Company description

Second Harvest Heartland is the leading hunger relief organization in the upper Midwest distributing 90+ million pounds of food per year to almost 1000 agencies across 59 counties. Our mission is to end hunger through our community partnerships.

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

Second Harvest Heartland’s (SHH) Child hunger strategy support our organizational mission to end hunger through community partnerships. The Child Hunger Specialist develops and supports a caseload of schools and school districts, working year-round to implement and evaluate comprehensive strategies to increase participation in existing federal nutrition programs and with the goal of building sustainable meal programming in school districts. In addition, the Child Hunger Specialists is engaged in proactive and continuous community outreach to identify and engage new school and district partners. Federal Nutrition Programs include the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Child Hunger Programming

• Provide detailed explanation of Federal Nutrition Program benefits to schools, districts, and community organizations through public presentations and one-on-one meetings.
• Develop and implement Child Hunger Plans with schools and school district staff to set achievable goals and clear expectations to implementing and/or expanding new Federal Nutrition Programs.
• Provide partners technical assistance to develop and implement new and/or innovative strategies to increase participation in Federal Nutrition Programs.
• Engage in continuous community outreach to develop new school and school district partnerships.
• Facilitate connections between schools and other community organizations to increase access to food-related resources. Support collaboration as needed to maximize mutual benefit and build sustainable systems within the school and district.
• Facilitate dialogue between school districts and Agency Partners to identify needs and opportunities to leverage local solutions to increase food access.
• Cultivate and maintain relationship with contacts at school districts, MDE, MSNA and other partners to further the SHH mission in closing the meal gap and help reduce child hunger.
• Provide great stewardship of all partner schools and districts with timely responses, positive communications, and a strong customer service attitude.
• Develop, contribute to and implement program communication content, such as email blasts and seasonal newsletters.

Oversight and Capacity Building

• Communicate regularly in person, by phone and email with school district staff to achieve the objectives identified in the Child Hunger Implementation Plan, identifying and mitigating barriers and reevaluating continually as needed
• Keep abreast of SNAP, SBP, NSLP, CACFP changes, as well as needed data for measurement, training and issues.
• Maintain technical expertise in Federal Nutrition Program policies and procedures.
• Become and advocate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), coordinating with school district-based SNAP work with SNAP Specialists, interns and volunteers.
• Understand program barriers in a variety of setting and take a continuous quality improvement approach to problem solving

Data Management and Administration

• Coordinate routine program statistics ensuring timely reporting of accurate program data
• Collaborate with MDE and other organizations to access additional data on desired outcomes.
• Coordinate collection of qualitative and quantitative data for grant applications and reports.
• Maintain budget reports and oversee related invoicing and expense tracking as appropriate

Behavioral Expectations

• Entrepreneurial, self-starter who can work independently and efficiently under minimal supervision
• Support innovation with an openness to new ideas, learning from others and flexibility to support change as needed.
• Builds constructive, collaborative relationships and works together to achieve goals and objectives. Leverages cross-functional resources to encourage cooperation, different ways of approaching projects, and represents a diverse group of individuals.
• Generates new ideas and approaches to day-to-day work. Suggests and tries different and creative ways to leverage opportunities and achieve greater results. Demonstrates a willingness and ability to adjust through changing conditions, adversity or setbacks.
• Behave consistently with the values of Second Harvest Heartland.
• Actively listen to others and demonstrate understanding of others’ points of view.
• Provide timely, accurate oral and written communication.
• Balance consulting with Director of Programs on priorities and working independently.

Qualifications

• A combination of education and experience generally attained through a bachelor’s degree in a related field (social services, community engagement, public health) and minimum of 2-year experience in school nutrition service or sales, or experience in social service programming in a school setting or related nonprofit work.
• Proven ability to influence prospective partners in a complex environment.
• Experience working with diverse communities. Experience working with schools and district staff a plus.
• Must have reliable vehicle with immediate access for community meetings and activities.
• Attention to detail and with excellent follow through.
• Ability to prioritize work activities and effective time management.
• Ability to plan, manage and follow through on multiple projects.
• Expert written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Professional attitude and appearance both internally and with all Child Hunger partners.
• High degree of professional ethics, honesty, integrity and conduct.
• Commitment to the mission and the cause of hunger relief

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit at a desk and work on a computer for long periods of time
• Ability to be on the phone frequently during the day.
• Must have valid drivers’ license with good driving record and appropriate insurance levels.

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

July 22, 2019