School Health and Wellness Educational Specialist

About the role

The Teaching and Learning Section of the Utah State Board of Education is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic School Health and Wellness Specialist to lead the reintroduction and management of the Gold Medal Schools program across rural Utah. This position, funded by the Rural Health and Transformation Program, is critical for fostering healthy environments within Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to support student physical activity and nutrition education programs. The Specialist will be responsible for program outreach, technical assistance, training, and ensuring compliance and quality across all participating rural schools. This position is time‑limited with funding currently allocated for up to three (3) years. Location: 250 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111, United States.

Responsibilities

• Program Management and Compliance: Design and initiate grant awards, applications, review and approve action plans, and allocate funds to all eligible schools; ensure that all school reports, assessments, and action plans meet established program expectations and align with Gold Medal School priorities, State Code, Board Rule, and Rural Health and Transformation Program requirements; support and administer evaluation processes within schools to measure program impact and identify areas for continuous improvement.
• Partnership and Outreach: Develop, nurture, and maintain strong relationships with program partners and stakeholders, including the Department of Health and Human Services; support their efforts to recruit and enroll rural schools into the Gold Medal Schools program and gain support for healthy school policy adoption; represent the program by engaging in community events that promote the benefits of the Gold Medal Schools program.
• Training and Communications: Design, coordinate, and deliver professional learning opportunities and ongoing training sessions for rural LEAs and elementary staff administering Gold Medal Schools; create and update high‑quality materials, resources, and toolkits to support and standardize program implementation across diverse rural schools; develop communication materials and success stories to promote program awareness, celebrate achievements, and share best practices; study and disseminate best practices, evidence‑based interventions, and successful school health models to continually enhance the program’s effectiveness.

Requirements

• Education: Utah Educator License in either Physical Education or Health Education.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of work experience in education.
• Skills: Demonstrated skills in professional writing, organization, program implementation, and the ability to be a highly independent and self‑tasking worker.

Qualifications

• Experience working with education, government, and community partners from different sectors.
• Experience creating professional‑quality communication and training materials.
• Experience working with Utah's public education system.
• Experience in grant writing or resource development.
• Experience developing and implementing school wellness policy.

Skills

Demonstrated skills in professional writing, organization, program implementation, and the ability to be highly independent and self‑tasking.

Benefits

• Eligible for a full benefits package.
• Job stability: security and reliability of employment within a well‑established organization.
• Career growth: opportunities to develop valuable skills and gain leadership experience.
• Meaningful work: contribute to an important service that benefits the community and supports organizational goals.
• Supportive work environment: part of a team that values cooperation, strong work ethics, and mutual support.

Pay

Salary: $44.47 – $50.00 per hour.

Schedule

Hybrid telework eligible; requires two in‑office days per week (currently Monday and Tuesday) as determined by the Superintendent; all work must be performed within the State of Utah; typical work involves sitting with occasional walking, standing, or carrying light items; includes significant travel, often independently, to provide support to schools throughout Utah, especially rural areas.