Community Food Network Associate

**About Harvest Manitoba**
Harvest Manitoba (“Harvest”) is a charitable organization dedicated to nourishing our communities and our sense of community so that no Manitoban goes hungry. We collect and share 13 million pounds of food every year, which is sorted and packed and distributed to Manitobans through our Community Food Network of more than 380 food banks and agencies in Winnipeg, rural, northern and First Nations communities. Right now, we feed 108,000 Manitobans every month; 49% are children. Our Food Distribution Centre, which includes our Community Support Centre and Warehouse, is in our Winnipeg headquarters.

Job Title: Community Food Network Associate

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

**Job Type**: Full-Time Permanent

Reports to: Community Food Network Manager

Salary Scale $20.23 - 20.73 per hour

**Position Summary**
The Community Food Network Associate supports the distribution of food to rural communities by serving as the main point of contact for partner agencies outside urban areas. Working within the Community Food Network Department, the role focuses on building strong, consistent relationships with rural food distribution partners, ensuring they receive the support, training, and guidance needed to serve their communities effectively. This position collaborates closely with internal teams and external partners to help deliver Harvest Manitoba’s mission to reduce food insecurity through coordinated community support.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Actively support and strengthen Harvest Manitoba’s Community Food Network including food banks, soup kitchens, and meal/snack programs by building connections and onboarding new partner agencies.
- Deliver training and capacity-building support to partner agencies, focusing on service enhancement, volunteer management, Safe Food Handling certification, and access to relevant community resources.
- Conduct regular site visits to rural agencies to assess operations, identify needs, and ensure alignment with Harvest Manitoba’s standards and goals.
- Respond to and help resolve concerns or complaints from agencies, clients, or the public, ensuring outcomes are documented and tracked for quality assurance.
- Connect agencies and clients with appropriate community services and resources to help address broader needs beyond food assistance.
- Guide the successful onboarding of new agencies by setting expectations, providing training on program guidelines and best practices, and supporting the development of operational procedures.
- Recognize and celebrate milestones such as anniversaries, retirements, and other achievements among agency partners to foster positive relationships.
- Manage accurate data entry of agency and client information, ensure data integrity, and support the administration and ongoing use of ERP software.
- Collaborate with the Client Services team to support client registration and related processes when needed.
- Support, train, and retain Agency Ambassadors and other volunteers to strengthen agency and community engagement.
- Contribute to the overall success of the Community Food Network Department by assisting with daily operations and team initiatives as needed.
- Actively participate as a member of the Harvest CREW, offering flexible support to ensure organizational operations and goals are met.

**Qualifications & Experience**
- 2 -3 years' experience in a customer service role, with a proven ability to provide timely and personalized solutions to customer problems
- Education in a related discipline or a combination of experience and education will be an asset
- An intermediate knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Word and Excel, is required
- Experience facilitating established group training programs & evaluating adherence to expectations and goals
- Outstanding organizational abilities, and the proven ability to quickly adjust to competing priorities
- Exceptional interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
- Ability to liaise professionally, compassionately and enthusiastically with a diverse group of key stakeholders
- Ability to assess complex situations and develop timely and thoughtful solutions to challenges or conflicts
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage stakeholder database and effectively respond to requests

**About You**:

- A strong belief in the dignity of all human beings and a positive and caring approach
- A strong team focus, ability to work well with others and an interest in supporting the organization and its CREW.
- Knowledge of food-security and poverty issues is an asset
- Ability to lift, push, pull a minimum of 50 lbs., sit, and stand for extended periods of time
- Ability to pass a Criminal Records Check (CRC) is required
- Valid Class 5F driver’s license and clean Driver’s Abstract is required

**Why you should join us**
- Opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause and make a tangible impact in the community.
- A collaborative and mission-driv