Company description

About Us
The Chesapeake Agriculture Innovation Center (CAIC) began in 2020 as an initiative of the non-profit Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC). Founded in 2004, ESEC promotes economic development in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors—two industries that have traditionally been integral to our region.

In founding CAIC, we sought to create a dedicated resource hub specifically for the region’s farmers and value-added producers. Today, our team provides tailored education and training, consulting services, access to capital, and other tools to support agribusiness development. From product development to scaling, and from produce safety training to grant writing, we’re here to help you grow.

Mission
CAIC is committed to supporting and nurturing the business growth of farmers and producers in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors. We believe in their power and potential, and recognize their crucial role in the regional food supply chain. When our farmers and producers thrive, our entire region can thrive.

Job description

Description
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.
• Location: Baltimore Washington Area

Compensation:

• Contractor Pay rate: $26.50/hr

• 10-15 hours per week with seasonal variations

• Up to 1500 hours total or $39,750

• Duration: July 1st 2026-September 30 2027
• This is a 1099 contractor role that offers no benefits

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

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Deadline

July 01, 2026