Jobs

Advocacy Manager – Feeding Texas

FLSA: Exempt / Accountable to: Director of Policy & Advocacy

Organization Overview

Feeding Texas is the state association of food banks. The Feeding Texas network of food banks is the largest hunger-relief organization in Texas. Our mission is to lead a unified effort for a hunger-free Texas. Together with our member food banks, we strive to ensure adequate, nutritious food for all Texans, improve the health and financial stability of our communities, and engage all stakeholders in advocating for hunger solutions. You can learn more about us and our work at www.feedingtexas.org.

Job Summary

As a member of the Policy and Advocacy Team, the Advocacy Manager supports Feeding Texas’ public policy advocacy to advance the organization’s mission to end hunger by supporting our state-level policy and advocacy work; assisting with the management of the Texas Food Policy Roundtable, a coalition of 60+ organizations dedicated to ending hunger; working to infuse people with lived experience of hunger into all facets of our advocacy; and supporting our member food banks to increase their advocacy capacity.

Essential Functions

• Assist Director of Policy and Advocacy in developing state policy advocacy priorities and strategies.
• Support our state-level advocacy work by building relationships with elected officials and staff, drafting and providing testimony as needed, monitoring the legislative process, and tracking bills of interest.
• Collaborate with member food banks and state coalition partners to advance our policy agenda and strengthen anti-hunger advocacy in Texas.
• Support member food banks to increase their advocacy capacity by providing timely analysis, materials, and updates on our policy and advocacy work and hosting advocacy trainings for food bank staff and partners.
• Maintain consistent communication with government relations staff at member food banks about legislative and advocacy activities.
• Work alongside Community Engagement Manager to infuse people with lived experience of hunger into our advocacy work.
• Work alongside the Communications Team to draft strategic communications content related to our policy goals.
• Evaluate opportunities and implement strategies related to building grasstops and grassroots support for Feeding Texas’ policy agenda.
• Assist with administrative functions of the Texas Food Policy Roundtable, a coalition of 60+ organizations dedicated to ending hunger in Texas.
• Maintain expertise in federal and state nutrition programs, and other policies that advance food security.
• Stay abreast of the latest research on food insecurity and other topics related to our policy agenda.
• Track and report state and federal developments that affect our policy agenda.
• Assist with special projects as needed, such as Get Out the Vote or other civic engagement projects.

All staff are expected to develop an anti-racist knowledge base and awareness of racial equity and racial justice strategies, participate in regular anti-racist trainings, and contribute to the development and integration of a racial justice framework at Feeding Texas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Full-time experience in public policy, advocacy, or related field within a business environment and/or non-profit organization
• Knowledge of food insecurity / poverty issues
• Experience working at or with the Texas Legislature a plus.
• Basic knowledge, or demonstrated ability to learn relevant office software, including Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and Teams

Skills and Attributes

• Excellent writing, research, and oral communication skills, including interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and to work as part of a team
• Ability to work on multiple projects with attention to detail and accuracy while adhering to deadlines in a fast-paced, virtual environment
• Able to work independently
• Strong ethical character capable of exercising good judgment and discretion and handling confidential information
• Commitment to organizational mission to end hunger

Applicants should also be committed to social and racial justice, with a belief that improving outcomes for all Texans–regardless of their race, place, or class–requires intersectional solutions that correct injustices and promote equity.

Compensation

The salary for this position is $64,200. Feeding Texas offers a competitive benefits package. We strive to provide non-cash benefits that encourage a work-life balance and promote the physical, mental, and financial health of our employees and their families.

Location

Feeding Texas operates in a virtual work environment. We provide the necessary technology, equipment, and other supports to ensure a comfortable and conducive home working environment for employees. All staff must be residents of the State of Texas within 30 days of their start date.

To Apply

Please upload your resume and complete a brief questionnaire here. The form will close at 11:59PM CST on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. We expect to have a candidate selected by June 28 with a preferred start date of July 12, 2023.

Feeding Texas is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages people with lived experiences of hunger and members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ identified people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English.

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Member Services Administrator – The Collaborative For Fresh Produce (CFP)

About The Collaborative For Fresh Produce (CFP)

The Collaborative for Fresh Produce (CFP) is a nonprofit organization that sources and distributes surplus produce to those in need through partnerships with growers and food banks. CFP was founded by Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks, and is one of seven Regional Produce Collaboratives (RPC) supported by Feeding America, the nation’s network of food banks. CFP works closely with other collaboratives and food bank staff across the Southwest to source donations of surplus produce and then manages the logistics of getting it to food banks in shipments that are the right size and mix for each individual community. The CFP collaborates with Feeding America and other RPCs to create and implement a sustainable agricultural sourcing model and strategies for the region and the network.

Position Overview

The Member Services Administrator works with member food banks, produce donors (grower and suppliers), and shippers to coordinate the ordering and transporting of surplus produce and other agricultural products to food banks in the Feeding America network. The Member Services Administrator is responsible for the transaction of all loads being processed through the CFP from ordering to fulfillment. This position pro-actively identifies and troubleshoots problems, documents best practices, and actively seeks out opportunities for process improvement.

The Member Services Administrator nurtures strong relationships with food bank customers, ensures consistent messaging to vendors, donors, shippers, and suppliers, and contributes to transparent and timely communications with all internal and external partners.

Essential Functions

• Establish relationships based on trust and accountability with all food bank customers, maintaining an excellent level of customer service and professionalism at all times.
• Collaborate with Feeding America regional produce staff, other RPCs, and food bank customers to meet the goals of the organization.
• Coordinate the regional offering of produce loads to food bank customers (from when a load is available to ensure a load is ready for invoicing)
• In coordination with local food bank sourcing teams, build strong relationships and effective communication with donor-growers and shippers.
• Develop strong relationships and negotiate best rates with transportation providers.

Qualifications

A. Desired Attributes

• Critical Thinking – Asks pertinent questions while working with a high degree of ambiguity. Competent in identifying new systematic solutions. Listens carefully, solicits and incorporates feedback from others.
• Positive and Concise Communication – this role will work with countless stakeholders across many different organizations and companies, the continuous need to be a positive resource is crucial. This person must be willing to always support our customers and partners.
• Integrity – Exhibits honesty and truthfulness when interacting with coworkers, customers, and suppliers. Displays high ethical standards.
• Accountability – Meets individual and organizations goals and measures results against communicated goals. Highly self-motivated and motivates team members to achieve desired results.

B. Education, Experience, and Training

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or a related field preferred but not required
• 3-5 years related experience, preferably with nonprofits, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in food distribution or produce supply chain operations
• Food bank experience strongly preferred

C. Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds
• Ability to juggle many time sensitive tasks at once
• Strong computer skills, including Outlook, Word and Excel and working knowledge of current industry warehousing, distribution and logistics software
• Advanced data analytics, organization and management skills
• Knowledge of food warehousing and transportation
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to work individually and as part of a team
• Ability to work at a detailed level to further vision and strategic goals
• Commitment to CFP and Feeding America mission
• Bi-lingual (Spanish) is a plus

D. Travel

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 10-30% of time on job

Compensation

Salary is commensurate with education and experience. CFP offers a competitive benefits package.

To Apply

Send a cover letter and resume to joshm@cfproduce.org. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023, 5:00PM CT.

CFP is an equal opportunity employer.