Assistant Food Programs Manager

Description

The Haven is looking for an energetic and committed full-time Assistant Food Programs Manager. No formal kitchen experience required. You’ll be part of a collaborative, lively team of staff and volunteers where you can exercise your culinary creativity and bring life to our community garden, all while providing a vital service to those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.

The Haven is an equal opportunity, second chance employer. We encourage people who have experienced oppression or were formerly incarcerated to apply, as well as those who feel particularly called to The Haven’s mission even if you do not yet possess all the preferred skills for this role.

Job Duties

• Consistently embody the guiding values of The Haven when interacting with all human beings:
  • Respond to human beings with radical hospitality, unconditional positive regard, and a commitment to the principles of the Housing First and Harm Reduction models 
  • Practice and promote antiracist, trauma-informed, person-centered, and strengths-based responses to human beings
• Kitchen operations:
  • Assist in the creation, planning, and execution of programming in the kitchen
  • Ensure the safety and cleanliness of the kitchen, maintaining required standards
  • Monitor kitchen appliances and notify supervisor of necessary maintenance
  • Sort and distribute donations from various suppliers
  • Have a deep understanding of our inventory needs and work with supervisor to maintain adequate stock
  • Work closely with Food Programs Manager and serve as their backup, and assist them with additional kitchen needs and special projects/events
  • Be proactive and take initiative for tasks associated with optimal kitchen functioning 
• Volunteer management:
  • Supervise and support volunteers in daily breakfast preparation
  • Supervise and support volunteers in receiving and sorting of food donations
• Garden management:
  • Plan and maintain the ⅛ acre community garden when in season
  • Regular garden maintenance, including weeding, watering, trimming, and trash removal
  • Periodic duties including mulching, bed/path maintenance, and preparing the garden for winter
  • Select seasonally appropriate plants for the spring and fall
  • Support application process for garden-specific grants
  • Ensure that the Little Free Library/Little Free Pantry stay neat and in working order
  • Supervise and assign duties to Haven volunteers and guests that are involved in the garden process

Skills Required

Preferred Skills:

• Compassion for all people, especially those in crisis
• Experience with quantity food production 
• Experience with gardening
• Ability to provide clear direction, instruction, and feedback to staff and volunteers
• Strong verbal and written communication skills 
• Understanding of personal/professional boundaries and self-care practices and ability to consistently implement them
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to improvise and adapt to changing circumstances
• Patience and understanding for volunteers and guests
• Reliable, detail-oriented, and organized 
• Physical stamina, i.e. carrying large boxes up to 25 pounds and standing for long periods of time
• Access to reliable transportation

Additional Info

About The Haven:

The Haven’s mission is to provide a safe and welcoming space for people experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty, supporting individuals as they pursue stability through connections to resources and creative housing interventions. Located in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, trained staff and dedicated volunteers at The Haven practice radical hospitality, opening the doors wide for any and everyone, no matter their circumstances.

At The Haven, we value the diversity of backgrounds, experience, perspectives, and skill sets that we collectively provide to our community, guests, and colleagues. We celebrate and thrive on our differences and welcome everyone’s unique contributions.

Benefits include:

• Health insurance premium stipend + HSA contribution
• 30 days of PTO + 14 paid holidays per year
• Wellness stipend
• Paid parental leave
• Childcare stipend
• Retirement fund matching
• Sabbatical program

Schedule: 

• 32 hours/week
• Primarily early morning and daytime hours 
• Hours will vary between kitchen and garden responsibilities 
• Must be flexible and available for occasional weekend work