Food Donor Relationship Specialist
Location: Located in Columbia or Greenville, S.C.
Status: Exempt
Position Overview
The Food Donor Relationship Specialist formulates strategy and develops plans to solicit food and other products from the food industry including manufacturers, distributors, farmers, and supermarkets. This position is responsible for assisting in securing a steady flow of food donations from local food donors by cultivating existing relationships by developing new relationships with and between local network partners and food donors.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Develops and cultivates new food donors including retailers, processors, manufacturers, restaurants, cafeterias (schools, hospitals, etc.), and vegetable and meat growers throughout the HHFB network to ensure food donation percentage increases annually.
- Cultivates current food donors with the goal of receiving more pounds per donation and more frequent donations, preventing a percentage of attrition.
- Collaborates with Operations to make the most efficient use of transportation and other logistics needed for handling donations.
- Provides required monthly, quarterly, and annual reports as required by food donors, FANO, USDA, and HHFB.
- Develops and maintains donor recognition program and awards for major food donors.
- Provides oversight and communication of product recall program.
- Determines form and frequency of solicitations and develops a system of donor tracking, reporting and acknowledgments.
- Works with Food Procurement Specialist to ensure inventory needs are met.
- Works with the Warehouse and Fulfillment Teams to communicate incoming shipments and create strategies to reduce waste.
- Facilitates and maintains Agency Store Donation Program.
- Provides ongoing training to retail partners and agency staff involved in the store donation program.
- Hosts industry visits and tours demonstrating HHFB’s mission and the importance of donors to impact the communities HHFB serves.
HHFB Team Member Accountabilities
- Demonstrates a commitment to the HHFB mission and to fighting to end hunger in South Carolina.
- Displays a desire to work with culturally diverse populations using a compassionate, collaborative, and respectful approach.
- Supports a culture of continuous improvement by identifying and communicating process and safety improvements.
- Follows all safety policies and procedures, including reporting all unsafe acts and behaviors, safety hazards, incidents, or accidents immediately.
- Acknowledges that HHFB team members are considered emergency responders and may be called in to perform regular or emergent duties in instances of a federal, state or locally declared emergency.
Position Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in related field.
- Five years or more related experience in customer relations or the food industry.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
- Excellent communications, interpersonal and customer service skills; comfortable with public speaking.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Self-starter, strong organizational skills, and attention to detail.
- Ability to attend work functions outside of normal work hours, on weekends and evenings, as needed.
- Must be able to clearly articulate HHFB’s mission.
- Ability to relate effectively and professionally with other staff, volunteers, agency representatives and the public.
- Sales background strongly desired.
- Ability to travel across entire HHFB footprint.
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the tasks outlined in this job description.
This position operates primarily in an office setting within the branch. The position requires sitting at a desk and in meetings for long periods of time and involves extensive computer work with frequent interruptions. Vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This position will regularly be in a warehouse environment with varying temperatures, including freezers and outdoor weather conditions. With forklift traffic in the facility and product stacked and stored throughout, this position requires someone who is mobile and who can hear and watch for traffic and normal hazards of a warehouse environment. This position requires frequent traveling during the day.
Occasionally, this role is required to respond to organizational needs outside of normal working hours.
Harvest Hope Food Bank is an equal opportunity employer and embraces a philosophy that recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential. This description provides information regarding the essential functions of the designated job and the general nature and level of work associated with the position. It should not be interpreted to describe all the duties whose performance may be required of such employees or be used to limit the nature and extent of assignments the individual may be given. This position description does not constitute an employment agreement or contract.