Food Rescue Specialist

At Second Harvest Heartland, we believe our differences make us stronger. We draw strength from the unique experiences of each and every employee and our community. We aspire to foster an inclusive culture – in the way we interact with each other and in every area of our work. We commit to advancing equity to make Second Harvest Heartland a better place to work, to be a better partner and to inspire a community where equity is a driver to ultimately end hunger.

Join our Sourcing & Demand Planning team as a Food Rescue Specialist. This role is responsible for securing donated food from retailers by directly serving retail partners and facilitating relationships between retailers and partner agencies.  The Food Rescue Specialist works to maximize donations and program participation by stewarding Food Rescue donors while maintaining the standards of the Food Rescue Program. ***Must reside in Minnesota, hold a current driver's license, and have vehicle to travel as position will require travel to our partner's site around twin cities.***

Work Schedule: Remote, Full-Time, 40 hours / week. Some evenings and/or weekends may be required. Occasional travel is required.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Donor Relations and Food Procurement

• Collaborate with Food Rescue Manager and team members to increase donor program participation 
• Call on multiple donor sites per week to engage retail staff members 
• Solicit food and related products through contact with donors  
• Assist in identifying and soliciting prospective donors  
• Prepare and analyze PivotTable reports and charts 
• Manage donor and agency contact information in multiple databases. Develop and execute annual donor stewardship plans by donor, with support of Food Rescue Programs Manager 
• Maintain active communication with internal partners to identify potential issues and opportunities improvement
• Provide onsite training for store employees participating in the Food Rescue Program  
• Foster trusted partnerships by responding with urgency to issues, conflict resolution, problem solving, questions, and requests
• Inform manager of any problems in a timely manner  

Partner Agency Support

• Facilitate Food Rescue agency partnerships with retailers 
• Understand and carry out the requirements of the Food Rescue Program as defined in the Food Rescue Agreement and by Feeding America
• Provide training and follow-up support as necessary or as requested by the agency or donor partner
• Work collaboratively with Food Rescue Lead to support partner agencies with their Food Rescue program
• Provide materials and orientation to ensure all agency partners can execute a safe and successful Food Rescue program
• Foster a trusted partnership by responding with urgency to questions and concerns
• Ability to travel to external partner sites when needed

Must Have:

• Bachelor’s Degree and two years’ experience in the food industry or minimum of 2 years’ food bank/food shelf experience
• Strong customer service skills
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to set priorities and work independently
• Ability to travel within the Second Harvest Heartland Minnesota service area
• Working knowledge of technology platforms such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
• Valid driver’s license, safe driving record, and current personal vehicle insurance 
• Reliable transportation and ability to use personal vehicle for SHH business

Nice to Have: 

• Food safety certification or ability to be certified
• Bilingual in other languages highly desired, (Spanish, Somali, Hmong)

Our Values:

• We deliver.
• We lead with our hearts.
• We innovate.
• We are all in this together.
• We believe our differences make us stronger.

Starting Pay Rate: $50,000 USD annually or more / Dependent on Qualifications and Experience.

Second Harvest Heartland is an EEO/AA Employer. 

Benefits include: 9 paid holidays each calendar year, plus 4 extra well-being days, up to 160 hours of paid time off per calendar year, with the option to carry over up to 20 hours to the following calendar year, 8 hours of volunteer time off to serve community each calendar year, up to 6 weeks paid parental leave for birth and non-birth parents, and more! Learn more about our benefits package here. 

Second Harvest Heartland believes no one should ever go hungry, as our region produces more than enough food for everyone. Helping hungry neighbors find their next meal—so they can thrive at work, in the classroom and in their communities—is what drives Second Harvest Heartland, its partners and supporters. Beyond feeding hungry neighbors, Second Harvest Heartland believes in the importance of our work to help sustain our environment.