Local Procurement Fellow (Hosted by CAIC)

The Local Procurement Fellow, hosted by the Chesapeake Agriculture Innovation Center (CAIC), will work

closely with Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) to strengthen local food reporting, identification/coding,

and procurement, across multiple school nutrition programs through the “Harvest of the Month @ City

Schools” Project. The Fellow will coordinate with BCPS’ Menu Planning and Procurement team and primary

distributors to aid with the fulfillment of local products within a 200-mile radius of Baltimore City, with a

focus on sourcing from Maryland and Delaware farmers. In addition to supporting product planning and

forecasting for the BCPS Harvest of the Month Program, the Fellow will help onboard new local farms with

frequent site and distributor visits, assist with purchasing planning, data classification, coding and

collection, vendor communication, and scheduling of seasonal produce deliveries to ensure alignment

between school menu needs and local supply -- as well as documenting success stories in integrating local

options in the schools.

Responsibilities and Success Metrics:

• Work with BCPS on planning for 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 season local product choice and usage

projections.

• Work with BCPS vendors on different models to identify and code local farm suppliers.
• Work with BCPS actual or (if necessary) new farmers, to create new product codes.
• Strengthen communication and coordination between BCPS, distributors, & farmers to reduce

purchasing barriers.

• Develop and implement shared tracking tools to measure purchasing progress and inform future

menu planning, and support BCPS’s annual Farm to School reporting requirements.

Qualifications/Characteristics:

• Data Analysis-Cleaning & Preparation
• Food Distribution or Operations experience preferred.
• Interest in researching and communicating aspects of food system logistics.
• Ability to communicate well and in a timely manner, both in oral and written form
• Good teamwork skills; comfortable being self-directed on projects.
• Comfortable using Microsoft Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Willing to learn and navigate SQF Food Safety Standards, and large-scale produce distribution

operations and logistics.

• Interest in local food systems and/or K-12 Education encouraged.
• Ability to travel, in personal vehicle, in and around the DelMarVa agricultural areas.

Position Type: Part-Time Fellow

Job Function: Local Vendor Liaison – Coastal Sunbelt and Baltimore City Schools

Location: Baltimore Washington Area

Hours: 10-15 hours/week (with seasonal variations)

Contractor Pay rate: $26.50/hr

Duration: July 1st 2026-September 30 2027

Application Deadline: Jul 1st 2026

To apply, please send an email with your resume and cover letter attached to Alice Chalmers and Mandilyn

Beck at alice@caic.org, mandilyn@caic.org.

This is a 1099 contractor position that is exempt from all benefits.

English language fluent