Regional Food Systems Coordinator – Gilroy, CA (Santa Clara Valley Regional Office)

Organization: Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)

Position Title: Regional Food Systems Coordinator

Location: Gilroy, CA (Santa Clara Valley Regional Office)

Hours & Compensation: Salary and Full Benefits @ 1.0 FTE

Application Deadline: August 23, 2013

Organization Overview:

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for California family farms and sustainable agriculture. CAFF is a membership organization guided by a board of directors that includes family farmers and others who are passionate about food, farming and the environment. CAFF runs Regional Food Systems projects such as Farm to School projects, Buy Fresh Buy Local campaigns, Biological Agriculture, and providing technical assistance in accessing new markets to farmers around the state. Our main goals are to increase the economic viability of California family farmers and to connect communities with their local producers. See http://www.caff.org for more information.

Description:

The Regional Food Systems (RFS) Coordinator will be primarily responsible for implementing CAFF’s programs in the Santa Clara Valley region. Projects will vary depending on funding and opportunities within the organization’s strategic plan. Current projects include providing technical assistance to school districts and farmers in procuring local product through Farm to School and supporting the region’s Buy Fresh Buy Local program. The RFS Coordinator will manage Americorps member(s) that will be responsible for implementing Harvest of the Month in-class education, salad bar cafeteria promotions, garden based learning field trips, and coordinating volunteers for the various projects. The position will be located in Gilroy, CA. This position reports to the Santa Clara Valley Regional Food Systems Manager.

Responsibilities:

Farm to Cafeteria (60%):

• Work with the Farm to School team to provide technical assistance to food service directors in Santa Clara Valley region;
• Collaborate with Harvest of the Month Coordinator in delivering program in the Santa Clara Valley region;
• Facilitate direct farm to institutional food services sales or sales through distributors;
• Provide assistance to farmers or other distribution entities seeking to improve their local food sales, processing, and delivery systems;
• Develop and provide appropriate training and technical assistance workshops for farmers and institutional food service buyers;
• Implement current projects in the Santa Clara Valley region, Harvest of the Month promotions, Farm to Cafeteria projects, and food service staff trainings;
• Supervise the Americorps Member(s) and manage relationship with the administering agency, the Silicon Valley Healthcorps

Buy Fresh Buy Local (25%):

• Provide consulting and marketing services to program partners to facilitate increased purchasing of local foods
• Provide partners with printed materials and graphics to support
• Recruit & maintain partnership arrangements with restaurants & other institutional food service buyers interested in procuring serving, and promoting locally grown foods;
• Assist in the management of annual BFBL partnership program agreements, renewals, and benefits
• Collect and document purchasing data from partners
• Understand corporate food service management companies’ institutional dining operations in order to facilitate their local foods procurement

Program Support (10%):

• Provide overall support to the Regional Manager in ensuring regional projects and goals are achieved
• Support fundraising efforts as needed

Administration (5%):

• Participate in program and strategic planning
• Handle administrative paperwork, such as expense reports and program statistic tracking

Qualifications:

• Significant experience in providing technical assistance or promotion in at least one related field, such as cafeteria operations, agricultural production, community development, buy local campaigns, or institutional food sales
• Knowledge of regulations or industry norms related to one or more of the following: publicly funded school meals, food production or processing, institutional food services
• Public speaking experience and the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse populations, including farmers, food service professionals, government representatives, non profit employees, and educators
• Familiarity with Santa Clara County and San Benito County communities and geography
• Excellent writing and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Experience in Microsoft Office, iWorks, Photoshop, and/or InDesign a plus
• Marketing and sales background & experience with social media a plus
• Working knowledge of the principles of sustainable agriculture and local food system development
• Ability to organize work, track progress, and maintain productivity with indirect supervision
• Fluency in Spanish ideal
• Experience working within small non-profit organizations
• Access to a car and insurance required

How to Apply: 

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three references to Sadie Clements, [email protected]. The position will close August 23, 2013.

CAFF’s policy is that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Contact Information:

See http://www.caff.org for more information.