
• Ensure all Health and Nutrition claims are compliant with current legislation and apetito standards.
• Liaise regularly with dietitians and other healthcare professionals to provide direct support and advice on apetito products, systems, and service and to build strong customer relationships.
• Maintain focus on key nutrition and diet parameters for new and improved products  and  ensure the team understands and applies  relevant nutritional standards and parameters.
• Respond to training needs of the business e.g. on release of new guidelines.
• Champion nutritional expertise within our business in relation to new product launches
• Keep apetito up to date with relevant nutrition and diet activities and trends
• Support  PR and marketing with nutrition and thought  leadership articles.
• Contribute to marketing activities requiring nutrition and diet input e.g. at conferences, with  P.R. activities and with articles for publication
• Advise on  marketing strategies from a diet, health, and nutrition perspective.

Qualifications

Essential:

• HCPC registered dietitian,
• BSc/MSc or equivalent in dietetics, or a post-graduate qualification.
• BDA member.
• Clinical dietetic experience, to include care of the elderly practice.
• Experience practicing and working as a dietitian at a senior level – e.g. at NHS band 6 or above.
• Driving Licence.

Desirable:

• Clinical experience of working with patient groups with dysphagia.
• Experience of working with/alongside hospital catering departments.
• Experience in a leadership role and/or as a direct line manager.
• BDA specialist group member e.g., the Food Services Specialist Group.
• Knowledge and working experience of nutritional standards in hospitals, care homes, early years education settings and local authority settings in the UK, and good knowledge of public health nutrition guidelines.

Personal Qualities:

• Experience of, and ability to apply, evidence-based nutrition practices
• Confident – able to work well with colleagues and customers at all levels
• Drive to challenge and improve
• Excellent attention to detail
• Able to work under own initiative and influence others
• First class communication and presentation skills
• Can demonstrate commercial awareness
• Able to comfortably and positively challenge with a view to driving improvement
• Flexible with an open mindset and open  to change