Hiring: Food Hub Coordinator – Food Connects

About Food Connects
Food Connects is a dynamic and growing nonprofit organization based in Brattleboro, VT that
delivers locally produced food as well as educational and consulting services aimed at transforming
local food systems. Founded in 2013, Food Connects is a catalyst for food systems change by
connecting the next generation with their food, local farmers with new markets, and school chefs
with school food.

Job Summary

The Food Hub Coordinator (FHC) is responsible for coordinating day to day operations of two
interrelated, mission-driven, food hubs: Food Connects (FC), and partner Monadnock Menus (MM).
Both are aggregation and distribution food hubs that deliver source-identified local food to buyers
twice a week, are managed through the same online platform, and use Food Connects’ refrigerated
truck for deliveries. The Food Hub Coordinator supports Food Connects’ innovative and dynamic
food system programming, helping to drive the continued growth and evolution of the organization
and its food hubs.

Food Connects is a small, horizontally-structured organization, which means that everyone in the
office participates in occasional big picture decisions like hiring, creating organizational policies,
outreach, fundraising, and conducting an annual peer review.

The FHC is based in the Food Connects office in Brattleboro, VT, and is a full-time, year-round
non-exempt salaried position.

Collaboration
● The Food Hub Coordinator reports directly to the Food Hub Manager.
● The Food Hub Coordinator does not directly oversee any staff.
● The Food Hub Coordinator works closely with:
○ The Food Hub Manager to coordinate sales and distribution efforts for schools
receiving educational support.
○ The Administrative and Marketing Coordinator to implement social media marketing
strategies and event coordination.
○ The driver(s) to build and and manage their daily logistical plans and act as reference
point for their questions and communications about the day’s pickups/deliveries.

Schedule
● 40 hours/week; approximately 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.
● Occasional meetings and events on evenings and weekends (with plenty of advance notice).
● Occasional regional travel required.

Job Responsibilities
Food Hub Coordination
● Act as primary point of contact with customers and vendors for order fulfillment and delivery,
including fielding and resolving customer/vendor issues.
● Manage daily operations, including: receive and process customer orders every Monday and
Wednesday; send regular order reminders; assist customers with the ordering process;
invoice or credit buyers/vendors for extra/missing/damaged items.
● Keep accurate financial records of food hub purchases; manage invoicing and invoice
adjustments and accounting in the online commerce site; manage records of distribution;
track and report on distribution errors.
● Maintain accuracy of vendor and buyer information..
● Build and maintain close working relationships with buyers, vendors, and other collaborators.
● Generate optimized driving instructions and coordinate with the driver(s) over the course of
every delivery day.
● Communicate regularly with driver and assist them as needed in product aggregation and
distribution.
● Maintain accurate mileage and driver hour records.

Inventory Management
● Actively manage product inventory numbers both at our physical storage space and within
our online commerce system.
● Manage pre-purchase orders and agreements with vendors and buyers.
● Proactively communicate with vendors regarding product availability and supply.

Business Development
● Identify ways to improve the food hub program, and its distribution operations in particular,
and help put those strategies into action.
● Assist Administrative and Marketing Coordinator in developing and implementing a social
media strategy for the Food Hub.
● Assist Food Hub Manager with meetings and events, as well as sales activities like lead
development, buyer and vendor onboarding, etc.
● Represent Food Connects in opportunities for Food Hub education and outreach.
● Collaborate with Food Hub Manager on projects to improve logistics, accounting, data
management, and distribution systems.
● Collaborate on business planning, fundraising efforts, grant proposals and reports, software
testing, etc. as needed

Additional Responsibilities .
● Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops and
reviewing professional publications.
● Create and maintain a work plan and solicit feedback from staff at regular staff meetings.
● Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications
● Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal: in person, over the phone, email,
text.
● Strong customer service skills.
● Strong proficiency with Internet use, spreadsheet development, databases, Google Drive and
Microsoft Office suites. Comfort with learning new software platforms.
● Skilled in creative problem-solving.
● General knowledge of veggies, fruits, and other locally-produced items.
● Ability to remain calm under pressure and in the face of changing demands
● Strong organizational skills and natural proclivity for keeping detailed records.
● Ability to work effectively with others in a team-oriented environment.
● Self-starter who can work well independently.
● Ability to quickly assess a situation and make necessary decisions
● Ability to prioritize tasks and manage workload among fast-paced and sometimes
unpredictable programs.
● Flexible; able to prioritize and manage workload in a fast-paced, ever-evolving work
environment
● Reliable private vehicle for occasional regional travel.
Preferred Qualifications
● Experience with food systems, food wholesale, food retail, and/or farming.
● Existing relationships with local food producers.
● Familiarity with the geographical area of our delivery services (Windham County, VT; Windsor
County, VT; Cheshire County, NH).
● Experience with value-added food production.
● Experience driving box delivery trucks or other comparably-sized vehicles, and willingness to
act as backup driver, when needed.

Physical Requirements
● Ability to lift and move up to 50 lbs on occasion.
● Continually able to sit at a desk and work in an office setting to execute job responsibilities.

Compensation
Starting salary range is $34,000 – $38,000, based on experience.
Food Connects provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants
for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or
genetics.

www.FoodConnects.org | 3 University Way, Brattleboro, VT 05301 | info@FoodConnects.org | (802) 579-1082