Chicago Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) Implementation Manager

Who Are We

Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) was founded in 2002 as a coalition, became a 501c3 nonprofit in 2011, and added full-time staff in 2017. CFPAC connects people across Chicago’s food system to build equitable networks and to advance food justice and food sovereignty.

Our Mission & Vision

We envision a food system where residents of all races, genders, and social identities have the right to produce and access food through community-driven, ecologically regenerative, and economically resilient processes. We address gaps in today’s food system using an incubator model to initiate solutions that build an equitable future for systematically marginalized, local farms and food businesses. We specifically focus on dismantling structural racism in the food system and lifting up food policies that support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We champion food leaders who equitably represent Chicago’s tapestry (race, class, gender, social identity) by connecting them within our network to take leadership roles, lead policy conversations, and establish greater capacity for equitable solutions. We prompt grassroots action for food system equity by creating space for leaders to connect, facilitating conversations around policy and solutions, and addressing systemic barriers to food equity and food access. To that end, please visit www.chicagofoodpolicy.com to learn more.

Position Overview

Working in collaboration with the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office Food Equity Council and Chicago Department of Public Health, the Chicago Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) Manager will provide technical assistance and support to implement GFPP across all City of Chicago departments and sister agencies.

Background on GFPP in Chicago

The City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and Chicago Park District adopted the Good Food Purchasing Program by policy resolution in 2017, and have since been working toward shifting public food procurement to be more racially equitable, transparent and accountable through five Good Food Standards: Local Economies, Environmental Sustainability, Valued Workforce, Animal Welfare, and Nutrition.

The City of Chicago and its sister agencies, like other cities, counties, and institutions across the country, have been working to develop GFPP with support from the Center for Good Food Purchasing alongside advocacy partners at the Food Chain Workers Alliance and HEAL Food Alliance. The Center supports institutions in making shifts towards the Good Food Standards by analyzing their food purchasing data and helping institutions understand their current buying practices. An institution then collaborates with the Center and local partners to develop a Good Food Action Plan to guide their purchasing shifts forward. This includes activities such as revising menu items, changing language in solicitations for food service and supplies, and identifying more GFPP-aligned products on the market an institution can purchase.

The Chicago Food Policy Action Council coordinates the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) to leverage local GFPP adoption for racially equitable supply chain development and normalizing values-based food procurement with institutions across the region. Learn more about GFPI here.

Objectives You’re Here to Meet

• Provide leadership as the co-chair of the Chicago Food Equity Council (FEC), convening quarterly meetings, developing strategic plans, and carrying out execution to advance nutrition and food access in alignment with Good Food Purchasing Policy.
• Support departments and sister agencies with implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) and other values-based procurement initiatives
• Actively engage in the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council to share best practices, build capacity and coordinate strategic opportunities to transform markets

Position Responsibilities

• Provides programmatic leadership and coordinates planning, implementation and evaluation of GFPP; including:
  • Supporting departments, agency, and all relevant food environments with the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) implementation progress (data collection, action planning and accountability)
  • Supports food-related solicitations and contract renewal processes to ensure robust GFPP language and reporting requirements are included and enforced
  • Co-leading menu planning and other values-based procurement initiatives
  • Tracking each department and agency’s GFPP implementation progress
  • Facilitate data collection with external evaluation and assessment partners to measure and evaluate the efficacy of program activities
• Understand the City of Chicago foodscape programs and stakeholders; including:
  • Support the development of public contract expirations database and map of meal programs and current contracted food service management companies and distributors
  • Develop, cultivate, and map relationships with key City stakeholders and implementing partners
  • Coordinate, build, mobilize, and sustain relationships with local decision makers, elected officials, the community, and organizational partners
• Be an ambassador for food-related policies and initiatives as they relate to food equity council's goals, objectives, or food-related procurement
  • Identify, facilitate, and create opportunities to support public institutions in accessing additional resources to purchase Good Food (e.g., public policy strategies, developing creative funding streams)
  • Support messaging, outreach, and community engagement practices regarding City of Chicago procurement and food business opportunities
• Engage with our most collaborative partners during Good Food Purchasing national calls, such as the Center for Good Food Purchasing, HEAL Food Alliance, and Food Chain Workers Alliance via the Good Food Communities network and Good Food Operators
  • Understand and communicate best practices from leading GFPP institutions
• Other responsibilities:
  • Support organizing of the annual Chicago Food Justice Summit, Buyer/Supplier Networking Events, and other GFPI-related events as needed.
  • Maintain and report expenses and grant financial and narrative reports as required.
  • Present on GFPP work at conferences, colleges & universities, and other opportunities that arise.
  • Support online and social media outreach, updates and publicity.
  • Support the efforts and administration of other CDPH initiatives and Chicago Food Policy Action Council’s Rhizome Network, as relevant to GFPP.

What You’ll Bring

• 5-7 years of project management experience, plus if in community food systems development or food procurement
• Experience working on menu planning and values-based procurement in schools and/or other institutional food services
• Commitment and passion to food justice and our vision for food sovereignty
• Extensive knowledge of local, sustainable, and healthy food systems– including food production, urban and sustainable agriculture, and community development
• In-depth understanding of U.S. agriculture, food production, and distribution systems, community food systems, and small food entrepreneurship
• Experience in coordinating, facilitating, and/or organizing meetings, events, trainings, and workshops
• Ability to work productively and collaboratively in a highly autonomous environment
• Ability to analyze and re-envision complex systems, both to equitably and sustainability shift supply chains and help inform decision-makers and advocates
• Relational approach to your work, and a mindfulness to uphold and steward our values, and add to our culture

Desired Competencies

• Relationship Management: Ability to effectively build, sustain, and navigate varying relationships across multiple stakeholders and partners
• Organization/Planning: Excellent time management ability; able to effectively balance and prioritize multiple projects and initiatives with various stakeholders
• Self-Starter: Highly self-motivated with a knack for moving projects forward primarily independently and also when working within a collaborative team setting
• Adaptability: Ability to react positively to change and remain productive in a changing environment. The capacity to change one’s actions, approach, or decisions based on new information or a new situation
• Resourcefulness: Ability to find efficient and innovative ways to overcome challenges, optimize resources to improve or create, and present solutions to every obstacle