Athletics Senior Dietitian

Pay Range:  Commiserate on education and experience

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Work Schedule:  Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (may include some weekends); Frequent weekends, evenings, and holidays based on competition seasons

Travel:  Required

Position Introduction:

The Athletics Senior Dietitian reports directly to the Director of Sports Nutrition and serves as a senior-level practitioner responsible for delivering comprehensive, evidence-based nutrition services to the OU Athletics Department. This role provides advanced performance nutrition support to assigned sport teams, leads key initiatives within the sports nutrition program, and collaborates across multidisciplinary performance teams.

The Senior Dietitian operates with a high degree of autonomy, serves as the primary nutrition contact for assigned teams, and contributes to the strategic direction, innovation, and overall success of the sports nutrition department. This role also provides mentorship to interns and junior staff and helps ensure consistency and excellence across all nutrition services.

Essential Functions

Advanced Individual & Team Nutrition Counseling

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Pay Range:  Commiserate on education and experience

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Work Schedule:  Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (may include some weekends); Frequent weekends, evenings, and holidays based on competition seasons

Travel:  Required

Position Introduction:

The Athletics Senior Dietitian reports directly to the Director of Sports Nutrition and serves as a senior-level practitioner responsible for delivering comprehensive, evidence-based nutrition services to the OU Athletics Department. This role provides advanced performance nutrition support to assigned sport teams, leads key initiatives within the sports nutrition program, and collaborates across multidisciplinary performance teams.

The Senior Dietitian operates with a high degree of autonomy, serves as the primary nutrition contact for assigned teams, and contributes to the strategic direction, innovation, and overall success of the sports nutrition department. This role also provides mentorship to interns and junior staff and helps ensure consistency and excellence across all nutrition services.

Essential Functions

Advanced Individual & Team Nutrition Counseling

• Serve as the primary sports dietitian for assigned teams, providing comprehensive, sport-specific nutrition services.
• Conduct advanced assessments of dietary intake, body composition, energy availability, and performance outcomes.
• Deliver individualized nutrition counseling to support training, competition, recovery, weight management, hydration, immunity, travel, supplementation, and return-to-play.
• Develop, implement, and monitor individualized nutrition care plans aligned with performance and health goals.
• Lead or support team and group nutrition education initiatives, including pre-, during-, and post-exercise fueling strategies, grocery tours, and cooking/meal preparation classes.
• Design and oversee hydration and fueling strategies tailored to team and individual needs.
• Manage complex clinical and performance nutrition cases (e.g., disordered eating, RED-S, gastrointestinal conditions, iron deficiency, injury/illness recovery) in collaboration with sports medicine and performance staff.
• Evaluate and provide guidance on dietary supplements in accordance with NCAA and USADA regulations.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant documentation of all nutrition services and track outcomes to evaluate effectiveness.

Team Education & Performance Support

• Plan and deliver structured, sport-specific team education programs throughout the training and competition cycle.
• Establish and implement best practices for pre-, during-, and post-exercise fueling strategies for assigned teams.
• Provide practical education on food selection, grocery shopping, and cooking skills to support athlete independence.
• Serve as a trusted nutrition resource for coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning staff, and other key stakeholders associated with assigned teams.
• Develop and implement educational resources and tools to enhance athlete engagement and long-term behavior change.

Food Service & Team Operations

• Collaborate with coaches, operations staff, and food service partners to develop, implement, and evaluate team meal plans and menus.
• Lead nutrition planning and execution for team travel, including coordination with hotels, catering, and other vendors.
• Oversee fueling strategies for practices and competitions, including recommendations for snacks, hydration, and recovery options.
• Provide oversight of fueling stations, including product selection, inventory management, and quality control.
• Identify and implement enhancements to food service operations to better align with performance nutrition goals.

Leadership & Program Development

• Contribute to the development and execution of the sports nutrition strategic plan, including goal setting, program evaluation, and performance tracking.
• Serve as a leader within the department by modeling best practices and driving consistency across nutrition services.
• Mentor and provide guidance to dietetic interns, student workers, and/or entry-level staff.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of interns and new team members as needed.
• Translate current sports nutrition research into applied practice, policies, and protocols.
• Lead or contribute to quality improvement initiatives and program assessments.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with all University, NCAA, SEC, USADA, and State of Oklahoma regulations related to nutrition, supplementation, and athlete care.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of governing body rules and ensure assigned teams operate within all guidelines.
• Follow established departmental policies and procedures.

Professional Development

• Maintain Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) credential and complete all continuing education requirements.
• Stay current with emerging research and best practices in sports nutrition and athlete performance.
• Engage in professional development opportunities, including conferences, certifications, or professional contributions.

Miscellaneous

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Associate Director of Sports Nutrition and/or Director of Sports Nutrition.

Professional Skills & Competencies

• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage complex cases and multiple team assignments simultaneously
• Advanced time management, organizational, and documentation skills in a high-performance environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and educate diverse stakeholders (student-athletes, coaches, medical staff, and administrators)
• Highly effective interpersonal, counseling, and presentation skills, including experience delivering team-based education
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with sport coaches and performance staff

Work Ethic & Professional Standards

• Ability to work a non-standard schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and team travel as required
• Demonstrated commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical practice
• Ability to align with and uphold the core values of the athletics department
• Thorough understanding of and compliance with confidentiality requirements, ensuring full compliance with University, NCAA, SEC,
• USADA, and state regulations, as well as HIPAA and other confidentiality requirements.

Positions Directly Supervised: Graduate Assistants and Student Workers as assigned

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Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Food and Nutrition, Dietetics, or closely related field.  
• 36 months experience as a Registered Dietician

Required Certifications and Licenses:

• Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN)
• Active Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) credential through the Commission on Dietetic Registration
• Licensed Dietitian (LD) in the state of Oklahoma (or ability to obtain within 6 months of start date)

Department Preferences:

• Master’s degree in Nutrition or related field (strongly preferred) Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) certification preferred
• Significant established experience working with the nutritional needs of athletes, including significant experience in a collegiate or high-performance environment
• Demonstrated experience serving as the primary dietitian for assigned sport teams, with the ability to work independently and make performance-based decisions
• Advanced knowledge of SEC, NCAA, and USADA rules and regulations, with the ability to apply them in daily practice and guide others
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and/or supervising interns, students, or early-career dietitians
• Experience contributing to or leading program development, strategic initiatives, or quality improvement efforts
• Ability to translate scientific research into applied sports nutrition strategies, policies, and education

Hiring Contingent Upon a Background Check: Yes

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