Manager of Partner Relations

GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY•Chicago, IL

10d•$63,000 - $73,000

About The Position

The Manager of Partner Relations is responsible for ensuring Food Depository partners across Cook County are equipped with the education, training, and resources needed to successfully operate in service to our mission to end hunger and do so in solidarity with the community. Key functions are to meaningfully engage community partners, providing the needed education, training support, and technology to safely, efficiently and equitably receive, store, sort, and distribute food, as well as to connect to other key hunger relief resources like SNAP. The manager builds and maintains relationships with partners, giving them personalized advice, building rapport, supporting them with programmatic changes, and providing quick responses to their inquires. The Manager is responsible for supporting food access programs on all aspects of food distribution including program standards, food safety, client choice, customer service and food access capacity analysis across all partners. The Manager works alongside other Partner Services & Support teams to coordinate trainings and content, provide excellent customer service, assist in preparation of annual site visits and audits when needed, and ensure partners have the support they need to work towards mission.

Requirements

3-5 years of social service and/or program management experience strongly preferred.
Competitive candidates will have strong interpersonal skills, including cultural competency and sensitivity to diverse cultures, backgrounds, and communication styles.
Strong written and verbal communication skill required with a demonstrated ability to problem solve
Experience building, maintaining, and strengthening partnership relationships required
Experience working with community organizations is required.
Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills required for coordination with partners and internal Food Depository staff.
Good trouble shooting and problem-solving skills and consistent follow through to issue resolution
Strong management and relationship building skills.
Strong Proficiency in MS Office-Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MS Teams, SharePoint, Outlook.
Ability to work independently and maintain timely schedule with minimal supervision required.
Must have access to a working vehicle with valid insurance and possess a valid Illinois Driver’s License.
Ability to travel to locations throughout Cook County, up to 60-75% of work time

Nice To Haves

Spanish-speaking preferred but not required.
Preference for candidates with strong community ties to Cook County and knowledge of both the assets and challenges faced by the communities served.

Responsibilities

Conduct partner relationship building site visits in accordance with Food Depository/government guidelines with partners throughout Cook County to ensure partners are positioned for success in their food access programming
Assist partners operating food access programs with the tools, resources and technical assistance needed to ensure successful operations, including accurate and timely reporting.
Gather information on community and partner needs and ensure those needs are recorded for further analysis by the Community Impact Team.
Create and utilize reports (e.g., Jet reports) on partner information
Support partners during their food distribution activities, ensuring best practices and guest-focused programming.
Review and monitor partner submission of various reports, ensuring accuracy and completion by partners.
Report persistent problems to the appropriate Community Impact Team member for resolution.
Evaluate operating hours across the partner network and develop recommendations on how new and existing partners can expand current operations.
Collaborate with members of the Community Impact team to support the recruitment and onboarding of new partners.
Identify partners that would benefit from other Food Depository programming, including increasing access to public benefits, community food rescue, or additional food access programs
Maintain strong knowledge of compliance regulations and guidelines as well as performance standards established by the Food Depository.
Maintain consistent, professional contact and communications with partners in advance and following visits.
Adhere to professional and ethical guidelines in all guest interactions.
Support the adoption of Link2Feed as the guest intake tool across the partner network where applicable
Work alongside Partner Services & Training team to manage the maintenance of accurate compliance files and training resource library, prepare records for audits by government agencies or other monitoring bodies to ensure full network compliance, track training completion, and recommend new trainings based on partner feedback
Maintain strong knowledge of all programs offered within a portfolio of assigned partners, and current food access program guidelines and regulations; utilize the knowledge to make partner recommendations for staff visits, media, and funding opportunities
In partnership with Partner Services & Training, work with partners to quickly resolve any outstanding compliance issues to minimize partner holds and ensure continuing support for the community; update and report all partner holds to the Community Impact team.