Program Manager FTE: food security & social connections to transform lives

Providing food security & social connection, we transform lives! [onsite/FULL-TIME]

·       Care about hunger reduction and food rescue?

·       Enjoy training and coaching small groups?

·       Love great food?

·       Skilled at planning and coordinating?

·       Value a cheerful, positive, and mission-driven work environment?

We’re seeking a Program Manager to join our collaborative, enthusiastic team at Meals on Wheels Takoma Park/Silver Spring where we prepare and deliver delicious meals to homebound seniors, disabled people and veterans.

In this role, you will:

1.        Guide, train, and coach our volunteer kitchen assistant teams

2.        Plan our daily deli meal sandwiches and salads alongside the Chef and Deli Coordinator

3.        Welcome and incorporate food donations, maintaining relationships in the food rescue community

4.        Order food from a range of sources, including local farmers

5.        Engage in dynamic special projects tailored to your interests (read on!)

Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring

Position Posting: PROGRAM MANAGER

OUR MISSION & VISION

With a vision of a more resilient, interconnected, and compassionate community, Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring’s mission is to nourish our community. We do this through the preparation and delivery of healthy, delicious meals to our homebound neighbors and other programs that support our community.

OUR CULTURE

In this workplace, we are focused on and guided by our mission and our vision. We are honest, kind, respectful, and encouraging; we communicate openly and directly. There is space for curiosity and innovation. We express a generosity of spirit, understanding that everyone makes mistakes, and we learn from our own. We work hard, we pitch in where needed, and we trust that others are working hard, too. Our small, friendly team enjoys working together and supporting one another.

OUR ORGANIZATION & TEAM

Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring (TPSS) is all about our people: 8 staff, 250 clients/year, and 150+ volunteers. We are a small, lively group of dedicated nonprofit professionals, and we work closely to ensure operations run smoothly. As a direct service organization, we work hard, and our work is imbued with shared camaraderie.

THE POSITION

The Program Manager, Deli Meals is passionate about food, cooking, and serving our homebound neighbors. The Program Manager reports to the Executive Director (ED) and works in partnership with the Chef and the Deli Coordinator towards the day-to-day success and long-term growth of our program.

The Program Manager is responsible for planning and ensuring the preparation of the daily deli meal (sandwich, 2 sides, juice & milk). The Program Manager is supported by and coordinates the efforts of the Deli Coordinator and the volunteers who assist in the kitchen. The Program Manager coordinates with external partners for gleaning* and other special projects that are tbd but could include some of the following depending on interest and skills: producing our Kids Connect! program, managing a new herb garden, teaching cooking skills to small groups, representing our program at food rescue community convenings, preparing and presenting sessions for conferences about our special projects.

The Program Manager is relied upon to complete your responsibilities each day; working closely and collaboratively with colleagues and volunteers as well as independently. You are excited about working at a nonprofit and committed to our mission of delivering delicious meals to our homebound neighbors. You are passionate about preparing great food and you also have administrative and training skills. You take pride in being consistent in your work, you are able to see how pieces and process flow together, and you communicate well to support a smooth-running operation. 

A TYPICAL DAY

·   8:30am arrive to cheerful greetings from other staff who are also arriving; check email.

·   Confer with Chef Anthony and Deli Coordinator Steve, help set out items for Kitchen Assistants and greet them on their 9am arrival. Everyone admires the kale and rhubarb that was donated the day before and you have a lively discussion about how we can use the rhubarb for our clients.

·   9:45am, the kitchen is filled with laughter and jokes, as is the office, as you settle down at your computer, emailing with our gleaning partners (gleaning is gathering food that is rescued or donated). You call a local farmer, from whom we buy produce, and ask if they have anything available that we can use. They have a fresh crop of spring greens. You let the Operations Manager know that we’ll need to have payment ready for them.

·   11am, go back into the kitchen to make sure the kitchen assistants are helping Chef Anthony plate up that day’s hot meals and you help out where needed.

·   12:30pm, all the meals have been ferried out by volunteer drivers for delivery to our homebound clients (seniors, disabled people, and veterans) and you grab a quick lunch in the conference room with other staff.

·   After lunch, you call one of our volunteers who is available to ferry some packages of grapes to a food pantry where they can use them while they are still fresh. You might review the lesson plan for the 4th grade classrooms that you’ll be visiting next month and make some updates to the powerpoint, or create a plan for the herb garden and draft a paragraph inviting volunteers to join us at a work day preparing the garden bed. At 3pm, you send the draft language to the Executive Director for review, do a last email check, and turn off your computer to head home at 3:30pm.

QUALIFICATIONS:

·   Must be licensed by Montgomery County, MD as a food safety manager, or become licensed within 3 months of hire (costs covered by Meals on Wheels).

·   Value and support the mission of Meals on Wheels.

·   Able to work closely on a team with other staff and volunteers, as well as independently.

·   Deal tactfully with the public, especially volunteers.

·   Establish and maintain an efficient, orderly kitchen and properly prioritize demands to meet tight time deadlines.

·   Maintain a courteous, helpful manner and actively build up and support colleagues.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

·   Bachelors degree or equivalent required.

·   At least three years of experience in nonprofit work (paid or volunteer) required. Preference for experience with supervision of volunteers, program management, and/or group meal preparation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The employee must frequently lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift or move objects up to 40 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   

TO APPLY. Apply at https://apply.workable.com/mowtakoma; email your resume and cover letter to mowtakoma@jobs.workablemail.com; or mail your cover letter and resume to Meals on Wheels, 7410 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912. No calls or drop-ins, please.

HOURS, COMPENSATION, AND BENEFITS.  Hours are 8:30am-3:30pm M-Th and 9:30am-4:30pm F. Starting salary is 35K-45K annually, depending on experience (experience in food systems, food security or meal prep AND supervising volunteer teams required to start at the higher end of the range). Compensation package includes health insurance (medical, dental, and vision). Benefits include paid vacation starting at 3 weeks, 10 days paid sick leave, paid child sick & dependent family leave, sabbatical opportunity at 5 years of employment, access to retirement savings, and other types of leave and benefits as described in the Staff Handbook.

HIRING POLICY. Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring celebrates, supports, and thrives on diversity for the benefit of our staff, clients, and community. We welcome and encourage differences among our people and we are an equal opportunity workplace.