Compliance & Engagement Specialist

The Food Group•New Hope, MN

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Compliance & Engagement Specialist will serve as the primary contact for Partners (e.g., food shelf, meal program, and community food distribution partners). This position will lead coordination of monitoring visits and ensure internal compliance by managing data related to programming. This position will ensure that all TEFAP-eligible (The Emergency Food Assistance Program, a federal program of the USDA) partner agencies comply with federal regulations and provide client-centered, culturally appropriate, and dignified services for people to access food. The Compliance & Engagement Specialist will also support The Food Group’s Sourcing and Volunteer programs. This position reports to the Associate Program Director – Sourcing and Anti-Hunger.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
2-3 years of experience in community engagement, hunger relief, food access, federal nutrition programs, social services
Must be able to work effectively with partners who are significantly diverse with respect to age, race, ethnicity, gender orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, and religion
Must be able to work effectively in an organization that has recognized its own issues related to equity, and is seeking to be more representative of the community
Demonstrates commitment to hunger relief focused on health, nutrition, and equity
Excellent ability to research, analyze, and troubleshoot problems and interpersonal conflicts
Ability to train and facilitate groups on cultural competency and equity
Ability to work as a team as well as independently with minimal supervision
Excellent verbal, written, presentation and communication skills
Highly motivated, organized, great attention to detail and tendency toward solution-based thinking skills
Ability to manage time effectively, prioritize and meet deadlines
Ability to be creative and flexible in responding to changing priorities and emerging needs
Valid MN driver’s license and clean driving record. Dependable transportation is required to conduct site visits.

Nice To Haves

Case and/or project management experience in the non-profit sector preferred
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Teams, Excel, SharePoint) and client databases preferred
Bilingual fluency preferred

Responsibilities

Lead internal TEFAP compliance operations, documentation, record keeping, and preparation for annual fiscal audits.
Maintain systems for tracking compliance forms, deadlines, corrective actions, and verification status including monitoring TEFAP site visits.
Lead new partner inquiry and application processes for food shelf partnership with TFG, including screening, communication, coordination, onboarding and handoff.
Act as the primary relationship manager for selected community partners, emerging partnership opportunities, and strategic engagement efforts that require coordination across Programs, Advancement, Statewide, and Sourcing.
Create opportunities for food shelf partners to co-learn, share feedback, and contribute ideas connected to TFG initiatives such as the Cultural Equity Program and Nutrition Ranking Tool project.
Support vending engagement work with the Sourcing team by helping strengthen partner feedback loops, engagement strategy, and project coordination.
Serve as the internal point person for office volunteer support related to compliance documentation, records organization, and administrative follow-up.