Backpack Buddy Specialist

Starting Pay: $19.25 per hour

The Backpack Buddy program serves schools with a weekly food sack that contains six meals to help bridge the gap of food over the weekend and breaks from school to children and families. This Backpack Buddy Specialist will be responsible for providing administrative, clerical, and other program support to the Backpack Buddy program to ensure that schools are compliant with regulations and that children receive backpack bags every week on the program through our distribution processes. The specialist will use their excellent customer service and communication skills to ensure professional business relations are maintained with internal and external customers.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Adhere to PACT values. (Purpose: Using our strengths passionately to contribute to our mission. Accountability: Choosing to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrating ownership to achieve results. See It. Own It. Solve It. Do It. Courage: Standing up for what’s right and acting. Transparency: Doing things openly and honestly)

1. Reliable, consistent, on-site attendance is a requirement. This position requires punctuality and dependable attendance to meet the needs of the business, including attending and participating in meetings and presentations
2. Responsible for maintaining relationships with assigned schools in assigned school districts by providing excellent customer service through email, phone, and in-person visits
3. Adhere to SOP guidelines by entering orders into Ceres in an appropriate timeframe once school has been on-boarded
4. Keep accurate records on school orders within assigned applications
5. Collects and organizes data and records by processing required paperwork about program agreements, reports, food safety tests, and site monitoring forms to ensure accuracy and completeness
6. Conducts school training with pre-site visits, monthly HFB training, and webinars
7. Provides technical support as needed to sites
8. Conducts compliance site visits for schools, limiting the amount of second and third site visits. Reports any findings to management
9. Provides outreach of food bank programs by attending a variety of meeting with schools and other partners
10. Assist with adding schools to special projects as determined by management
11. Responsible for collecting monthly client stories and attending site distributions
12. Easily handle a large number of emails and phone calls from multiple sites per day
13. Maintain your schedule and be able to organize appointments and meetings

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES (Yes/No): No

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Experience:

• High School Diploma or equivalent GED
• Some college or 1-year relevant work experience in a non-profit organization or school setting is preferred
• Knowledge of food insecurity in the Houston area is considered a plus
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required

Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations:

• Must have access to reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, and insurance.

Special Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Basic in Excel, Word, and Outlook. Experience in Salesforce CRM preferred
• Strong customer service skills and willingness to assist others
• Must possess excellent written and verbal communication to express complex information clearly
• Possess strong mathematical and problem-solving abilities
• Flexible and able to adjust to sudden changes in the organization and workload
• Able to coordinate and communicate well with all members of the department
• Strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to operate a computer, copier, and other business equipment

COMPLIANCE:

Carries out responsibilities in accordance with HFB policies.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. (For best performance, the jobholder in this position would be expected to show the right knowledge, skills, and abilities in the listed areas.)

COMPETENCIES:

• Action-Oriented
• Customer Focus
• Drives Results
• Collaborates
• Approachability
• Nimble Learning
• Being Resilient
• Self-development
• Listening
• Peer Relationships
• Integrity and Trust
• Functional/Technical Skills

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of the job, the associate is required daily to analyze and interpret data, communicate, and remain in a standing or stationary position for a significant amount of the workday; and frequently access, input, and retrieve information from the computer and other office productivity devices. The associate is regularly required to move about the office and around the facility, use hands, wrists, and fingers to grip, type, and write. The associate will need to have the average ability to hear horns, warnings, and alerts associated with a warehouse. The associate is occasionally required to travel to other sites for business.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While the job is generally performed in an enclosed office environment, the associate is occasionally exposed to freezers, enclosed and/or tight spaces, wet and/or humid conditions, areas in which moving mechanical parts, fumes, toxic or caustic chemicals are present, strong food-related smells, and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the office environment is typically quiet, but the associate will be occasionally exposed to loud noise levels (e.g., horns, fans).

TRAVEL REQUIRED

Ability to spend 60% of time traveling in a personal vehicle to locations throughout the Houston Food Bank’s 18 county service areas with mileage reimbursement.

*Is legally able to work in the United States.

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and essential job functions required to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, working conditions, qualifications, and skills that may be required.

Houston Food Bank (HFB) is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities, and experience. We believe that it is an essential part of the Company's overall commitment to attract, hire and develop a strong, talented, and diverse workforce. HFB is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to pregnancy), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.