Pantry Manager

Job description:

CORA is a non-profit organization that provides food to Chatham County residents during periods of financial difficulty. Founded in 1989, CORA has served the community with kindness, compassion, and dedication to ensure that families in need do not experience hunger.

Position Summary: Pantry Manager – Pittsboro

The Pantry Manager – Pittsboro oversees CORA’s Pittsboro pantry operations, including inventory, facilities, logistics, volunteer management, and staff supervision. This role ensures compliance with all food safety regulations and standards set by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC and other partners. The Pantry Manager serves as the primary liaison for federal food programs and food sourcing, and plays a key role in community outreach and engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Pantry Operations & Facilities

• Oversee daily operations of the Pittsboro pantry, warehouse, and facilities.
• Ensure all buildings, equipment, trucks, and systems are well-maintained, safe, and operational.
• Manage inventory, food acquisition, and food tracking in collaboration with the Systems Director and Pantry Manager – Siler City.
• In collaboration with the Systems Director, ensure all activities are within budget and reflect sound resource utilization.
• Oversee CORA’s home delivery program.

Volunteer Recruitment & Management

• Maintain a thorough understanding of volunteer scheduling software and post volunteer shift information in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensure adequate volunteer coverage for day-to-day pantry functions.
• Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise volunteers to support daily operations and special events.
• Develop and maintain updated training materials, including mandatory civil rights training.
• Ensure volunteer records, waivers, and compliance documentation are current.
• Plan and execute volunteer appreciation events (April and end-of-year).
• Publish a monthly volunteer newsletter in collaboration with the Development and Communications Director and Siler City Pantry Manager.
• Respond promptly to volunteer inquiries and ensure strong customer service at all times.

Staff Supervision & Team Leadership

• Supervise Pittsboro-based Operations Staff, including warehouse and transportation team members.
• Collaborate with the Pantry Manager – Siler City on shared volunteer and operational needs.
• Lead the Pittsboro-based Operations Team, in collaboration with the Systems Director, to meet strategic and service goals through effective planning and execution.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure compliance with Feeding America, Food Bank of CENC, and all federal/state/local regulations (e.g., TEFAP, CSFP, SFSP).
• Maintain timely and accurate reporting and documentation related to inventory, food safety, and volunteer activities.
• Work closely with the Systems Director to meet compliance goals and submit reports as needed.

Community & Partner Engagement

• Serve as CORA’s representative at outreach events and build relationships with vendors, community partners, and recruitment sources.
• Identify new volunteer recruitment opportunities.
• Maintain positive existing relationships.

Communications & PR

• Collaborate with the Development and Communications team to highlight volunteer impact, pantry success stories, and relevant updates for marketing and social media.
• Represent CORA at speaking engagements and in the community, promoting volunteerism and CORA’s mission.

Administration

• Maintain all pantry-related documents, forms, and reports; coordinate translations as needed.
• Participate in SOP and manual development to reflect up-to-date safety and operational standards.
• Attend meetings as needed (Board, Finance, etc.).

Client & Culture Focus

• Ensure all clients, volunteers, and visitors are treated with dignity and respect.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Other

• All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications/experience

Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to professionally convey a vision of CORA’s operational health to relevant stakeholders. Be detail-oriented and have strong interpersonal skills to work with diverse groups of people. Transparent, ethical, and high-integrity leadership skills are necessary. Ability to use MS Excel, MS Word, Google Sheets, and Google Docs. Ability to write reports and correspondence. Ability to answer questions posed by top management officials, public or community groups, and/or Boards of Directors. Strong organizational ability to include planning, project management, delegation, and results oversight. Must be comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment. This job has a moderate physical aspect associated with the work, including lifting, sitting, standing, using office equipment, and driving. Must be able to lift 40 lbs repeatedly. An excellent driving record is required as some travel is necessary. A Bachelor’s Degree and three or more years in a nonprofit or food service is preferred.

Working Conditions

General office and warehouse environments. Some evenings and weekend work required. Some occasional travel is required.

Salary and Benefits

CORA provides employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance, an employer-match retirement program (after one year of employment), short-term disability insurance, 12+ days of PTO per year, and 12 regular holidays plus three floating holidays. Hiring range for this position is $55,000 - $60,000/ year.

Apply

Interested candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Melissa@corafoodpantry.org.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person