Career Opportunities

University of Otago, Department of Human Nutrition

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) - Foodservice Management

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Foodservice Management - looking for a PhD, RD

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN NUTRITION
The Department of Human Nutrition at Otago leads innovative learning, teaching and research which is focused on making a positive nutritional impact on society and individuals.

We were the first Human Nutrition Department to offer university-based dietetic training in New Zealand, and we remain the country's most established dietetic educator. We are also the only Human Nutrition department to offer undergraduate Foodservice Management papers and a Sport and Exercise Nutrition programme in New Zealand.

The Department of Human Nutrition is located in the Division of Sciences. From 2020, it will offer a revitalised curriculum comprised of new undergraduate and graduate papers, including Foodservice Environments and International Nutrition. Human Nutrition staff teach on average two papers with team teaching common throughout the curriculum.

STAFF
Present academic staffing includes one Professor, four Associate Professors, three Senior Lecturers, one Lecturer, and numerous Professional Practice and Teaching Fellows. Non- academic staff includes three administrative staff and three research and lab technicians. In addition, grant-funded personnel include Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Fellows and Research Assistants, who support the Department's research programmes.

TEACHING
The Department of Human Nutrition emphasises the development of student critical thinking and research skills at both the Undergraduate and Graduate levels. The teaching programme and the research interests of staff members are described on the Department website: https://www.otago.ac.nz/humannutrition/index.html


Undergraduate qualifications

Foodservice Management is offered as a minor specialisation in multiple undergraduate Bachelor degrees. Two specialist papers offered by the Department provide an introduction to contemporary foodservice environments, industry and quantity food preparation. Foodservice systems theory is used as a framework to develop knowledge and understanding of foodservice management principles and practices. These papers provide foundational knowledge and skills for career pathways into foodservice management, hospitality and dietetics
.

Postgraduate qualifications
Foodservice systems management is one of the core practice contexts described by the New Zealand Dietitians Board. Foodservice management teaching, and practice at postgraduate level is offered as a required paper for the Master of Dietetics. The emphasis is on ensuring foodservice systems provide the nutritional requirements of clients who are dependent on a foodservice for the majority of their nutritional intake.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES
The University of Otago offers world class facilities to staff and students. State-of-the-art undergraduate teaching laboratories were completed in 2018, including commercial and research clinic facilities. We also have a Student Dietitian Training facility with small-group learning space and demonstration kitchen for patient education. Foodservice management teaching utilises the facilities of our residential colleges for undergraduate real-world practical training.

Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged and there are well-established links with other University Departments in the Division of Sciences, the Division of Humanities, and in the Division of Health Sciences. Distinguished visitors to the Department and members of the University contribute to the School's Research Seminar series.

RESEARCH FUNDING AND STUDY LEAVE
The Department strongly supports the principle that research is an integral part of academic life, and staff are required to seek external research funding. Apart from funding sources from within the University, sources of research support include the Health Research Council of New Zealand, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Marsden Fund, and New Zealand Lotteries Grants Board amongst others.

Generous provisions are made for Research and Study Leave. Grants for travel to local and international conferences are provided from a fund administered by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Division of Sciences.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful applicant should have a PhD in an appropriate field of foodservice management and be eligible for registration as a New Zealand Dietitian. They will be expected to engage in an active programme of research, seek research funding, contribute to the teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses (including course development), supervise undergraduate and graduate research projects, and assist with Departmental administration.

The candidate must have extensive experience in foodservice management with demonstrated success in teaching and research in any of the following areas: foodservice systems, foodservice sustainable practices and/or management practice in nutrition services, schools, community, healthcare and/or foodservice. The candidate is expected to promote innovative solutions to the operation and management of food and nutrition service systems.

Teaching responsibilities will be in foodservice environments, foodservice management and nutrition and foodservice systems management papers at undergraduate and postgraduate level and additional courses as needed by the department.

Refer also: https://www.otago.ac.nz/humanresources/training/ac...


REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Earned doctorate in Food Service / Systems Management, Hospitality, Nutrition or closely related field. Candidates must be committed to quality university education and are expected to develop and maintain an active research programme that involves undergraduate and graduate students.

Candidates must have practical experience in foodservice operations and/or management and demonstrate excellence in teaching, effective communication, and interpersonal skills. The ability to be a productive team player and to interact well with peers, students, government agencies, and the general public is essential.

Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusivity. They must also have sensitivity to, and understanding of the diverse academic socio-economic, cultural, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of university students, including those with physical or learning disabilities as it relates to differences in learning styles.

Preferred Qualifications / Skills
New Zealand registered dietitians or those who are or eligible to register as a dietitian in New Zealand will be given preference. Successful university level teaching experience and/or teaching qualification preferred. Evidence of successful academic research, external funding and publication history is advantageous.

TREATY OF WAITANGI AND THE MĀORI STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
The Division of Sciences and the Department of Human Nutrition are committed to the Treaty of Waitangi and the University's Māori Strategic Framework.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Division and the Department of Human Nutrition are strongly committed to diversity in staffing and encourages applications from under-represented groups who are suitably qualified.

APPLICATIONS
The University seeks written documents from candidates wishing to apply for the role. Candidates are therefore required to provide:

• A CV, including employment history.
• A letter of application addressing the Person Specification / Personal Attributes.
• 3-4 Referee contact details, including telephone number and email address.

Confidential enquiries may be directed to:
Associate Professor Lisa Houghton
Head of Department
lisa.houghton@otago.ac.nz

REFEREES
The University may contact all three or four referees listed in the application. The candidate should also state their relationship with each referee. Referees will only be contacted after prior consultation with the candidate. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that their referees are willing to provide reports when contacted.

The University reserves the right to seek reports on the suitability of candidates from experts in the field, other than those nominated by the candidate. Should an applicant not wish a specific person or persons to be contacted, please advise the recruitment team at the time of application.

DATE OF APPOINTMENT
Applicants are asked to indicate the date they would expect to be available to take up the appointment. The appointment is available from January 2020 or at a mutually agreed date.

THE DIVISON OF SCIENCES
TE REOHE A AHIKAROA

The Division of Sciences has research and teaching strengths in the fundamental and applied sciences, in human performance and health, and in environmental sciences. It offers several disciplines unique to Otago and hosts a number of nationally and internationally acclaimed research centres.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
Research and science are inseparable – science marches forward because of research and, as it does, we understand more of the physical and biological subtleties of our existence.

Otago's Division of Sciences includes many departments and centres world-renowned for the quality – and impact – of their research. The Division is also the proud host of two national centres of research excellence (CoREs): the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies and the Brain Research New Zealand Rangahau Roro Aotearoa (co-hosted with the University of Auckland). Continued success in securing major contestable and commercial funding, and international partnerships further strengthen our research capabilities.

Research centres and themes focus on brain health and disease; memory, cognition and emotion; human development across the lifecourse; Māori physical education and health; indigenous science; the profitability and sustainability of New Zealand's primary industries; quantum science; polar environments; ocean acidification; catchment management; and energy with strong affiliations to research in other areas of the University. Applied research centres in several departments further strengthen and diversify the range of research within the Division.

TEACHING, FACILITIES AND SUPPORT
The Division's outstanding research performance enriches a broad range of high-quality teaching programmes spanning the fundamental sciences, applied sciences, human performance, health, neuroscience and multidisciplinary curricula in the ecological and environmental sciences.

The pursuit of teaching and research excellence in a friendly supportive environment is a priority. This is complemented by superb laboratories and facilities for in situ fieldwork that meet and, in most cases, exceed the standards necessary to remain at the cutting edge of knowledge. Field teaching capitalises on Otago's terrestrial, marine, built, and wild environments.

The Division of Sciences also has a well-established Sciences Outreach programme, run by both staff and students. This includes Hands-On at Otago, the Otago University Advanced Schools Sciences Academy, and Science Wānanga for Māori secondary school students. Its departments, schools and research centres offer more than 150 outreach programmes to local, national and international communities each year. In collaboration with the Otago Museum, the Division also hosts an extensive interactive expo as part of the International Science Festival – a major event in Dunedin's biennial calendar – highlighting research from across the Sciences disciplines.


THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO


TE WHARE WĀNANGA O OTAG
O
The University of Otago is New Zealand's first university and one of its finest.

It is a leader across all fields of academic endeavour – the humanities, sciences, health sciences and business – regularly topping the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission's education performance indicators.

Students can choose from more than 190 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and are taught by leaders in their fields. The high calibre of teaching at Otago is reflected by an unparalleled record of success in the country's Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.

Research excellence underpins all academic activity: around 3,500 of the University's students study at the postgraduate level. Otago is the home of New Zealand's first medical school and only schools of dentistry and surveying. Otago also is New Zealand's only provider of Radiation Therapy and an undergraduate qualification in Neuroscience. The University has leadership roles in national Centres of Research Excellence and partnership roles in all of the country's National Science Challenges. It also hosts 17 multidisciplinary research themes and 12 research centres, including two of the world's most highly regarded health and development longitudinal studies.

The teaching year generally runs from February to November, broken into two 13-week semesters. A number of programmes are offered via Distance Learning and a Summer School is held for six weeks during January and February.

In addition to research and teaching excellence, the University is committed through its Strategic Direction to 2020 to local, national and international betterment; strong external engagement; sustainable capability; providing outstanding student experiences and campus environments. The main campus is located in Dunedin – internationally recognised as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world – with significant health sciences campuses in Christchurch and Wellington, as well as a presence in Invercargill and Auckland.

The University of Otago is also strategically committed to furthering the aspirations of Māori, and our Pacific neighbours, and has memoranda of understanding with a number of iwi, in particular Ngāi Tahu, the mana whenua of the University's main area of operation.

With more than 80 per cent of students coming from outside Dunedin, the University offers a unique campus-based lifestyle, a special feature of which are the 15 residential colleges located close to the heart of all University activities.


Providing a world-class environment for students and staff is a priority and the University has embarked on a significant capital development programme in recent years. Otago was the first New Zealand university to achieve Fair Trade status and the recently established University Volunteer Centre is fostering a growing culture of volunteerism among staff and students.

The University of Otago includes four academic Divisions: Health Sciences, Humanities, Sciences, and Commerce. In 2017, the University had approximately 15,000 equivalent full-time students (EFTS) as undergraduates and 3,200 EFTS postgraduate students with the equivalent of over 4,250 full-time staff.

Further information about the University can be found on our website: www.otago.ac.nz

LIVING IN DUNEDIN
The University of Otago's southern roots are anchored in its formal relationship with mana whenua Ngāi Tahu and the legacy of the city's Scottish settlers who established a university here within just 21 years of founding the province from which the University takes its name.

Dunedin grew rich on the back of the 1860s Otago gold rush, a wealth that is reflected today in streetscapes of outstanding Victorian and Edwardian architecture. With a population of around 120,000, this is a small but sophisticated city, boasting many of the amenities and cultural richness usually only found in much larger urban centres, while still retaining its traditional friendliness and ease of getting around.

In Dunedin there are professional theatres, outstanding art galleries, museums and libraries. Dunedin is also recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature. For those who enjoy sports, Dunedin offers world-class sporting facilities – including New Zealand's only covered stadium. For those who enjoy the outdoors, Dunedin has beautiful beaches and internationally acclaimed wildlife sanctuaries. The world's only mainland Royal Albatross Colony is located on the headland at the entrance to Otago Harbour.

The heart of the city is lined with cafés and restaurants, and modern shopping complexes trade alongside interesting boutiques and a weekly farmers' market that provides an outlet for much of the area's first-rate produce. Housing is affordable, both to buy and rent. Thanks to the foresight of the early planners, there are many parks and green spaces, and outstanding views are commonplace from the city's hillside suburbs.

Dunedin is also the gateway to Central Otago: the resort towns of Wanaka and Queenstown – New Zealand's adventure capital – are just over three hours' drive away. Skiing, snowboarding, boating, mountain-biking and wine tasting are just a few of the many activities to be enjoyed.

However, it is education that is one of Dunedin's most defining features and its major industry. This is a true student city. In addition to the University of Otago, the city hosts a thriving polytechnic and excellent pre-school, primary and secondary education facilities. University students, staff and their families comprise more than one quarter of the population of urban Dunedin, enriching the intellectual, cultural and sporting life of the city.

And, while Dunedin is located in the south of New Zealand, it is very well connected. The region has two international airports with direct flights to Australia, and is New Zealand's first GigCity with one gigabit per second broadband services. Sister city relationships are fostered with Edinburgh (Scotland), Otaru (Japan) and Shanghai (China).

More information about living in Dunedin is available at: https://www.dunedinnz.com/


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