Company description Food Shift works collaboratively with communities, businesses and governments to develop long-term sustainable solutions to reduce food waste and build more resilient communities. We believe thousands of people can be employed in the recovery, redistribution and processing of excess food. By reducing food waste, we can feed the hungry, create jobs, combat climate change and cultivate more sustainable communities.
 

In 2016, Food Shift launched The Food Shift Kitchen. Using fresh fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be discarded due to imperfections, the Food Shift Kitchen creates meals and food products which are sold throughout the community and provided to food insecure communities. The Food Shift Kitchen trains and employs individuals with barriers to employment. It is our goal is to develop powerful regional models that can be scaled nationally to empower waste reduction, job creation, and food distribution.
 

Despite the abundance of food and wealth in the Bay Area, 1 in 4 people in San Francisco, 1 in 5 in Alameda, and 1 in 4 in Santa Clara are food insecure – many of them seniors and children.  Meanwhile, 40% of all food produced is wasted, contributing to climate change that is ravaging communities around the globe. Food Shift’s work directly responds to these social and environmental imbalances.  Food Shift’s local efforts exist as part of a broad and growing movement to transform our economy and culture toward a more just, equitable, and regenerative planet for all.   

Since 2012, Food Shift has worked with communities, businesses, and governments to develop models that reduce food waste, feed people, and create jobs for people with barriers to employment.  Food Shift’s primary project is The Food Shift Kitchen, a social enterprise catering company that recovers and redistributes surplus food while providing culinary training to individuals overcoming homelessness and other challenges.  Food Shift has a $500,000 budget, 4 full-time staff, 4 part-time staff, and 8 active advisory board members. 

Major Food Shift Accomplishments:

• Leader and innovator in the movement to reduce wasted food – increasing local and national awareness through events, media, campaigns, and public speaking.
• Co-developed school food recovery/donation program and toolkit.
• Co-hosted the first U.S. Zero Food Waste Forum and Feeding the 5,000 events.
• Influenced regional food recovery action and strategy with Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
• Recovering and donating over 100,000 lbs of food per year, training and employing dozens of individuals overcoming homelessness, and generating over $100,000 in revenue each year through The Food Shift Kitchen.

The Food Shift Kitchen is modeled after DC Central Kitchen where each year 150 employees generate $9 million in revenue while reducing wasted food, feeding the community, and providing job training for 90 individuals overcoming incarceration, homelessness, and drug addiction.  The time is now for this model to expand in the Bay Area.

Job description

Title: Executive Director
Salary: $75,000-85,000 DOE
Benefits: Full health and dental, vacation & sick leave, 11 paid holidays, lunch provided Mon-Thurs
Hours: 40 hours per week; work remotely on Fridays
Location: 677 West Ranger Ave, Alameda, CA

Food Shift is seeking new leadership to:

• Develop the organizational capacity and community, philanthropic, and government support to scale and sustain The Food Shift Kitchen model.
• Utilize human-centered design to listen, engage, and invest in communities who have been most affected by systems of oppression to refine our food distribution to work for them.
• Explore workforce development partnership and social enterprise opportunities that align with our mission and values.
• Amplify social equity and environmental justice policy ideas as part of food recovery and hunger alleviation work in the region to move beyond band-aid solutions.
• Shake up traditional, transactional, and isolated models of food recovery and distribution with bold, creative, and collaborative solutions.
• Leverage the abundance of food becoming available as a result of SB 1383 legislation to create value and power for communities of color.  
• Continue holding businesses accountable for their waste and the cost of food recovery and redistribution.
• Leverage Food Shift’s solid foundation of relationships and history of impact to create an even deeper impact and lasting change for the community.
• Shift Food Shift from our historically white privileged leadership and team to a team led by people of color.
• Collaborate, uplift, and invest in the future of employees and the community.

The Position:

Food Shift is seeking transformational leadership to help shape the future of Food Shift.  The ideal candidate will be bold and creative, with deep cultural competency, and a passion for equity and justice.

Food Shift’s Executive Director is responsible for the direction, management, and development of Food Shift’s team, programs, and impact.  The Executive Director is both the internal leader of the organization as well as the driving force behind external relationships – using their skills and networks to establish and sustain partnerships in support of our goals. The Executive Director must be skilled at fundraising, thinking strategically, and team leadership.

Food Shift is fiscally sponsored by Earth Island Institute and Food Shift’s Executive Director is the person responsible for project compliance with Earth Island policies and procedures, in addition to being responsible for the project’s consistent achievement of its mission, organizational obligations, and financial objectives. 
 

Responsibilities:

Program Management and Innovation:

• Lead long- and short-term planning for the development of core programs so they are cohesive and mission-aligned.
• Facilitate regular program evaluation meetings to expand and deepen impact.
• Gather, analyze, and disseminate program data and results regularly to gauge success and guide improvements.
• Promote consistent opportunities for staff to give program feedback. 
• Maintain working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field. 

Financial Management & Fundraising:  

• Prepare, manage, and communicate organizational budgets and quarterly forecasts.
• Ensure monthly revenue targets are met.
• Prepare grant applications and reports. 
• Maintain relationships with major donors and execute quarterly donor appeals and engagement events.

Team Management and Development:

• Support leadership and talent development by establishing annual goals and development plans, and providing regular performance feedback. 
• Develop working advisory committee that supports organizational goals.
• Maintain a positive, healthy, safe work environment; attract, retain and motivate a diverse and top quality staff.

Community Partnerships:

• Build and maintain relationships with community partners essential to Food Shift’s mission; represent the organization at events and in the media. 
• Facilitate strategic collaboration to support long-term organizational sustainability. 
• Nurture community of support by publicizing activities through newsletter, social media, and events.  

Qualifications

• Passionate and knowledgeable about Food Shift’s mission.
• Experience working with communities impacted by institutional racism, poverty, homelessness, and drug addiction.
• Significant professional achievement in a dynamic non-profit or social enterprise.
• At least 5 years’ experience developing and/or managing programs in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a focus on client service.
• At least 5 years of management or supervisory experience required with a track-record of staff development.
• Experience raising funds and cultivating relationships with foundations, corporate sponsors, and major donors.
• High level of proven non-profit leadership and ability to manage complex tasks in a timely and professional manner.
• Demonstrated results with building relationships within the local community.
• Data-driven mindset, ability to read and create reports.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and work with diverse audiences.
• Ability to collaborate in an entrepreneurial work environment. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including non-violent communication. 
• Ability and desire to be in a work environment that values working as a team, relationships, and giving and receiving honest feedback.

To view an expanded job description, visit the Executive Director posting on our website.

*We invite you to read this letter from Dana Frasz, who is transitioning out of her role as Executive Director, as she reflects on how far Food Shift has come in the 8 years since she founded the organization.

 

Compensation this position is : salaried, varies DOE, $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 Application instructions Deadlineno deadline