Company description

Food Connects is a dynamic and growing nonprofit organization based in Brattleboro, VT that delivers locally produced food as well as educational and consulting services aimed at transforming local food systems. Founded in 2013, Food Connects is a catalyst for food systems change by connecting the next generation with their food, local farmers with new markets, and school chefs with school food.

Job description

Job Summary

The Food Hub Logistics Manager (FHLM) is responsible for coordinating day to day operations of Food Connects’ mission-driven food hub. Food Connects delivers source-identified local food from over 50 farms and value-added producers to over 100 wholesale customers, Deliveries are twice a week, managed through an online platform.

The FHLM supports Food Connects’ innovative and dynamic food system programming, helping to drive the continued growth and evolution of the organization and its food hubs. Food Connects is a small, horizontally-structured organization, which means that a collaborative process is used for occasional big picture decisions like hiring, creating organizational policies, outreach, fundraising, and conducting an annual peer review.

The FHLM is based in the Food Connects office in Brattleboro, VT, and is a full-time, year-round non-exempt salaried position.

Collaboration

• The Food Hub Logistics Manager reports directly to the Food Hub General Manager.
• The Food Hub Logistics Manager coordinates the drivers to build and and manage their daily logistical plans and act as reference point for their questions and communications about the day’s pickups/deliveries. Drivers ultimately report to the General Manager.
• The Food Hub Logistics Manager also works with:
  • The Food Hub General Manager to coordinate sales and distribution efforts.
  • The Food Hub Sales Manager to compile orders and meet customers needs.
  • The Administrative and Marketing Coordinator to implement social media marketing strategies and event coordination.

Schedule

• 40 hours/week; approximately 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.
• Urgent logistical issues may occasionally require immediate calls and texts outside normal hours on ordering and delivery days (currently M-F).
• Occasional meetings and events on evenings and weekends (with plenty of advance notice).
• Occasional regional travel required.

Job Responsibilities

Food Hub Coordination

• Act as primary point of contact for order logistics and distribution, including fielding and resolving customer/producers issues.
• Manage daily operations, including: receive and process customer orders every Monday and Wednesday; send regular order reminders; assist customers with the ordering process; invoice or credit customers/producers for extra/missing/damaged items.
• Keep accurate financial records of food hub purchases; manage invoicing and invoice adjustments and accounting in the online commerce site; manage records of distribution; track and report on distribution errors.
• Maintain accuracy of customer and producer information..
• Build and maintain close working relationships with customers, producers, and other distribution partners.
• Generate optimized driving instructions and coordinate with the drivers over the course of every delivery day.
• Communicate with drivers throughout their routes and assist them as needed in product aggregation and distribution.
• Maintain accurate mileage and driver hour records.

Inventory Management

• Lead warehouse operations, including stock management, product intake, order picking + preparation.
• Actively manage product inventory numbers both at physical storage space and within online commerce system.
• Manage purchase orders for maintaining inventory of stocked items.
• Proactively communicate with producers regarding product availability and supply.

Business Development

• Identify ways to improve the food hub program, and its distribution operations in particular, and help put those strategies into action.
• Assist Administrative and Marketing Coordinator in developing and implementing a social media strategy for the Food Hub.
• Assist Food Hub General Manager with meetings and events.
• Assist Food Hub General Manager and Food Hub Sales Manager where possible with sales activities like lead development, customer and producers onboarding, etc.
• Represent Food Connects in opportunities for Food Hub education and outreach.
• Collaborate with Food Hub General Manager on projects to improve logistics, accounting, data management, and distribution systems.
• Collaborate on business planning, fundraising efforts, grant proposals and reports, software testing, etc. as needed.

Additional Responsibilities .

• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops and reviewing professional publications.
• Participate in occasional shared organizational HR functions including recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees, enforcing systems, policies, and procedures, and participating in the annual peer review process.
• Create and maintain a work plan and solicit feedback from staff at regular staff meetings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• General knowledge of veggies, fruits, and other locally-produced items.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal: in person, over the phone, email, text.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Strong proficiency with Internet use, spreadsheet development, databases, Google Drive and Microsoft Office suites. Comfort with learning new software platforms.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and in the face of changing demands
• Strong organizational skills and natural proclivity for keeping detailed records.
• Cheerful, professional presence.
• Self-starter who can work well independently.
• Ability to work effectively with others in a team-oriented environment.
• Ability to quickly assess a situation and make necessary decisions; skilled in creative problem-solving.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage workload among fast-paced and sometimes unpredictable programs.
• Flexible; able to prioritize and manage workload in a fast-paced, ever-evolving work environment
• Reliable private vehicle for occasional regional travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in logistics and/or warehouse management.
• Experience with food systems, food wholesale, food retail, and/or farming.
• Existing relationships with local food producers.
• Familiarity with the geographical area of our delivery services (Windham County, VT; Windsor County, VT; Cheshire County, NH).
• Experience driving box delivery trucks or other comparably-sized vehicles, and willingness to act as backup driver occassionally.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift and move product (50 lbs) regularly.
• Continually able to sit at a desk and work in an office setting to execute job responsibilities.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, less than $50,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline