Government Food Program Specialist

Position Summary :

The Philabundance Government Food Program Specialist is responsible for leading day-to-day administration and coordination of government food programs with enrolled participants, community partners, relevant internal Philabundance teams, and with external government agencies.

The core activity of this role is to ensure government food programs are operated according to the respective regulations by supporting the community partners with the training, administration, and guidance necessary to be successful and meet program requirements. This role is also responsible for regular correspondence with government agency officials to meet monthly, quarterly, and annual deadlines. This role must be able to build professional relationships with external stakeholders that align with the Philabundance mission .

Competencies:

- Accountability: reliable, honest, and transparent; regularly makes commitments and takes ownership of responsibilities.

- Effective Communication: conveys information clearly, with respect and integrity, using a professional manner and the appropriate means and channels for audience and subject matter.

- Agility: maintains efficiency in a changing work environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.

- Quality: Work is organized, accurate and neat. The employee displays a commitment to excellence, checks work and learns from mistakes and seeks feedback to improve quality as needed.

- Engagement: contributes to the success of the organization by embracing teamwork, taking initiative on tasks and problem-resolution, and seeking out learning opportunities.

Primary Responsibilities :

- Plans and executes daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual task assignments necessary to operate government food programs such as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

- Imports monthly orders into internal inventory management platform meeting deadlines for internal team order fulfillment and ensuring order accuracy.

- Maintains required reporting and compliance for internal teams and external agencies.

- Strategizes and implements work plan to meet all deadlines, communicating impact to plan target dates.

- Oversees a portfolio of community partners, serving as the primary liaison between Philabundance, ensuring that both membership and programmatic compliance are met and maintained.

- Develops rapport with enrolled participants and community partners; encourage engagement and accountability to comply with program.

- Updates, monitors, and plans program logistic schedules utilizing integrated technology such as Microsoft PowerApps, PowerBI reporting, and participant database platforms.

- Trouble-shoots to quickly resolve enrolled participant, community partner and program issues within integrated technology platforms.

- Update multiple database platforms with enrolled participant and community partner status information including but not limited to plan impact, relevant communication, forms, and documentation. This includes outstanding requirements and deadline associated actions.

- Predicts program trends and recommends strategy for action steps.

- Responsible for maintaining accurate, organized, up-to-date work files for team reference.

- Maintains and updates government food program standard operating procedures (SOP); draft SOPs as needed for new processes or programs under review.

- Responsible for leading the onboarding of new community partners into government programs including inquiry outreach to interested community partners or outside organizations, leading onboarding training, preparing paperwork and documentation, and planning starting schedule with internal teams.

- Responsible for supporting and aligning with Philabundance Cultural pillars. Ensure communications, actions and interactions reflect a focus on People, Partnerships, Professionalism and Progress.

Qualifications

Educational Achievement:

- High School Diploma or GED a plus. Additional formal education preferred.

- ServSafe Certification preferred, must achieve within first 30 days of employment.

Work Experience:

- A minimum of 2-3 year of experience in administration or customer service within a cohesive effective team environment. Ideally in social services, government, or related industry.

- Previous experience in a fast-paced environment with many competing priorities.

Preferred:

- Previous experience working with low-income or other transitioning community of people highly preferred. A robust knowledge of the issues facing people living at or near the poverty line, recovery, and reentry into the work force highly preferred.

- Previous experience negotiating, problem solving and researching to ensure high efficiencies and results tied to compliance and customer service.

- Previous experience with Government Programs highly preferred.

Required Skills and Abilities:

- Ability to work independently and provide sound decision making, reliable work output that aligns with requirements and processes.

- Communicates clearly, both in written and verbal form.

- Thoroughly understand the details of each government program offered to our agency partners and stay abreast of new rules and regulations.

- Ability to read, understand and apply contracts and agreements.

- Ability to diffuse escalations, offer options and solutions aligned with Philabundance business practices and mission.

- Strong administrative capability to work with databases, produce reports, communication, analysis and present internally and externally. (Microsoft suite, ppt, database exp. and Zoom/Teams)

- Excellent interpersonal skills: ability to build strong relationships and work collaboratively with individuals and teams internally and externally.

- Must have strong attention to detail and deadlines. Ability to work with program requirements, support programs, and tracking activity to ensure accountability and accurate status.

- Ability to speak multiple languages a plus. Fluency with Spanish highly preferred.

- A deep commitment to Philabundances mission

Physical Demands:

- Must have the ability to be available evenings, weekends and take on extended hours as business needs demand.

- Must be willing and able to travel within and outside of the service area (employee can use public transportation, rideshare service, personal vehicle, or other means) Must be physically compatible with travel, office visits, events, and meetings. Must have valid drivers license if using company vehicle.

- Work in a seated position up to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week; Bend, stoop/squat, and walk intermittently throughout the day; Must be able to move up to 25 pounds. Shared supported lift is preferred, two people can move objects to lower impact.

- See, hear, and speak with sufficient capability to perform assigned tasks and maintain proper safety conditions.

- Maintain an acceptable work pace and align with required personal and team deadlines. Must meet goals.

- Demonstrate cognitive ability to: provide direction as well as follow directions and routines, work independently with appropriate judgment, read words and numbers, concentrate, memorize, recall, identify logical connections and determine sequence of response, process proactively and identify near and long-term future needs as well as evaluate problems and escalate/inform management as is necessary.

- Perform office tasks using simple hand grasp, fine hand manipulation, and reach associated with assigned tasks such as keying.

- Able to take on a diverse range of tasks equally effectively. Responds positively to change and influences others to adapt positively to new situations quickly.