Careers

Description:

osition Title: Food Shift Communications Associate/Manager (based on experience)*

Date Posted: 05-06-21

Status: Non-exempt, Regular, Salaried 

Pay Rate: Commensurate with experience ($20,500 to $24,000 for half time)

Hours: Part time (19 hours or less) or half-time

Benefits: Regular Earth Island Institute Employee, pro-rated vacation/sick hours accrual

Location: 677 W Ranger Ave, Alameda, CA, or remote as appropriate

Reports to: Food Shift Executive Director

*This position can be combined with the Food Shift Development Associate/Manager (or other half or part-time positions and responsibilities at Food Shift) to craft a role that amplifies your skills and interests. 

About Food Shift

Food Shift is a non-profit social enterprise based in Alameda, CA and serving the broader Bay Area. We are developing and implementing collaborative models to reduce food waste, nourish our neighbors, and provide jobs. Food Shift takes care to examine and adopt the best, most relevant role for us to play in our community. Food Shift’s primary programs are The Food Shift Kitchen, a unique social enterprise that transforms wasted food into nourishing meals and job opportunities, and Operation Together, our food hub that builds food security in our local food ecosystem. In The Food Shift Kitchen, trainees who are overcoming employment discrimination assist with Food Shift operations, recovering surplus and cosmetically imperfect produce that would otherwise be wasted and transforming the wasted food into nutritious meals and food products that are distributed as food assistance and sold to local businesses to generate revenue for the program. In light of the pandemic, we established our COVID-19 relief initiative, Operation Together, to supply food to frontline food assistance organizations, ensuring that all of us in our community can access the delicious, nourishing food we need to live well. We strongly encourage applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) candidates and folks with lived experience of the issues our constituents navigate, including but not limited to food insecurity, houselessness, incarceration, and poverty. We are fiscally sponsored by Earth Island Institute (EII), and therefore, EII is the employer for all Food Shift staff.

Who we are

We are a small staff but a big team, bringing interns, volunteers, executives-in-residence, and advisors together at our table. Food Shifters connect to food through a range of experiences as chefs, servers, food writers, artists, farmers, home cooks, and eaters. Our flat organizational structure knits together our experiences and skills to strengthen the organization, and our cross-trained staff continually adjust to support one another. While our team members come from many backgrounds, we unite around our shared JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) values, which inform everything we do. 

That’s why we seek a “cultural knit” rather than a “cultural fit” in our hiring process. While “fit” suggests a search for a predefined candidate, a set puzzle piece that fits into the organizational jigsaw puzzle, we, instead, look for a cultural knit, which invites our new team members to weave their unique experiences and skills into our fabric. By weaving a cultural knit, our team gains the resilience to tackle the root causes of food insecurity and climate change. We strive to build capacity in each other and the team so we can build a more resilient food system with our community. We believe solutions must be for the people, by the people, and with the people. 

You will be expected to

• Develop newsletters and update newsletter list as needed 
• Strategize, supervise, and create social media content as needed
• Support media coverage of programming, through developing op-eds and soliciting stories from media outlets
• Manage external relationships pertaining to communications
• Oversee all intern recruitment, onboarding, paperwork, and coordination 
• Manage and build internship structure for the communications intern team
• Generate lists and reports using Salesforce as needed 
• Continually update communications best practices in Food Shift Brand Guide in keeping with JEDI principles
• Coordinate with other team members, especially Office Manager, on operationalizing tasks and procedures where appropriate
• Support with event planning, outreach, logistics, and follow-up 
• Provide back-up and support to Director and staff, as needed; take on other duties as assigned
• Represent Food Shift at events where appropriate 
• Physical Requirements: Ability to stand, bend, stoop, sit, walk, twist and turn; ability to use a computer, keyboard, and calculator. 

We recognize that excellence and potential are expressed differently for different people. If our vision and mission excite you, we hope you will share with us your experiences and skill set that you feel would qualify you to make a contribution as the Food Shift Communications Associate/Manager.

The Communications Associate/Manager is responsible for championing our internal and external communications materials (Associate or Manager title dependent on experience). You will report to the Executive Director, and work closely with staff, partners, and volunteers to perform key communications activities that support the organization. We consider communications an integral part of our operation, and expect all internal and external communications to reflect the JEDI values of Food Shift. As such, we take a holistic view when evaluating candidates, who can apply their professional skills to different aspects of our operation, and apply their operational experience back into communications. We believe deep, first-hand experience with our operation will seed stronger storytelling. We are seeking qualified candidates who identify with the descriptions below, with experiences and skills that will nourish an innovative start-up organization and contribute to our growing impact. 

• Inspired: Commitment to Food Shift’s mission and vision 
• Detailed: Attention to detail and organizational skills; strong follow-through and timely task completion 
• Self-Starter: Ability to complete work with minimal supervision and meet deadlines; take initiative to make improvements to systems and processes wherever possible
• Nimble: Ability to think critically and adapt in a flexible environment; proactive work ethic and ability to anticipate needs, prioritize, and take appropriate actions
• Collaborative: Values working as a team, building relationships, and giving and receiving honest feedback via nonviolent communication 
• Mentor: Capacity for mentoring and teaching peers and interns
• Words to Action: Clear, inspired oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate across community, partners, staff, and volunteers
• Technologically Skilled: Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, and Canva; Salesforce skills a plus  

To apply

Please email your application to careers@foodshift.net with the subject line “Communications Associate/Manager” by May 21, though we will continue accepting applications until the position is filled. Applications and interviews will be held on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

Your application should include:

• A resume, link to an updated LinkedIn profile (optional), and three professional references
• A cover letter that includes a short description of why you and Food Shift are a cultural knit and how you meet the qualifications for the role

Food Shift is a project of Earth Island Institute (EII) and this position is an employee of EII. Earth Island Institute provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.