Community Engagement Specialist - Programs Team

Company: The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri
Location: Columbia
Posted on: May 31, 2025

Job Description:

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY: The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri is a regional disaster and hunger-relief network that brings together community resources to share tens of millions of pounds of food with neighbors each year. Our highly-collaborative team believes that empowerment, education and partnerships are key to getting food into the hands of those who need it most. With the help of 145 partner agencies, nearly 200 school partners and more than ten thousand volunteers, our day-to-day efforts help feed nearly 100,000 neighbors each month across our 32-county area. We encourage you to apply to see if improving food security is a mission that speaks to you.



POSITION SUMMARY: The Community Engagement Specialist will focus on maintaining, building, and developing a strong partner network of food assistance programs within The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri's service area. This role will work with the Programs team to alleviate hunger through both direct and immediate interventions and long-term strategies. Community Engagement Specialists will administer overall program activities such as agency relations, children's programs, and benefit access programs. Duties include building and leveraging relationships to provide support to organizations and schools in their assigned region, conducting food safety and compliance monitoring at partner sites, providing customer service to community partners and neighbors facing food insecurity, and maintaining accurate records and standards based on applicable contracts with Feeding America, USDA, etc. The ideal candidate will have strong customer service and communication skills and have experience working with diverse populations.



ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:


Build relationships with partner agencies and schools, connecting partners to resources and providing support for their food distribution programs as feasible
Monitor partner agency performance for compliance with organizational needs and requirements, including follow-up food distribution site inspections for corrective action.
Maintain up-to-date agency documents to ensure agency compliance with applicable contracts and standards.
Identify and resolve issues for community members and partner agencies
Support food distribution and SNAP application efforts at partner agencies (including The Food Bank Market), mobile pantries or schools as needed.
Assist individuals in The Food Bank's service area with SNAP and Medicaid applications via phone support and in-person outreach as needed.
Learn and operate within our internal data systems which may include CERES, Oasis Insights, and Meal Connect.
Identify, recruit, and train new partners, schools, and mobile pantry locations as necessary based on capacity and strategic goals.
Complete appropriate agreements, monitoring, compliance, and training as required by contract, including, but not limited to, Feeding America, Feeding Missouri, CSFP, USDA, schools, MODSS, and mobile pantries.
Work with the Programs Team to create new initiatives and to evaluate and adjust existing programs to better serve community members facing food insecurity.
Coordinate activities internally to support overall goal achievement for the Programs Team.
Partner and collaborate with internal departments to facilitate efficient and effective delivery of services.
Maintain, build and develop programs and data quality initiatives.
Plan, pilot and implement database assistance.
Train and support agencies in data collection software


EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

-- Bachelor's degree required

-- Commensurate experience in the field of social work, community outreach, or government will be considered.

-- Minimum of 3 years customer service experience



TRAINING AND SKILLS


Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with diverse organizations and audiences
Excellent data, oral and written communication skills
Excellent knowledge and capability to operate within Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, and Outlook
Ability to learn and operate within our internal data systems, including CERES (inventory management) and Oasis Insights (assistance tracking)
Ability to function at a high level of productivity, with strong organizational skills
Detail-oriented and meticulous
Experienced approach to managing multiple assignments with a proven ability to relate to staff, management, and interested parties for the benefit of The Food Bank
Ability to operate within a team framework and within the organizational mission
Ability to establish credibility within the area of responsibility and take ownership of decision-making when appropriate



Food Safety Certification (ServSafe Manager) must be secured within the first year of employment
Must have a valid driver's license and obtain a Class E within the first 60 days of employment
Ability to lift 20 pounds


Please include a resume and a cover letter to apply for this position.

Pay Range: $38,000 - $42,000 annually
Compensation details: 38000-42000PI1ee16cc2540a-25660-37551777

Keywords: The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, Columbia , Community Engagement Specialist - Programs Team, Other , Columbia, South Carolina