Marion Polk Food Share is the regional food bank serving Marion and Polk Counties. Support from our local community makes it possible for the Food Share to collect and distribute nutritious food for children, adults and seniors through more than 100 partner programs, including food pantries, meal sites, and home-delivered meals, and to carry out programs to address the root causes of hunger.

The mission of Marion Polk Food Share is to bring people together to end hunger and its root causes.

At the Food Share, our commitment is to:

▪ Treat all people as our neighbor                 ▪ Encourage creativity and be willing to take risks

▪ Listen first and seek to understand             ▪ Focus on shared goals

▪ Celebrate diversity, ensure dignity and act equitably

Statement of Purpose: To engage the community in addressing food insecurity through leading effective, impactful, community-based programs.

Summary of Role: The Director of Community Programs is responsible for leading a community-driven, equity-based approach to increasing access to healthy food. The Director oversees the Food Share’s partnerships with our network of food distribution programs, our two Food Share run pantries in Woodburn and Grand Ronde, and other direct distribution programs. The Director of Community Programs also supports our work to address the root causes of hunger. This position serves on the Leadership Team of the Food Share, and participates in organizational administration and setting organizational strategy.

Core Areas of Responsibility

• Organizational Leadership & Strategy: Serves on the Food Share Leadership Team. Participates in organizational administration, budgeting and leading organizational culture. Aligns the programs of the Food Share behind a clear set of goals consistent with the Food Share’s strategic direction.
• Food Distribution Program Partnerships: Guides and develops the Food Share’s core work of providing food resources to communities across our two county service region. Leads and supports the Agency Relations team, responsible for partner agency compliance and capacity building.
• Direct Services: Guides and supports programming at AWARE Food Bank and IMMH, two full-service food pantries managed by Marion Polk Food Share. Ensures programs are community-driven and focused on high quality, equitable service.

This is a management position and ensures that staff and volunteers have clear work direction and guidance. The incumbent is responsible to carry out the full spectrum of management responsibilities in accordance with the agency’s policies and applicable laws.

Areas of Responsibility, Evaluation and Essential Functions:                                              

• Leadership & Decision Making. Serves on the Leadership Team of the Food Share, along with the CEO, VPs and Directors. Guides organizational direction and culture. Addresses organizational challenges, provides financial oversight for the Food Share, and develops sound organizational plans, policies and practices. Ensures the leadership team and staff have the information necessary to properly exercise their responsibilities. Fosters an organizational culture that works together, develops and considers options, selects and follows through on an agreed course of action and evaluates effectiveness of programs.
• Strategic Direction: Participates in program visioning, planning, budgeting, tracking and reporting. Regularly communicates program goals and results with organizational leadership and staff.
• Staff Oversight. Supervises and supports a team of 7-10 staff, including program managers and coordinators. Develops and supports a collaborative, positive team environment, including facilitation of team meetings.
• Community Partnerships. Engages in and leads partnerships with service providers, government agencies and other groups that increase the capacity of Food Share to accomplish its mission.
• Food Distribution Program Partnerships. Leads, develops, supports and sets the direction of the Agency Relations team. Supports a team that fosters healthy partner food banks and meal sites through capacity building and training.
• Compliance Oversight. Supports Agency Relations team in enforcing contractual compliance, including food safety and civil rights regulations.
• Network Development and Vision. Develops a network of food banks and meal sites that is responsive to community needs and provides resources in a dignified, caring manner. Utilizes local and regional data, inclusive community engagement and effective collaboration to develop and execute plans.
• Operations and Logistics Coordination. Works closely with the Director of Operations and other warehouse/logistics staff to guide and collaborate on how food is distributed to our network of partners.
• Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws/Grand Ronde Engagement. Supports management of Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws, the “house where you get food,” the food bank serving Grand Ronde, Oregon. Oversees Grand Ronde Farm Share Rx program, educational programming and other food systems activities. Supervises Grand Ronde Program Manager and team.
• AWARE Food Bank/Woodburn Engagement. Supports management of the AWARE Food Bank in Woodburn. Manages efforts to engage the broader Woodburn community in AWARE and in addressing food access in the area. Contributes to the development of an AWARE management model and ensures inclusion of community voices. Supervises AWARE Program Manager and team.
• Equity & Social Justice. Leads efforts to employ an equity-based approach to Food Share programming. Utilizes an equity lens in decision making and strives to address disparities in experiences of hunger among communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, seniors, children, individuals with disabilities, and more.
• Direct Service Program Development and Oversight. Leads development of additional direct service (food distribution/food pantry) programs, such as mobile pantry programs, as needed and opportunities arise. Supervises coordination of direct service programs and assists with direct service as programs develop.
• SNAP Outreach. Manages and leads Food Share’s SNAP Outreach Plan. Convenes internal stakeholders, crafts an annual proposal and provides quarterly reports. Works to incorporate SNAP Outreach and education throughout our agency network where appropriate.
• Emerging Root Cause Work: Participates in development of activities that reduce poverty and address inequities over the long term. Participates in partnerships that lead to increased equity and social justice, access to government assistance programs and opportunities to influence public policy.
• Fundraising. Participates in grant writing, reporting and other fundraising efforts in collaboration with Development staff. Ensures that programs are able to be communicated effectively to the public.
• Other duties as assigned[i]

Education and/or Experience; Certificates/Licenses/Registrations:

• Three years of relevant professional experience, required.
• Experience with managing and supervising a staff team, required.
• Demonstrated high level of professional responsibility and ability oversee multiple programs, required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel, and comfortable learning new software programs, required.
• Work experience or education related to social services, program management, nonprofit management, communications, social justice and equity, food systems, community organizing, community health, or related field, preferred.
• Experience in developing operational strategies that have taken a program to the next stage of growth, preferred.
• Must pass pre-employment drug screening that excludes THC.
• Must submit to full background check, including driving record check. Depending on the position sought, a criminal conviction or arrest record does not automatically bar employment with the Food Share.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities we are looking for:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
• Commitment to promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Ability to balance needs of multiple departments, communicate across departments and ultimately support organizational or leadership direction.
• General knowledge of warehouse operations or logistics.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills.
• Ability to translate conceptual direction into concrete plans.
• High personal integrity and strong work ethic.
• Passion for the mission of Marion Polk Food Share and food security, food systems or anti-poverty work.

Job Conditions:

Work is performed in a variety of office environments and other locations inside and outside of Food Share, including gardens and farms. May lift, move and carry objects up to 40 pounds, such as boxes containing materials and other supplies. Will work or travel out of the local area and work outside normal working hours, such as evenings and weekends on occasion. Occasional overnight travel. Willing to drive personal vehicle for business purposes.

[i] This job description does not list all the duties of the job. You may be asked to perform other duties. You will be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. Food Share has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not a contract for employment.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and physical demand satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. EOE.

Apply here: https://marionpolkfoodshare.org/about/careers/