Program Coordinator- Food, Activity and Nutrition Initiatives

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provides superior pediatric care in a setting that offers the latest benefits and innovations in medical technology, research and family-friendly design. As the largest pediatric provider in the region with a 140-year legacy of excellence, kids and their families are at the center of all we do. The hospital is ranked in all 10 specialties by U.S. News & World Report.

About the role

The Program Coordinator of Food, Activity and Nutrition (FAN) Initiatives builds community and clinical partnerships by leading capacity and awareness-building activities to support the coordination, communication, and evaluation of food, activity, and nutrition programs and initiatives within the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities. This includes coordinating the implementation of existing FAN programs and assisting with the planning, development, and implementation of future initiatives.

This position directly supports food access programming for patients and works collaboratively with external community partners and internal Lurie programs. It helps advance Lurie Children’s broader mission to improve the health and wellbeing of children, youth, families, and communities by supporting community health initiatives, site operations, and special projects aligned with the priorities of the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities and the Community Health Improvement Strategy.

This position is part of the Food, Activity and Nutrition Initiatives team within the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities, Lurie Children’s hub for community-focused initiatives. The Magoon Institute brings together clinical care, advocacy, research, education, and community engagement to advance community health and health equity for infants, children, adolescents, and families across Chicago. The Institute also leads Lurie Children’s Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Strategy, which guide the hospital’s community health priorities and investments.

The Food, Activity and Nutrition (FAN) Initiatives team collaborates with key partners on local, state-wide, and national levels to help ensure that supports for healthy eating and being physically active are always within reach for youth and their families where they live, learn, and play. FAN aims to improve the health and well-being of Chicagoland children, adolescents, and their families by addressing nutrition security, physical activity, and related chronic health conditions through community partnership, clinical collaboration, and improving upstream health factors.

This is a hybrid position. Team members are expected to work from the office (680 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL) at least one day per week. Some weeks may require additional days in the office.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate community-clinic efforts related to nutrition and physical activity.
• Strengthen connections between Lurie Children's healthcare providers and FAN community partners by coordinating processes that facilitate referrals, resource recommendations, and care extension models to ensure that children and their families can access and make use of FAN-related resources after discharge.
• Serve as community-level liaison and point-of-contact on food, activity, and nutrition-related topics, programs, and policies; represent FAN and Lurie Children’s at community and city food, activity, and nutrition meetings, coalitions, and collaborations.
• Coordinate and assist with planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating food, activity, and nutrition initiatives within the Magoon Institute, in collaboration with the FAN team and internal and external partners.
• Support project alignment with community priorities, FAN strategies, Magoon Institute community health strategy, and Lurie Children’s mission.
• Build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations and other local institutions such as food pantries, schools, parks, places of worship, local businesses, and community coalitions via awareness and capacity-building activities, including 1-on-1 meetings and working groups.
• Support community, region, and city-wide convenings, coordinate trainings and workshops, and assist with action planning and strategy development and implementation.
• Facilitate collection, tracking, and reporting of data and other project activities in a timely manner to demonstrate impact for internal reporting, grant applications, stewardship reports, and other related requests.
• Support development of written output, including new grant proposals, program reporting, and marketing materials.
• Develop and disseminate patient educational messaging, toolkits, handouts, and other health promotion and educational resources that support FAN strategies to ensure accessibility and increase community-level capacity and awareness.
• Assist with the development, implementation, and expansion of a coordinated approach to community engagement and facilitate sharing of identified models with the Magoon Institute team.
• Support opportunities to engage Lurie Children’s leaders, employees, physicians, and trainees in community health efforts and neighborhood activities.
• Other job functions as assigned.

Requirements

• Associate degree required; bachelor’s degree in public health or related field preferred. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered in lieu of the degree when the experience has been directly related to the duties of the job.
• Minimum 2 years of work experience in project coordination and organization with initiatives focused on food, physical activity, and nutrition; hospital, health system, or public health experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting the planning, implementation, and evaluation of community, education, patient, or public health programming.
• Ability to converse with community members in Spanish preferred.
• Demonstrated experience achieving and reporting on role-related grant deliverables.
• Proven ability in project coordination, including external partnership building, multi-disciplinary team coordination, and rigorous timelines, workplans, and goal development.
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate with individuals from different backgrounds and disciplines.
• Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends; travel throughout Chicago required/likely.
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, and be self-directed.
• Commitment to health equity, diversity and inclusion, racial justice, evidence-informed policy and practices, data-driven advocacy, and community-driven processes.

Pay

The pay range for this job is $59,280.00–$96,928.00. At Lurie Children’s, we are committed to competitive and fair compensation aligned with market rates and internal equity, reflecting individual contributions, experience, and expertise. In addition to base salary, Lurie Children’s offers a comprehensive rewards package that may include differentials for some hourly employees, leadership incentives for select roles, health and retirement benefits, and wellbeing programs.

Benefits

For full-time and part-time employees who work 20 or more hours per week, we offer a generous benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid group term life and disability
• Employer contribution toward Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Holidays, and Paid Parental Leave
• 403(b) with a 5% employer match
• Various Voluntary Benefits:
  • Supplemental Life, AD&D, and Disability
  • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity coverage
• Tuition assistance
• Student loan servicing and support
• Adoption benefits
• Backup Childcare and Eldercare
• Employee Assistance Program, and other specialized behavioral health services and resources for employees and family members
• Discount on services at Lurie Children’s facilities
• Discount purchasing program