Careers

Description:

Title:      Fresh Start Food Cart Coordinator

Status: Full-time (40 hours per week, may include evening and/or weekend hours) May-October, with the potential to become a year-round position

Wage:   $16-18/hour, commensurate with experience

Location:  Manchester, NH with travel to Concord and Nashua, NH in Mobile Market vehicle

About ORIS and Fresh Start Food Cart

The Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) is an ethnic community-based nonprofit organization with the mission to aid in the resettlement of refugees and immigrants in New Hampshire by providing training, assistance, resources, and opportunities that promote self-sufficiency. ORIS’s Board of Directors and staff are majority new Americans, representing eight countries and fluent in thirteen languages.  The power of ORIS lies in its cultural understanding, linguistic expertise and first-hand knowledge of the immigrant experience. 

ORIS’s New American Sustainable Agriculture Program (NASAP) engages refugees and immigrants in developing their own small farm enterprise, including farmer training and business development support. Participants are able to sell their produce through ORIS’s Fresh Start Farms brand, which includes a farmshare, a new retail store in Manchester, farmers markets throughout the region, and the Fresh Start Food Cart, a mobile farmers market. The Mobile Market offers an additional outlet for selling produce grown by ORIS’s farmers while addressing key barriers to food access for new Americans and in low-income neighborhoods. 

Position Overview

The Fresh Start Food Cart Coordinator will lead ORIS’s food access programming. The primary focus of this role will be on managing the operations of the mobile market with additional responsibilities to coordinate food donations to community partners and support the “healthy corners” initiative as well. The Coordinator will manage relationships with property management at Fresh Start Food Cart sites, oversee a Community Ambassador program to support marketing efforts, monitor inventory and procurement for the Cart, drive the large van with trailer to and from sites, and be the point-person at all market stops providing customer service and conducting transactions. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved with an innovative, impactful, and community-driven organization and play a key role in building a local food system that provides for and includes everyone. 

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain relationships with property management at Fresh Start Food Cart sites, ensuring regular and clear communication about Cart schedule, parking, and other critical operational needs; 
• Recruit resident Community Ambassadors at Cart sites and collaborate with each to develop and implement outreach and promotion strategies for each site;
• Oversee youth interns responsible for providing support at Cart sites; 
• Collaborate with Fresh Start Food Hub staff to order produce from farmers, stock Cart appropriate, and manage inventory from day to day; 
• Drive van with 30’ trailer to scheduled Cart stops in a timely manner;
• Set-up and take-down mobile market at each stop, including displaying produce in an effective manner and ensuring proper signage;
• Deliver exceptional and proactive service to customers, including ensuring compliance with latest public health recommendations concerning COVID-19, answering questions and providing informational materials;
• Conduct transactions and process customer payments, including cash, credit/debit, and EBT / GSMM sales;
• Manage data collection and reporting for grants supporting the Cart’s operations, including maintaining accurate records of all customer transactions; 
• Develop and implement annual customer / community surveys to further improve the Cart’s delivery model; 
• Coordinate with community partners to donate unsold produce; 
• Additional responsibilities as assigned. 

• 1-2 years’ experience in community outreach/organizing/development, food systems, customer service or other relevant fields
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills
• Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse communities and partners in a sensitive and competent manner
• Demonstrated ability to collect data and keep accurate, meticulous records
• Ability to both collaborate as a team and be self-motivated working with minimal supervision
• Interest in food systems/food access, sustainable agriculture, community development, and/or issues impacting new American communities
• Must have a driver’s license and clean driving record
• Comfort driving large vehicle with a trailer is required; experience doing so in urban settings preferred
•  Ability to lift 50 pounds
• Experience selling at farmer’s markets or other local food system market channels is preferred but not required
• Proficiency in another language spoken will be considered an asset (Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Maay Maay, Nepali, Spanish, Swahili etc.) and multilingual candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates with first-hand or lived experience in new American communities are especially encouraged to apply
• Evening and weekend availability

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter expressing your interest in the position to acunningham@refugeesuccess.org.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.