Agency Capacity Specialist - Waste Not (part-time)

Description

Are you passionate about sustainability and making a meaningful impact in your community? Join us as an Agency Capacity Specialist on our Waste Not team and become an integral part of our mission to support local human services agencies by building partnerships to distribute rescued food to people in need, upholding food safety standards, and keeping excess prepared food out of landfills.

This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic and innovative nonprofit organization. Waste Not rescues perishable food from donor organizations and makes deliveries on the same day to a variety of local agencies that feed the hungry.

United Food Bank Mission and Values:

We are passionate about our Mission of Uniting Communities to Alleviate Hunger. You are most likely to find success at United Food Bank if you are motivated to embrace our values:

• We are Uniters – working together as one united team.
• We are Cultivators – with a growth mindset and willing to try new things.
• We are Optimists – with a positive attitude and a commitment to move our mission forward.

At Waste Not, an affiliate of United Food Bank, we’re creating sustainable food systems that help people and the planet flourish. We do this by eliminating food waste and hunger through innovative community partnerships. A great deal of time, money, and resources go into growing and delivering nutritious food. Yet, each year, 40% of that food is thrown away. At the same time, nearly 1 million people in Arizona are struggling with food insecurity. We’re transforming this broken system by connecting tens of thousands of Arizonans with quality food that would have otherwise gone to waste. By reimagining what’s possible for food rescue, we’re making our community and our planet healthier. 

Position Summary:

The Agency Capacity Specialist supports our partner agencies in maintaining compliance with food safety guidelines, food distribution management, sustainable capacity & community relationship building, and reporting needed for Waste Not partnership. This position is responsible for auditing and managing support of Waste Not’s agencies annually, communicating best practices, and reporting agency impact monthly. This role is based in Mesa, AZ, but requires frequent travel throughout the service area, including local locations (40% local travel). This is a part-time position 20-30 hours per week.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conduct a needs assessment within their assigned geographical region to identify individual agency strengths, areas for growth, and barriers to service.
• Coordinate onboarding of new agencies.
• Address any ongoing troubleshooting for all partnership requirements.
• Conduct regular on-site monitoring visits to agencies to audit and ensure compliance with Feeding America, DES, and United Food Bank standards. 
• Follow up with sites after audits and facilitate the resolution of any compliance issues.
• Maintain Recipient Organization List (ROL) for their assigned region.
• Responsible for monthly reporting to the Director of Agency Network and Executive Director.
• Attend distributions on a regular rotation to monitor and provide feedback.
• Support all program efforts and increases enrollment to services at Waste Not and within the agency network.
• Oversight of all agency files and documentation in keeping with Arizona Department of Economic Security and Feeding America contract standards, including the tracking of contracts, civil rights training, food handler’s cards, and volunteer confidentiality forms.
• Support the use of technology at direct mobile distributions and maintains proxy listings when needed. 
• Send out recall notices provided by Feeding America to regional agency network.
• Coordinate with the Agency team to ensure:
• Agency resources on the website are accurate
• Standardization of audits and reporting
• Program standards are being upheld across the agency network
• Planning and execution of the Annual Agency Conferences through committee
• Build capacity training to ensure the sustainability of the agency network.
• Participate in relevant committees, community groups, and events.
• Cross-collaboration with the Agency Team including, but not limited to, database management, mobile distributions, and special projects. 
• Generate and maintain an atmosphere of openness and conducive to innovation to support the United Food Bank and Waste Not mission. 
• Other duties assigned as needed.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Passion for alleviating hunger
• Associate’s degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school; two years related experience and/ or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people of diversity, backgrounds, socio-economic levels, and staffing levels
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Critical thinking skills to review, assess, and implement agency best practices and new regulations
• Ability to make public presentations or conduct small group training
• Ability to analyze situations and apply creative problem-solving techniques
• Ability to work under pressure, establish and meet deadlines
• Professional demeanor and demonstrated excellence with the ability to work with teams cooperatively across all levels of the organization as well as independently
• Ability to travel overnight, as needed, for organizational business
• Clean driving record (MVD report required)
• Candidates should have computer skills and comfort level with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), Canva, Google Suite, Salesforce, and Airtable (or similar).

Physical demands and work environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Ability to sit at a computer for 4-6 hours a day doing repetitive motions on a keyboard
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Ability to travel (locally) up to 40% a year throughout the service area. 

In instances of a federal, state, or locally declared emergency, United Food Bank and Waste Not are typically considered an essential service and emergency responder; all of its employees may be called in to perform regular or emergent duties.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions and perform any other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.