Officer, Incubator Program Support

Position:                         Officer, Incubator Program Support Job Type:                        Full-time Team:                              Programs Reports to:                     Director, Programs Location:                        Remote The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) seeks to nourish the world’s hungry through uniting and advancing food banks. Founded in 2006, GFN connects food banking organizations in 44 countries that together serve more than 16 million people annually. The organization is based in Chicago and currently operates with a team of over thirty employees based in US, Latin America and Asia and engages a globally diverse Board of Directors. Our goal is to support communities in their fight against hunger and food insecurity through advancing the food banking model.  GFN launched a new strategic plan in 2019 that charts continued growth with an ambitious vision to help enable its food bank members to materially increase the amount of food distributed to those in need, distribute more nutrient-rich foods, and strengthen the resilience of their communities. Its major goals include:

• Increase the number of people served by food banks with which GFN currently works;
• Expand food banking in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Support food banking organizations in distributing a greater diversity of foods;
• Build a trusted global network of food rescue and relief organizations.

Our 2030 vision is a global network of community-led food banks that serve meals to 50 million people facing hunger.  Our team provides best practices, partners and resources to food bank founders and organizations to help them fight hunger more effectively.  In the next five years, we are especially aiming to come alongside changemakers in low-income communities, primarily those based in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. The Opportunity: In late 2019 GFN launched an Incubator program with the objective of accelerating the establishment and scaling of food banks in regions previously underserved by food banks. Incubator cohorts were established in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. In Asia, the cohort consists of early-stage food banks in the following countries: Indonesia (x2), Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Africa, the cohort consists of food banks in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, and Nigeria. The GFN Incubator model consists of multiple components that provide a blended approach to supporting the food banks in their developments.

1. Technical Assistance: To grow their impact, early-stage food banks need to scale up their capabilities in a wide variety of functional areas, from resource development (food and funds), marketing and communications, warehouse operations and logistics, client service, HR, IT, etc. Through in-house staff, expert partners, and other food banks, GFN can offer a broad array of technical assistance options to help food banks.
2. Financial Grants: Through the provision of strategic grants, GFN can make vital capital available to the food banks to support capacity building. Over the next year, GFN will be providing potentially transformative grants to some of the incubator food banks.

The Incubator program is a strategic priority for GFN and is backed by significant donor funding. While the short-term focus will be on the current Incubator cohorts, the intention is to launch a new Incubator class in 2023. Therefore, this is an exciting opportunity to both help deliver and shape the Incubator program to build impactful and sustainable food banks in areas of high need. Responsibilities: This role will work across both Incubator cohorts supporting the successful delivery of this program. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Forging strong, collaborative relationships with key staff at the food banks, and the GFN Field Services staff who manage those regions.
• Participate in monthly calls with each of the Incubator participants.Develop and implement a process to manage collection of key performance data (KPIs) from all Incubator participants.
• Verify the data from the food banks and identify any questions about the accuracy and validity.
• Provide basic training to food bank staff on how to correctly complete datasheets.
• Analyze the data to identify trends at both the individual food bank and regional level.
• Track progress of KPIs against target objectives and provide early identification of risks to meeting the targets.
• Utilize the data to suggest targeted interventions to support specific areas.
• Design and maintain dashboards showing Incubator progress and performance.
• Input key data into GFN’s Salesforce system and suggest enhancements on how to present the data.
• Track the hours and nature of technical assistance provided to the food banks.
• Coordinate a “Fellowship Exchange” program between food banks to provide immersive, experiential training in targeted functional areas.
• Support the Director, Programs in preparing Stakeholder Council meetings, and conducting follow-up between meetings.
• Initiate and coordinate a Food Bank Mentorship program whereby Incubator CEOs can receive guidance from leaders of established food banks.
• Conduct detailed planning for Incubator conferences and events (online at first, in-person when travel is permitted).
• Support Director of Programs in conducting evaluation into the effectiveness of the Incubator program and suggesting improvements.

Candidate Profile: The ideal candidate will have the following skills and characteristics:

• A self-starter with a passion for building and scaling organizations with a social mission.
• 3+ years of experience in managing complex, demanding projects with multiple stakeholders that have, at times, competing interests, preferably in a cross-cultural setting.
• Someone who enjoys juggling multiple tasks and completes thorough tracking of all activities and follow-up actions.
• Must be experienced in the basic concepts of project management (planning, status reporting, risk and issue management) and have familiarity with a range of project management tools and templates.
• Possess the ability to quickly build positive, collaborative relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Must possess excellent communication skills (written and verbal). Must be proficient in English.
• Someone who understands the importance of data-driven decision-making but will analyze and verify data to ensure accuracy.
• Someone passionate about building / growing organizations and comfortable with how multi-faceted that is.
• Must be comfortable working across multiple cultures and time zones and be flexible (this is not a standard 9 – 5 role).
• The role will report to a manager in the US. Therefore, the candidate must be a quick learner and self-sufficient, while knowing when to escalate to management.
• Have a proven interest in, and knowledge of, international affairs.
• First-hand experience of an Incubator program is preferable.
• Easily navigate through Microsoft Office suite.
• Have experience with using Salesforce as a key data management tool.
• Experience working in nonprofits, supply chain management, and/or logistics would be very useful but is not required.
• Commitment to the mission of reducing world hunger through the advancement of food banking.

To Apply: Please email a cover letter and resume to hr@foodbanking.org. The Global FoodBanking Network embraces a philosophy that recognizes and values diversity. Its goal is to attract, develop, and retain a talented, diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential.  EOE