Coordinator, Food Recovery Program

Spoonfuls keeps good food from going to waste. Through food recovery and distribution, education, and advocacy, we work to address the health, environmental, and economic impact that wasted food has on people and the planet. To learn more about our work, visit spoonfuls.org.

The Food Recovery Coordinator is responsible for managing a defined route of vendor partners and beneficiary partners in a particular region. This position will serve our Southeastern MA region. This includes, but is not limited to, managing relationships with vendors and beneficiary partners; conducting site visits and quality audits of vendors and beneficiaries to improve performance; safely driving a Spoonfuls’ box truck and refrigerated van; following vehicle safety and compliance protocols; entering, maintaining and improving data and inventory related to Spoonfuls’ work; and collecting, inspecting, lifting, weighing, loading and safely delivering perishable and nonperishable products from vendors to Spoonfuls’ beneficiaries on the same day the food is acquired.

The Food Recovery Coordinator is the face of our organization, and as such must be passionate about and committed to our mission.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Food Recovery

• Arrive at work on time each day in uniform, which includes Spoonfuls’ branded gear and appropriate non-slip shoes

• Drives a medium-duty 10- to 16-foot NPR box truck (non-CDL) and refrigerated sprinter van, following all Spoonfuls’ safety protocol, including all US Department of Transportation (DOT) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation regulations, and Spoonfuls’ regulations related to company vehicles and general safety

• Serves as the lead of food recovery and the face of the organization on a defined route; serves as primary driver of a 10-16-foot box truck driving a defined route each day

• Takes lead on the culling, lifting, weighing, loading, organizing, tracking, and overall collection of prepared, perishable, or other recovered foods from retail grocery stores, farms, institutions, producers/manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and more

• Adapts to a food recovery model that includes a regular daily/weekly route as well as last-minute changes, including added stops or adjusted timing; certain partners have irregular, occasional, or one-time pickup/delivery needs that the FRC may be asked to accommodate

• Communicates any partner requests to adjust their delivery schedule (e.g., changing delivery days, times, or frequency) to the office team; FRCs have significant autonomy on the road, but schedule changes are coordinated and approved by the office team

• Ensures food safety guidelines are being followed by all Spoonfuls’ staff and partners

• Inspects the product to be donated following food safety guidelines and refuses donations if the product doesn’t meet stated criteria (called “culling”)

• Delivers food to beneficiary partners the same day the food is acquired

Data and Reporting

• Actively participates in regular reviews of the route with members of the office team to ensure that routes are running efficiently and excellently

• Accurately records all collections and distributions in the inventory system the same day as each pickup and delivery

• Maintains records of beneficiary partners, vendors, and all information pertinent to food recovery operations in Salesforce

• Meets monthly with supervisor to provide updates and review any issues

• Participates in regular team meetings and education sessions, in person and virtual, both with the Program team and the entire organization

Relationship Management

• Develops, builds, and maintains positive relationships with vendors and beneficiaries, and informs supervisors of any problems or issues or complaints in a timely manner

• Maintains positive relationships with all Spoonfuls staff

• Supports the process to onboard new food donors (vendors) and food recipients (beneficiaries) and to improve partner performance

• Maintains contact with key staff at vendor and beneficiary locations to ensure smooth pick-up and delivery of donations or to communicate any delays or issues that may arise

• Communicates clearly and effectively in all oral and written communication

• Responds to any and all outreach from the Program office team and Spoonfuls’ office staff in a timely and respectful manner

• Demonstrates a working knowledge of customer service

• Participates in asks from other Spoonfuls’ departments that may include taking and submitting photos while on the road, sourcing partner quotes, participating in a photo or video shoot, supporting the ridealong process, and more

Vehicle Safety, Maintenance, and Compliance

• Follows all DOT and company regulations as they relate to company vehicles and general safety including DVIR reports before and after each shift

• Maintains a clean and orderly vehicle cab and cargo area

• Uses company vehicles only for the transport of recovered food or for purposes determined by the office team

• Practices safe and lawful driving at all times. Follows all legal parking procedures as outlined by the organization.

• Participates in regular maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep of the company vehicles, reporting issues to and following directions from the office team

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

Formal education or special training:

• Acceptable motor vehicle report (MVR) with no serious motor vehicle issues in the past 3 years (accidents or otherwise; to be determined by the HR department and Senior Manager); and then annually after hire

• Must consent to be enrolled in a Driver’s License Monitoring System

• Must have held a valid driver's license for at least 3 consecutive years and have a minimum of 3 years of licensed driving experience; 1 or more years of commercial truck driving experience preferred

• Possess or ability to obtain current DOT physical card per state and federal regulations, cost covered by Spoonfuls (https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/medical/driver-medical-requirements/dot-medical-exam-and-commercial-motor-vehicle-certification)

• ServSafe or other food safety experience preferred, but not required; if not in possession of a ServSafe Food Handler certification, employees must be able to obtain one within 7 days of hire and keep it maintained and updated. Cost covered by Spoonfuls.

• Previous customer service, food insecurity, and/or grocery experience preferred

Knowledge and special skills:

• Food Handling experience strongly preferred

• Effective customer service skills; interest in and passion for our mission

• Willingness and ability to learn app-based customer relationship management (CRM), data, inventory, and routing/mapping technology

• Ability and desire to relate to and work with various age, economic, racial and ethnic groups of individuals

• Ability to both speak and write in English

Competencies:

• Extreme flexibility and ability to adapt to varied work requirements

• Ability to adapt to and ensure food recovery in different types of New England weather conditions

• Recognized as a high-performing employee who reliably meets or exceeds the expectations of their core FRC role

• Patient and personable, with a demonstrated ability to adapt to change and varied situations

• Ability to work cooperatively with all Spoonfuls staff and partners

• Inclusion, tact, and diplomacy in dealing with diversity

Hours

Full-Time: Must be available 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. or 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. depending on the route, Monday through Friday, though schedule end-times vary day to day; evening shifts and overtime shifts are possible periodically. Coordinators may be required to drive to another work location as needed to cover responsibilities; advance notice will be given.

Benefits

Spoonfuls provides health, vision, and dental insurance through our PEO partner, as well as generous PTO and holiday closures.

Physical Demands

• Ability to drive for long periods of time

• Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands and arms, reach, climb up/down stairs, stoop down, kneel, climb in and out of a dock-high vehicle repeatedly over a 5-day workweek

• Ability to perform moderate to heavy physical labor (lift or maneuver up to 50 lbs repeatedly of boxes of food); lift an average of 14,000 pounds of food per week, 5 days a week - safe lifting ergonomics will be assessed during interview process

• Ability to speak and hear clearly

• Ability to work in refrigerated areas (coolers and freezers) for periods of time

• Ability to navigate a city or metro area and use a GPS

• Willingness to learn and ability to use apps (inventory, CRM (Salesforce), telematics, routing and mapping software, communication (Slack, Zoom/Google Meet, email))

Work Environment

This job requires the ability to:

• Start the route on time as determined by the office team; route start times vary by region and range from 7:00- 7:40 am

• Wear Spoonfuls uniform each day of the week

• Drive safely and be in DOT compliance at all times

• Keep all company assets (vans and trucks) clean and organized

• Operate in an enclosed, refrigerated box truck or commercial van on a daily basis, both alone or with another driver

• Be exposed contaminants such as fuel or exhaust

• Work outdoors while loading and unloading products. Work indoors while driving or filling out paperwork

• Sometimes being exposed to hot or very cold temperatures while working inside (including refrigerated areas, coolers, or freezers)

• Occasionally get into cramped positions to reach workspaces, such as the back of a truck

• Occasionally being exposed to whole body vibration when driving a truck

• Sometimes dealing with sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable

• Working closely with others/teammates, especially when unloading trucks. Includes driving with a teammate in an enclosed truck cab or commercial van when applicable (solo days to be expected regularly)

• Handle and sort through potential food to be recovered that is close to, at, or past date of expiration, or may already be opened, following Spoonfuls’ internal date guidance

• Use of hand-trucks or two-wheel dollies, use of U-Boats for moving, loading, and unloading product

• Use standard office equipment such as computers and phones

This job also may require you to be present in a professional office environment, which routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets. Some tasks outside the office may be required (attending meetings, attending events, shipping materials, etc.).