Hiring: Procurement Coordinator – Food Connects

Food Connects is seeking a Procurement Coordinator to join the Food Hub Business Development Department to support the day-to-day logistics of procurement, including placing purchase orders with vendors, inventory management, and assisting the Sales Team during the order cycle. This person will employ their technical experience, industry knowledge, and attention to detail to lend vital backend support to the Procurement Team. This position will start as a part-time position, but we are hoping for an applicant with an interest in growing with this position to full-time in alignment with the growth of the Food Hub. 

Position Title: Food Hub Procurement Coordinator (FHPC)

Supervisor: Food Hub Procurement Specialist (FHPS)

Employee Status: Part-Time, Non-exempt, Hourly (24-30 hours per week)

We value diversity in all of its forms and strive to have our employment practices reflect that. As such, we are an equal-opportunity workplace and will not discriminate on the basis of disability or other legally protected categories. If an employee has a disability that makes it difficult to perform their job duties, they are encouraged to notify us to engage in a discussion about reasonable accommodations. 

About Food Connects

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

The Food Connects Food Hub delivers source-identified, regional food from over 125 farms and value-added producers to over 280 wholesale customers located in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Western Massachusetts. Currently, we have vehicles on the road for pickups and deliveries 5 days per week. The Food Hub (FH) is experiencing rapid growth and will be expanding operations, infrastructure, and delivery schedule over the coming year.

Position Summary

The Food Hub Procurement Coordinator (FHPC) will provide crucial administrative support for the Food Hub Procurement Team, ensuring smooth and efficient order cycles & purchasing flow, focused on daily tasks. The FHPC will assist with the day-to-day logistics of procurement, including placing purchase orders with vendors, inventory management, and coordinating with the Sales Team during the order cycle. As such, the FHPC must have consistently exceptional organizational and record-keeping skills, and attention to detail while providing courteous, respectful service to a wide variety of food vendors. The FHPC is supervised by the FH Procurement Specialist (FHPS) and works in close partnership with all members of the FH Business Development Department.

Core Competencies

• Attention to Communication: The ability to ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed.
• Thoroughness: Ensuring that one’s own and others’ work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.
• Task Management: Can prioritize tasks and work toward their completion through tracking details and progress and, when needed, toggling between different projects or assignments.
• Initiative: Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it.
• Analytical Thinking: The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Procurement

• Act as a “buyer” in support of the FHPS.
• Build, send, and coordinate purchase orders and inbound logistics with FC’s local and regional vendors.
• Assist the sales team with efficient procurement of product substitutions, as needed, during weekly order cycles.
• Coordinate with vendors to ensure the accurate and timely release of updated Food Hub catalogs in concert with weekly order cycles.
• Collaborate as needed with the Operations and Warehouse Teams to enable efficient, low-waste, and error-free product flow.
• Participate in product/vendor evaluation with the Business Development Dept, coordinating the integration of each new vendor as required into FH marketing, sales, inventory, operations, and food safety systems.
• Coordinate the timely collection and organization of vendor food safety documentation.

Inventory Management

• Collaborate with Procurement & Warehouse Teams to maintain and streamline inventory management systems at the FH warehouse.
• Work with the FHPS to monitor and maintain ideal inventory levels and coordinate regular reordering of inventoried products to ensure consistent order fulfillment with minimal shrink.
• Assist the FHPS in performing monthly and year-end inventory counting and reconciliation.
• Assist the Marketing Coordinator in the development of regular marketing and promotional materials.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Coordinator to build and maintain accurate, complete, and engaging e-commerce listings for all of our products.

Admin

• Support the Sales Team, Procurement Team, Bookkeeper, and FH Director with various administrative tasks, including:
  • Participating in the reconciliation of vendor bills against receiving documentation.
  • Ensuring compliance with vendor onboarding protocols and maintaining up-to-date vendor documentation.

Additional Responsibilities

• Fill in for other FH staff when needed, including other duties as needed to assist the Food Hub in fulfilling its mission.
• Attend regular one-on-one check-ins with FHPS, and weekly check-ins with the Business Development Dept to seek and provide proactive and constructive feedback for mutual improvement and the general betterment of the FH.
• Engage in annual self-review.
• Participate in annual peer-review processes for FC and FH employees as required.
• Other duties as needed to assist Food Connects in fulfilling its mission.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

Food Connects will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals to perform the essential functions of their work to the degree we are able to do so.

Work Conditions

• This position is part-time, non-exempt, hourly.
• The position is based in the Food Connects Food Hub facility in Brattleboro, VT.
• Schedule has some flexibility, 3-4 days/week, with Monday and Wednesday required.
• Some federal holidays (those that fall on Mondays), may require at least part-time work. Adequate advance notice will be provided.
• The role will require in-office work up to 3 days/week, with remote work an option for the remaining day.

Schedule:

The ideal candidate has availability during the hours below, but there may be flexibility for the right candidate. The actual schedule will be determined during the interview process pending the applicant’s availability.

• Monday: 8AM-4PM
• Tuesday: 8AM-2PM
• Wednesday: 8AM-4PM
• Thursday: 8AM-4PM

Physical Demands: 

• This position entails extensive use of a desktop or laptop computer, sitting or standing at a desk workstation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications 

• 1 to 2 years’ experience in one or more of the following types of roles. Some professional experience in the food industry is strongly preferred.
  • Sales
  • Buying/purchasing
  • General administration
  • Project management
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal: in person, over the phone, email, text.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Strong organizational skills and natural proclivity for keeping detailed records.
• Enthusiastic ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Interest in and ability to adapt to changes in evolving business, be creative, and jump in where needed to optimize operations.
• Cheerful, professional presence.
• Strong knowledge of veggies, fruits, dairy, meats, value-added products and other regionally-produced foods.
• General technical skills with common workplace tools such as: G-suite, Excel, Slack, Asana, and customer relationship management software (CRM).
• Ability to learn and incorporate new tools and technology into a work plan.
• Reliable cell phone. Monthly cell phone reimbursement is rolled into salary.
• At least 3 professional references.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Existing relationships with/knowledge of food producers in VT, NH, MA and the NE region.
• General knowledge of the sustainable food and agriculture sector.
• General knowledge and relationships with regional logistics and freight providers.
• General knowledge of purchasing regulations for schools, institutions, and restaurants.
• Experience in small business management and/or business development, especially in the food sector.
• Familiarity with the geographical area of our delivery services (Vermont, Southern NH, and Western Massachusetts, primarily).
• Experience with E-commerce and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for food sales and distribution.
• Knowledge of basic food safety regulations.
• ServSafe Certified.

Compensation

• This is a part-time, 24-30 hour/week position.
• Beginning at $18.75 hourly. Negotiable depending on experience.
• A part-time position has the following benefits after a 90-day introductory period:
  • Paid time off: vacation, sick, personal, and holiday leave
  • Short-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Access to vision and dental insurance
  • 15% employee discount on food purchases.
  • 2% retirement contribution

Apply for this position.