CharityVillage

Associate Resource Manager

Hourly wage rate: $26.50

Term of Employment: 16 months

Number of hours per week: 35 hours

Start date: TBD

End date: 2025-12-31 (renewal possible)

Location of Work: Onsite and Remote

Hours of Work: Onsite Mondays and Wednesdays and as negotiated; some Saturday deliveries may need to be accommodated

Employment Terms: Contract Full-time, 3-month probation

Employment Benefits: United Church of Canada Pension & Benefits (for those who qualify) after
3 months, 15 days annual paid vacation, $35 monthly cell phone allowance, computer and vehicle
allowances possible for work on personal equipment, as negotiated

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Nourish East End hosts a busy market-style food bank delivering services to over 600 clients weekly in a multi-user space known as the East End Food Hub. Over the past two years, Nourish has grown from an entirely volunteer organization to a more complex organization with staff, increasing policy development needs and partnership obligations within the Food Hub.

This transitional role will work with the direction of the retiring Resource Manager training to gradually assume managerial responsibilities. The role is supervised by the Nourish Board Executive.

The Associate Resource Manager will manage food deliveries from key partners (Daily Bread, Second Harvest, local bakeries and butchers) in collaboration with volunteers. Working with the Resource Manager, they will oversee the storage, rotation and distribution of inventory as well as the purchase of supplementary goods to ensure that there is a broad and fresh selection of food each week for clients. The Associate Resource Manager will also work to develop and implement key food management policies and practices, and to support their implementation. This individual will also represent Nourish in operational discussions with other Food Hub partners and will be a key operational contact for the Board, participating in Board and Board Executive meetings.

About Us:

Nourish East End is a program of East End United Regional Ministry, a progressive Christian community guided by ancient and modern stories and spiritual practices that teach justice, compassion and resiliency. Nourish East End is one expression of the church’s value of radical hospitality offering service to all regardless of religion, class, ability, age, race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. Staff and volunteers at Nourish are drawn from a wide spectrum of communities, of many faiths and none, with a shared commitment to supporting neighbours facing poverty and food insecurity. Over 50% of our volunteers are also clients, bringing a lived experience that helps shape our commitment to food justice. We advocate for a society where no one needs to turn to a foodbank for assistance.

Responsibilities

Collaborate to Create a Welcoming, Safe and Sustainable Service for our Neighbours

1. Contribute to the creation of a client-centred environment at Nourish, supporting the Coordinator of Volunteers in fostering an effective and egalitarian team of volunteers, as well as processes that invite clients into the space with dignity and respect.
2. Meet regularly with staff and volunteer leads to reflect on and implement best practices that respond promptly to concerns and address changing food and service needs.
3. In partnership with the Coordinator of Volunteers, develop and implement a training plan to ensure food handling standard compliance amongst volunteers.
4. Train to provide short-term coverage of Nourish staff and lead volunteers as needed, to maintain sustainable operations.

Manage Inventory, Storage and Safe Food Handling

1. Working with the current Resource Manager, supervise the delivery, storage and safe food handling of goods and support volunteers to do so effectively.
2. Support the weekly operation of the food bank by being present in the space to support and supervise activities on a regular basis on Monday mornings and for an extended day on Wednesdays.
3. Oversee access and information retrieval about clients and client demographics from the Linked2Feed system ensuring client confidentiality and excellence in data collection that can inform both inventory needs and advocacy.
4. Propose inventory management tools appropriate to our scope and needs and begin implementation as possible.

Secure and Share Food Resources Through Relationship Building

1. Build and manage relations with our food partners (Daily Bread, Second Harvest) and with key in-kind donors including adjusting/negotiating orders, scheduling pickups and deliveries and transporting goods as needed.
2. Make supplementary food purchases as needed, working to maximize our purchasing capacity.
3. Submit receipts for weekly shopping and operational purchases to the Nourish Treasurer, in accordance with financial controls for spending and shopping card use.
4. Pickup and transport goods from in-kind donors and purchase sites - or direct and manage volunteers who do so. Disseminate unused goods to other food security partners (Good Shepherd, St John the Compassionate, Mustard Seed)

Build Collaborative Relations with Partners and Donors

1. Represent Nourish in operational discussions with other Food Hub partners around storage and space use.
2. Collaborate with building staff and our East End Food Hub partners to ensure that policies and standards are in place around building food safety standards and efficient use of space and cold chain assets.
3. Work to support the Board and Board Executive as a critical operational link to the Board, reporting regularly on operational issues, contributing to strategic planning and keeping records of key decisions.
4. Represent Nourish to in-kind donors and other community partners as needed.

Document, Enhance and Implement Food Safety Policy

1. Develop and begin implementation of written policies for safe food handling and storage, enhancing and building on our existing practices. This will include:
   • Policy and practices to document cold chain management including temperature monitoring and records management,
   • Maintenance and cleaning policy for the equipment used by the foodbank, developed with input from building staff, and as applicable, Food Hub partners,
   • A clear map of foodbank storage use and needs,
   • Policy and practices for dealing with the recall of food items,
   • Policy and practices for the repackaging of food items, and
   • Written policies for handwashing, glove use, and hygiene.
2. Establish an organized and accessible bank of policy documents for Nourish and consider integration with Food Hub policies as appropriate.

Needed Skills

• Previous management experience in food/grocery services, foodbank or facilities management
• Passion for social justice and food security, as well as a commitment to welcoming clients in an authentic and respectful manner, reflecting our value of radical hospitality
• Proficient English language communicator and writer
• A respectful team-based, solutions-focuses approach: ability to “pivot”, as needed
• Openness to work with potentially vulnerable volunteers of diverse skills and backgrounds
• Ability to enhance relationships with partners, within and beyond the Food Hub
• Capacity to negotiate with store managers, as well as in kind donors and partners, representing Nourish needs and maximizing satisfaction for both parties
• Able to compile best practice policies, to assess pragmatic implications of change and to negotiate implementation tensions in an organization with longstanding practices
• Physical strength (lift up to 50 pounds)
• Driver’s license required, option to use own vehicle for purchases and deliveries desired
• A vulnerable sector check is required.

Weekly Schedule Overview (including operational days Monday/Wednesday)

1. MONDAY (7 hours) - Preparation for Wednesday food bank (onsite 7 am-2 pm or similar hours on Friday in the event of a holiday Monday):
   1. Support staff and volunteers to prepare for the weekly Food Bank, including:
      • Monitor the delivery and management of food goods (including major weekly deliveries from food partners – Daily Bread and Second Harvest and the availability of storage for goods received, with information from the Resource Manager
      • Oversee monitoring of the cold chain and other storage safety issues
      • Gather information about available goods each week, working with the Resource Manager to monitor and track inventory and to identify supplemental purchases needed, and to arrange purchases (including pickup of goods as needed)
      • Provide direction and oversee the breakdown of goods appropriate to client needs in a way that is safe, sanitary and well-labelled.
      • Receive recall notices and ensure appropriate responses.
      • In consultation with Resource Manager and volunteers, monitor and record food transfers to partner organizations (Good Shepherd Ministries, etc); Play a role in contacting partners and transporting goods as needed
      • Work with volunteer leads and Resource Manager to ensure that the space is left in a condition appropriate for other users, and that the storage needs of partner programs are appropriately negotiated
2. WEDNESDAY (12 hours) – Foodbank day (onsite potentially 8 am – 8 pm) – An extended day or split shift may be necessary.
   1. Support the operations of staff and volunteers including:
      • Oversee morning breakdown of goods and the distribution of goods to the floor for the morning and afternoon shifts
      • Oversee receipt (and, as necessary, breakdown) from Second Harvest/other suppliers.
      • Monitor inventory and expiring dates, ensuring that perishable received food is made available promptly.
      • Oversee shutdown, including storage of all items, cleaning of tables, preparation of cardboard for recycling pick-up and restocking cabinets.
      • In consultation with staff and volunteers, determine excess perishable items to be discarded or transferred to partner organizations (Good Shepherd, Mustard Seed; St John; Eastview etc); contact partners, transport as needed.
      • Receive volunteers with evening deliveries.
3. Activities on non-operations days (some activities offsite and remote as negotiated (16 hours)
   1. Donations and Purchases
      • Oversee Daily Bread orders and Second Harvest deliveries; be the primary point of contact for these key food partners, routing information to staff and board as required.
      • Support scheduling and delivery of goods or pick up as needed, respecting and minimizing the impact on other programs using the space. Work with the Coordinator of Volunteers to engage volunteers in these tasks, as possible.
      • Communicate with in-kind donors at local businesses and potential donors; building relationships, securing and scheduling deliveries. Support holiday food drives and the intake of goods.
      • Purchase and pickup (or schedule delivery) of additional goods as needed; build relationships with local vendors and store managers as needed.
      • Monitor product recalls and other critical food safety issues potentially impacting us
   2. Collaboration and Planning
      • Participate in East End Food Hub Operations Meetings.
      • Participate in biweekly Executive and Board meetings.
      • Correspond and collaborate with other staff members, partners and the Board.
   3. Policy and Administration
      • Research and draft policy documents.
      • Financial Administration