Food Sourcing Assistant
Temporary
Brooklyn, NY, US
Requisition ID: 1958
Salary Range:$50,000.00 To $52,300.00 Annually
About City Harvest
City Harvest is New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. During our 40 years serving New Yorkers in need, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of fresh, nutritious food and delivered it free of charge to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets across the five boroughs. This year, we will rescue and distribute more than 77 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need. City Harvest works alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. Since our founding in 1982, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time.
Job Overview
The Food Sourcing Assistant will be responsible for assisting the Supply Chain New York team in all the department’s administrative functions, including responding to emails and answering phone calls, coordinating donation pickups using Microsoft CRM, and preparing and sending food donor acknowledgment letters. They will manage all routing functions including day-to-day troubleshooting, providing support and feedback for reroutes and managing donor pickup schedules. The role will also support key department initiatives such as the seasonal Greenmarket Rescue program and annual food drive campaigns.
This position reports to the Associate Director, Donor Relations and Supply Chain and includes 10% travel, including visiting food donors and participating in food rescue events across New York City. The Assistant is required to work at least three days in person at our Sunset Park office, with flexibility for remote work on the remaining days.
The role will begin as a 6-month temporary position, with the possibility of transitioning to full-time.
Roles and Responsibilities
Retail Donor Management Manage a donor base of over 1,000 regular and irregular donors to support Supply Chain New York’s overall goal of sourcing 27.1 million pounds.
Work closely with Supply Chain Command Center to address any routing issues that may occur.
Manage daily donation pickups to ensure minimums are met and routes are running efficiently.
Respond to e-mails and answer phone calls regarding food donation inquiries from the public.
Donor Acknowledgement & Communication Manage monthly and annual donor acknowledgement process, improving donor experience while ensuring the efficiency of the donation process.
Prepare and send all donor acknowledgment letters, using a tiered donor acknowledgement process to thank donors for their food donations.
Work with Business Intelligence department to manage daily reminder emails sent to regular food donors.
Send quarterly e-blasts to Lapsed & Wildcard donors to encourage increased donations from former partners.
Greenmarket Rescues: Support the Supply Chain New York team in rescuing hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh produce and baked goods from GrowNYC Greenmarkets from June through November. The Coordinator will be responsible for tasks such as inputting crucial information into CRM database, restocking necessary rescue supplies, and providing onsite orientations for partner agencies that are completing their own Greenmarket Rescues.
Annual Food Drive Campaigns: City Harvest runs four annual food drive campaigns to raise over 1 million pounds of food and engage schools, businesses and every day New Yorkers in our mission. The coordinator will support these campaigns by liaising with Marketing on the promotional materials and helping schedule hundreds of food drive pickups during the busy holiday season.
Supply Chain New York Systems Management Maintain and improve backend processes that support SCNY daily activities and overall donor communication through systems such as CRM.
Food Recall Process Manage the daily communication of any relevant Food Recalls received Review all Food Recall notifications received and determine if needed to share with the rest of the Operations Team.
Job Specifications
Knowledge 1: Assist in the management of day-to-day planning and logistics of local food donations, including, but not limited to contacting, coordinating and maintaining an effective external food network, including food manufacturers, restaurants, food retailers, government partners, and disaster relief entities.
Knowledge 2: Improve donor experience via customer service delivered and long-term efforts in donor acknowledgement process.
Technical Skills
Strong customer service, interpersonal skills and leadership abilities.
Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritize and make time-bound decisions.
Ability to coordinate detailed rescues and events thoughtfully and creatively.
Experience using Microsoft CRM or similar donor databases.
Proficient in Microsoft Suite.
Ability to work and travel throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
Strong Communication Skills, both written and verbal.
Ability to multi-task and make decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to work in a team environment and communicate necessary information to team members.
Preferred Experience
1-2 years’ experience in relevant field or customer service role.
Demonstrated ability to manage in a dynamic and fast-moving environment.
Working Conditions
Ability to travel that may include consecutive overnight stays, and traveling by car, bus, and airplane.
Ability to work remotely.
Ability to walk during long periods of time.
Ability to lift heavy boxes (e.g. 35+ lbs. of produce).
Ability to flex between office and warehouse conditions as needed.
Occasionally squat and lift up to 40 lbs. of weight.
Occasionally stand for a few hours at a time.
Occasionally work and walk outside in varying temperatures.
To accomplish essential job functions, required to work irregular hours and to return to work in emergency situations on an on-call basis.
Disclaimer
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and technical skills required of personnel so classified.
Why choose City Harvest?
There are many fantastic reasons to choose a career with City Harvest. In addition to fighting food insecurity in New York, City Harvest offers the following Benefits and Rewards:
Competitive market salaries
Generous time off
Full benefits (medical, dental, vision) with employer contributions towards premiums
Employer-provided life insurance
403(b) retirement savings plan with employer-matching
Professional development opportunities
Free Mental Health Services with Better Help
Commuter Benefits
Discounted staff perks (e.g., movie tickets, gym memberships, cellular plans)
At City Harvest, we enjoy working in a team-based environment and value the benefits of a diversified workplace. City Harvest is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
