Hope's Harvest RI Seeking Full-Time Operations Manager

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https://hopesharvest.org/were-hiring/

Hope’s Harvest RI - Job Description and Posting

Operations Manager

July, 2020

Hope’s Harvest RI, a fiscally sponsored project of Farm Fresh RI, is seeking a full-time, salaried Operations Manager for its work mobilizing volunteers to recover surplus food from farms for distribution to hunger relief agencies.

About Hope’s Harvest RI: Started in 2017 and entering its third gleaning season in 2020, Hope’s Harvest RI has partnered with over 25 farms, and 20 hunger relief agencies to recover and distribute over 120,000 lbs of fresh, healthy, local food to communities in need. Our mission is to improve the livelihoods of local farmers, increase food security for our most vulnerable residents, and get everyone engaged in strengthening the food system by eliminating on-farm food waste in Rhode Island. We envision strong and connected communities where farmers are honored, valued, and compensated for their contributions, neighbors get their hands dirty and have fun helping each other, and everyone enjoys an abundance of fresh, healthy food.

Position Description: The Hope’s Harvest RI Operations Manager will be responsible for supporting the organization and its staff, stakeholders, volunteers, and partners in all facets of organizing and executing gleaning trips with the purpose of recovering and distributing surplus food to people in need. In addition, this position will provide support for outreach and communications, development, and basic administrative functions. The Operations Manager has supervisory responsibilities, is a leadership role, and reports to the Executive Director. An ideal candidate will have an interest in committing to growing with our new organization for at least the next 2-3 years.

Desired Start Date: We expect to fill this role no later than 9/1/20, although an earlier start date is preferable. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate and supervise food recovery operations, including but not limited to:
    • Serve as point of contact with agencies, volunteers, farms, and other program partners to coordinate gleaning activities.
    • Manage gleaning trip logistics, including scheduling, supervising staff and volunteers on trips, product quality standards during harvest and packing, inventory management and tracking, and product deliveries.
    • Drive equipment to and from gleaning trips in program vehicle (12 ft. box truck) and make deliveries as needed.
    • Ensure accurate and timely logging and data tracking of all program activities.
    • Monitor and ensure compliance on the part of all program staff and volunteers with food safety protocols, COVID safety procedures, and set a culture of overall physical safety and accident/injury prevention with staff and volunteers.
    • Ensure all physical program infrastructure (supplies, equipment, vehicles, etc.) is stocked, organized, and in working order.
  • Outreach and Communications
    • Supervise and coordinate volunteer recruitment activities.
    • Support implementation of HHRI communications strategy by ensuring regular outreach to program stakeholders and reviewing communications content for publication on social media, in newsletters, and on our website.
  • Development Support
    • Provide formatted program data for funding applications and reports.
    • Help to foster and maintain good working relationships with all program stakeholders and partners.
    • Administrative support with tracking and acknowledging gifts, and preparing mailings.
  • Program Administration
    • Training and supervision of temporary and seasonal staff.
    • Basic administrative support including tracking expenses, documenting activities, responding to inquiries, scheduling, etc.
  • Other Duties as Assigned
    • Hope’s Harvest RI is a very small organization; a “pitch-in” spirit is expected at all times and assistance on special projects and tasks may be required in addition to responsibilities listed above.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

  • At least 2-4 years work experience.
  • Excellent professional and practical communications skills (written and verbal). Experience proofreading and developing publication-quality written content strongly preferred.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including patience, respect, thoughtfulness, good listener, and able to motivate people gently but effectively.
  • Detail oriented, with excellent record keeping skills and strong administrative, organization, and time management abilities. Must take initiative, be able to work independently, and follow through on all tasks at an efficient and steady pace.
  • Production agriculture experience, knowledge of produce varieties and quality standards, and the ability to relate to farmers respectfully and knowledgeably.
  • Must possess a valid U.S. driver’s license, have a minimum of six years driving experience, a clean driving record, and be capable of passing a DOT physical. Ability to drive a 12ft. box truck, with experience driving heavily loaded box trucks in urban and rural environments strongly preferred.
  • Ability to bend and lift 60+ lbs, repeatedly and in various conditions. This position is physically demanding and requires an aptitude for manual labor.
  • Must enjoy working in farm fields in all types of New England weather. This typically includes hot and humid summer days, wet and cold autumn, and early winter conditions.
  • Aptitude for, and/or basic knowledge of equipment use, maintenance, and repair (including vehicles, pallet jacks, harvesting tools, etc.).
  • Must be able to transition from outdoor work to working behind a computer for long stretches during the “off-season”.
  • Available to work a flexible schedule including early evening and weekends.
  • Food handling/food safety background (position will require becoming a certified food safety manager).
  • Customer service or similar experience.
  • Some background in adult education, leading volunteer/tour groups, and/or organizing service work teams, with supervisory experience preferred.
  • First-aid knowledge and skills.
  • Must have reliable access to personal vehicle for getting to and from various work locations, and occasionally for moving produce.
  • Comfort and proficiency with technology (we regularly use: MS Office, GSuite, Salesforce, Wordpress, Eventbrite, and MailChimp) along with the willingness to seek out and self-teach technological details outside of own experience as needed.
  • Able to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, ethnicity, gender (including nonbinary), sexual orientation, class, and religion. Experience living and working in economically, racially, and ethnically diverse communities strongly preferred.
  • Personal alignment and commitment to the mission of the organization.

Work Culture:

  • We are mission driven and motivated to work hard by a desire to provide high quality services.
  • We are inspired by efficiency, driven to solve problems with elegant solutions, and satisfied by a job well done.
  • We value open, honest communication of needs and expectations and direct feedback across all levels of the organization.
  • We create a friendly, kind, respectful, and supportive environment for our staff, volunteers, and partners.
  • We work together to learn, grow, take responsibility for our mistakes, and strive to do our best.
  • We acknowledge and celebrate the strengths and differences in others, and do not assume that the ways we are used to doing things are the only correct ways to do things.
  • We value and respect people’s lived experience and many types of expertise.
  • We help each other set boundaries around work and practice/model good self care.
  • We approach our work with a sense of humor, and find fun and joy in what we do.
  • We recognize the importance of prioritizing process, relationships, and results simultaneously.
  • We understand and integrate the broader context that informs our work, including issues around food justice/sovereignty, local food supply/value chains, and food insecurity.
  • We are thoughtful about our privileges and how they affect our interactions with others.
  • This is a white-led organization with a strong and evolving commitment to anti-racism and actively confronting white supremacy in its many forms as an end in itself and as a means towards liberation for all people.

Expected Work Schedule and Description of Benefits:

  • $34,000/year, salaried, exempt, full-time position - up to 50 hours/week during the growing season (June - January) with reduced hours (~32/wk) during the “off-season” (January - May).
  • Evenings and weekends required with flex schedules and remote work arrangements available, contingent upon ability to meet position goals/outcomes and at the Director’s discretion during the growing season. Much of the work for this position must be done in-person during the growing season, but some administrative tasks can take place off-site.
  • Health and dental insurance packages available with employer cost share.
  • 15 paid personal days, in addition to seven flex paid “holiday” days which can be taken on federal holidays, or on your holidays of choice.
  • All time off (except in the case of illness or injury) requires at least two weeks advance notice and is contingent upon Director approval, especially during the growing season.
  • $500 annual stipend for professional development.
  • Annual work clothing/gear stipend: $150 reimbursement.
  • Access to abundant surplus fresh produce in season.
  • We take the safety and well being of our team extremely seriously and will modify program activities as necessary to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To Apply:

  • Send resume and cover letter to [email protected] with subject line “LASTNAME - HHRI Operations Manager Application”
  • Final application deadline is July 15th, 2020
  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
  • No phone calls or drop-ins please

Hope’s Harvest RI and its fiscal sponsor Farm Fresh Rhode Island are committed to equal opportunity in employment. We’re also committed to building an inclusive workplace culture where talented people of widely diverse backgrounds can thrive. We’ve adopted this commitment because we believe the inclusion of racially, economically, and culturally diverse perspectives will improve our work and produce better outcomes for all. We are actively seeking candidates who bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to join us in this work.

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is an Equal Opportunity Employer.