Agency Relations Coordinator

Organization: Food Forward, Inc. - a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit

Position: Food Recovery Agency Relations Coordinator

Hours: Full-time, non-exempt hybrid

Salary: $22 -$24 hourly

Location: North Hollywood, CA, Bell, and various Southern California areas.

Organizational Overview: Food Forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same. Fruits and vegetables are collected from backyard fruit trees, farmers' markets, growers, and wholesalers, and then provided free of charge to more than 250 hunger-relief partner organizations serving communities across the region. See foodforward.org. Our core values are posted below.

Position Overview: The Agency Relations Coordinator will report to the Agency Relations Manager and play a key role in establishing and deepening relationships with Food Forward’s network of hunger relief partners across Southern California. The primary goal of this position is to strengthen ongoing partnerships through outreach and engagement, while enhancing support for efficiency and accountability in the distribution of millions of pounds of fresh produce to our partner agencies across Southern California. This position will be primarily based at Food Forward’s headquarters in North Hollywood, with additional regular work conducted at our warehouse in Bell. The role requires regular travel to visit receiving agencies throughout Los Angeles County, with occasional visits to partners in Ventura County and Southern California service areas as needed.

Food Forward seeks an organized, outgoing, and detail-oriented Agency Relations (AR) Coordinator with strong communication, account management and data-management skills. The ideal candidate is passionate about food justice, hunger relief, and community-building. The AR Coordinator will focus their efforts on facilitating the distribution of recovered produce throughout Southern California. The AR Coordinator will achieve this by gaining an in-depth understanding of our receiving agencies and their specific needs, and by collaborating with Food Forward program staff to understand the timing, quantity, quality, and types of produce donated to Food Forward. Having a collaborative and flexible mindset, to balance the needs of Food Forward with those of the receiving agencies, will be critical to the success of this position.

• Core Responsibilities:
• Serve as a point of contact with partner agencies and maintain strong relationships with them.
• Maintain Wholesale Recovery Program calendars and schedules daily.
• Coordinate, schedule, and track receiving agency pick-ups.
• Maintain communication and coordination between the WRP team and agency partners, manage schedule changes, respond to requests, and ensure timely reminders and follow-through.
• Maintain receiving agency data in Food Forward’s data management systems accurately and in a timely manner.
• Assist in the processing of weekly, monthly, and annual reports
• Maintain and update programmatic & administrative materials as they relate to Agency Relations
• Support in the onboarding and program placement of all new receiving agencies
• Conduct on-site receiving agency visits to deepen relationships, strengthen communications, ensure compliance, and provide feedback on programming

Minimum Requirements:

• Bilingual: Proficiency in spoken and written English and Spanish required, with the ability to translate written materials and interpret conversations as needed.
• Experience with scheduling and calendar management
• Customer service and account management skills
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple factors
• Excellent written and verbal communication, analytical and presentation skills
• Strong ability to prioritize projects and meet deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Workspace
• Familiarity with Salesforce or comparable CRM systems
• Willingness to travel regionally regularly and work a flexible schedule, including the possibility of early hours and weekends
• Must be willing and available to use personal smartphone (cell phone stipend paid semi-monthly)

BENEFITS

• Medical, Vision, Dental, and Life/Voluntary Insurance coverage, FSA/Dependent Care, Pet Insurance, Retirement Plan with up to 4% employer matching, Generous Paid-Time-Off policy and Holiday allocation
• Cell phone and internet monthly allowance

How To Apply:

Submit a cover letter and resume in PDF through this link https://bit.ly/3ORrABQ. The subject line should read, Agency Relations Coordinator (Your Name). The cover letter must include answers to the following: 1) Where did you discover this listing? 2) If you were a variety of produce, what would you be and why?

No phone calls. Please follow these instructions to ensure that we process your application.

Food Forward is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with protected class backgrounds. We value the individuals we hire and look forward to creating a positive work environment for all identities.

CORE VALUES

• COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Working together, we inspire and are inspired by the people in the communities we serve.
• EQUITY AND INCLUSION We cultivate a diverse workforce that nurtures equity and inclusion.
• FOOD JUSTICE We share the abundance of fresh produce and prevent food waste because everyone deserves access to fresh and nutritious food.
• INTEGRITY We are honest, accountable, and authentic in our words and actions.
• JOYFULNESS We embrace a creative, spirited, and fulfilling environment

BENEFITS

• Medical, Vision, Dental, and Life/Voluntary Insurance coverage, FSA/Dependent Care, Pet Insurance, Retirement Plan with up to 4% employer matching, Generous Paid-Time-Off policy and Holiday allocation
• Cell phone and internet monthly allowance

Spanish - proficiant reading and writing and speaking.