Community Outreach Specialist
- Employer
- University of South Carolina
- Location
- School of Medicine Columbia
View more categoriesView less categories
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
RTF00219PO26
USC Market Title:Community Outreach Specialist
Link to USC Market Title:https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/156232
Business Title (Internal Title):Community Outreach Specialist
Campus:School of Medicine Columbia
Work County:Richland
College/Division:School of Medicine Columbia
Department:SOMC Food Share
Anticipated Hiring Range:$45,181 - $65,512
Part/Full Time:Full Time
Hours per Week:37.5
Work Schedule:- Standard working schedule: 8:30am – 5:00pm
- Must be willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the department.
Staff Time-Limited (STL)
Basis :12 months
Job Search Category:Other
About University of South Carolina:From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
South Carolina Retirement:Yes
State Insurance Programs:Yes
Annual Leave:Yes
Sick Leave:Yes
Advertised Job Summary:The Community Outreach Specialist will provide support for the implementation of community-based nutrition education programming in Richland County and throughout the Midlands region and will also serve to strengthen FoodShare’s outreach to local communities and the teaching kitchen community of practice in South Carolina. Demonstrates commitment to conducting business lawfully and ethically by consistently adhering to compliance policies, procedures and regulations. This position is established in support of expanded research activities.
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:- Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 1 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
- Program management experience in a community-based, educational, and/or population health setting.
- Food service experience in a commercial, institutional, or other setting requiring adherence to SCDA Regulation 61-25 for retail food establishments.
- ServSafe Food Handler or Food Protection Manager certification.
- Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and possess strong organizational, written, and verbal skills, including attention to detail and a proactive/strategic approach to daily tasks; willingness to work in a dynamic environment and team setting; is a strong public speaker with community engagement skills.
- Required to conduct business lawfully and ethically by consistently adhering to compliance policies, procedures and regulations.
Supports the implementation of community-based nutrition and culinary educational programming:
- Supports the development of community-based teaching kitchen programming using evidence-based curricula.- Engages with community partners to promote programs and recruit participants.- Supports training and administration of program facilitators in program implementation, ServSafe, kitchen and food safety, and FoodShare’s mission and values.- Coordinates program scheduling and implementation.- Manages and reconciles procurement of food and supplies for community classes.- Leads cooking demos at partner sites in Richland & Lexington counties.- Contributes to the development of community programming expansion pilot across the FoodShare hub network.
Yes
Percentage of Time:40
Job Duty:Implements nutrition education programs and initiatives for Richland County FoodShare Hub:
- Sources recipes for recipe card(s) (Gordon to continue to handle formatting and printing).- Leads Richland hub recipe sampling program.- Monitors and enforces safe food handling practices for Richland Hub staff.- Supports hub management with procurement of warehouse supplies.- Administers ServSafe Food Handler training and certification for Richland staff.
Yes
Percentage of Time:15
Job Duty:Oversees teaching kitchen operations and maintenance:
- Recruits and manages volunteers for kitchen activities including, but not limited to, recipe development, sample production and distribution, and program assistance.- Daily cleaning and maintenance duties as needed/directed.- Tracks inventory of food, supplies, and equipment.- Maintains documentation related to safety protocols and procedures.- Observes and enforces kitchen policies and procedures for all kitchen activities.- Builds and maintains relationships with vendors and service providers.
Yes
Percentage of Time:15
Job Duty:Supports the statewide FoodShare hub network in nutrition education training and best practices:
- Creates and manages the recipe database in Google Drive.- Trains hubs in recipe sourcing and in utilizing the recipe language guide appropriately.- Supports hub network with cooking demo facilitation and training when available.- Supports hub Program Managers with ServSafe Food Handler training and certification.
Yes
Percentage of Time:10
Job Duty:Supports student-led community initiatives and promote FoodShare activities at the USC/School of Medicine:
- Supports procurement of food and supplies for School of Medicine programming.- Assists with teaching kitchen programming as needed.- Gives presentations about FoodShare as needed.- Engages with and supports community-oriented student initiatives.
Yes
Percentage of Time:10
Job Duty:Provides additional support to Culinary Medicine:
- Engages with nutrition- and community-related coalitions and advisory committees.- Participates in state and national conferences pertaining to nutrition, culinary medicine, and public health.- Contributes to grant research and identify funding opportunities to support community programming.- Contributes to discussions related to community program strategy and expansion.Support with management of interns.
Yes
Percentage of Time:10
Hazardous weather category:Non-Essential
Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.:No
Number of Vacancies:1
Job Open Date:09/23/2026
Job Close Date:10/23/2026
Open Until Filled:No
Special Instructions to Applicant:Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.We are only accepting applications submitted by October 23, 2026.
Quicklink for Posting:https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213478
EEO Statement:The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
Organization
Working at University of South Carolina
With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.
The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.
Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.
By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.
Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.
In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.
South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.
The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.
South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.
The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.
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