JOB SUMMARY

The Community Food Manager will serve an essential leadership and supervision role in a staff team, providing support to staff in developing, implementing, and improving community food access programs. The Community Food Manager is responsible for oversight of the Food Pantry and leading effective outreach, education, and communication strategies for Nutrition Center community food programs and initiatives.

The Nutrition Center’s community food programs primarily serve low- and moderate-income households in downtown Lewiston and Auburn; building trusting and caring relationships with people from diverse backgrounds is critical for success in this position. A key goal of the Nutrition Center’s community food work is to build food justice and resilience at a community and individual level – this role will support people in understanding and accessing community food resources that meet their personal, cultural, and community needs. This position will have an intentional focus on supporting integration within Nutrition Center programs and collaboration with community partners. The Community Food Manager will work in close partnership with the Food Pantry team and other staff.

Key Responsibilities Summary

Leading staff team responsible for the Food Pantry; providing supervision, mentoring, and support to the staff team; developing and delivering programs in multiple formats to support and enhance food access; coordinating culturally relevant and multilingual outreach and communication; engaging in partnerships and in collaborative efforts; managing volunteers and Fellows; managing budgets; and contributing to a supportive and inclusive organizational culture.

ALIGNMENT WITH MISSION AND VALUES

The St. Mary’s Nutrition Center’s work is centered around our mission and core beliefs. We are committed to building equity and food justice in our community and recognize that we need to engage in ongoing learning and skill-building as we work to live and practice our values. We are looking for someone who shares this commitment to justice and equity and is excited to join a team with many different skills and backgrounds.

BREAKDOWN OF KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead and Manage Food Pantry Team

• Employ collaborative leadership skills to support a high-functioning team in operating the Food Pantry. This includes supporting the team in meetings, planning, and effective communication.
• Delegate work appropriately, being cognizant of staff abilities, workload, and commitments.
• Maintain and provide updated information and summaries for ongoing improvement efforts, reporting, and fundraising (data, stories, testimonials). This includes overseeing the effective use of the intake database to track visits and utilization.
• Coordinate building and vehicle use, scheduling, and share responsibilities with staff.

Staff Supervision, Mentoring, and Support

• Provide direct supervision to program staff including regular check-ins, workplan development, and oversee staff performance evaluation process.
• Provide regular feedback and support problem-solving.
• Document individual supervision meetings and team meetings.
• Nurture a positive team culture and build staff morale. Acknowledge staff for initiative, quality work, and improvement efforts that enhance the organization’s mission.

Develop, Deliver, and Evaluate Community Food Programs and Initiatives

Collaborate with Food Pantry team and other staff to:

• Design, plan, implement, and improve community food programs, including the Food Pantry, so that they are community-centered; align with mission, goals, and strategic priorities; and demonstrate impact.
• Regularly assess and improve systems and policies for efficiency, accessibility, equity, and impact. Implement diverse strategies for listening to and incorporating community feedback as well as measuring impact.
• Support integration of community food programming across other NC areas and in community partnerships.
• Lead and support community food initiatives. Strategies could include:
  • Leading culturally-preferred food access initiatives.
  • Leading coordination of food resources for people who have newly arrived.
  • Leading cooking and food education within diverse communities including community gardeners, asylum seekers, and new arrivals.
  • Providing on-the-ground support for Community Food Champions, and tours of Farmers’ Markets and other food access points.

Multicultural and Multilingual Outreach and Communication

• Develop effective and culturally competent outreach, communication, and engagement strategies for neighbors from distinct communities and cultures with different preferred languages.
• Connect people with food resources utilizing multiple strategies, including:
  • Developing and updating food access resources, education materials, and programs in multiple languages.
  • Designing strategies that work well within different immigrant, refugee, and asylum communities.
  • Utilizing peer-to-peer strategies and “high-touch” relational approaches.
• Communicate in a variety of ways including in person; through phone calls, emails, posting flyers; and talking with partners and community groups.
• Steward an environment and processes that prioritize the dignity, inclusion, and safety of community members.

Partnership and Collaboration

• Cultivate community partnerships with other food justice, food access, and community organizations and networks.
• Engage in partnerships and in collaborative efforts to: improve coordination of services and access; increase outreach and community responsiveness; address larger systemic challenges; and amplify impact. Examples could include:
  • Coordinating partner use of kitchen and other NC resources
  • Serving as liaison with immigrant-led and BIPOC-led organizations to support tailored strategies and inform the Nutrition Center’s approach and role
• Represent the Nutrition Center on boards, committees, and/or community initiatives.
• Represent the organization and handle public relations with good judgment and diplomacy.

Manage Volunteers and Supervise Fellows

• Support Food Pantry team in volunteer recruitment, management, and supervision for volunteers.

• Provide supervision and mentorship for program Fellows.

Manage budget and expenses for programs

• Work with Food Pantry Team and Community Programs Manager to manage budgets for Food Pantry and targeted food access initiatives.
• Submit and track day-to-day expenses, invoices, and program income.
• Support some fundraising related directly to programs.

Support Organizational Culture and Practices

• Engage with and put into practice values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. This includes evaluating organizational and program-level strategies and activities through this lens.
• Contribute to creating a culture in which people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected.
• Participate in regular Nutrition Center staff meetings, trainings, shared workgroups, and planning processes.
• Support Nutrition Center programming and events as needed.
• Set and work towards Professional Development goals.

DESIRED QUALITIES AND EXPERIENCE:

• 3-5 years of experience
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, organized, and attentive to detail.

• Self-motivated, flexible and able to work independently.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with all personnel, volunteers, partners, and the public. Ability to communicate verbally in Somali, French, Portuguese, Arabic, or other languages is a plus.
• Ability to foster a supportive and inclusive work environment; experience working with co-workers and partners with a spirit of collaboration, creativity, and proactive communication and problem-solving.
• Experience with and enjoys working closely with marginalized populations, communities of color, and communities of different cultural backgrounds; committed to elevating community needs and voices. Desired cultural competencies include:
  • Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based differences within group environments.
  • Knowledge of concepts and issues tied to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and desire to deeply understand and change structural inequity.
  • Skills related to creating and supporting an environment that allows for inclusion, effective intercultural engagement, and personal humility and authenticity.
  • Awareness of the impacts of lived experience with poverty, trauma, oppression, and insecurity in diverse realms of people’s lives.
• Experience working in Lewiston and with Maine’s immigrant, refugee, and asylee communities is preferred.
• Proficient in email, electronic calendars, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Google drive.
• Must have a valid driver's license with a good driving record.
• Schedule must be able to accommodate occasional evening programs and community events outside of the regular work schedule.

Covenant Health Mission Statement

We are a Catholic health ministry, providing healing and care for the whole person, in service to all in our communities.

Our Core Values:

• Compassion

We show respect, caring, and sensitivity towards all, honoring the dignity of each person, especially the poor, vulnerable, and suffering.

• Integrity

We promote justice and ethical behavior and responsibly steward our human, financial, and environmental resources.

• Collaboration

We work in partnership, dialogue, and shared purpose to create healthy communities.

• Excellence

We deliver all services with the highest level of quality while seeking creative innovation.

Applicants, employees, and former employees are protected from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, and genetic information (including family medical history).