Senior Specialist, Values-Aligned Supply Chains

Chef Ann Foundation•Boulder, CO

18d•$92,651 - $128,383•Remote

About The Position

This position resides on our School Food Operations team and reports to the Senior Director of Procurement. As a seasoned supply chain practitioner, the Senior Specialist will propose and operationalize values-aligned supply chain innovations, strengthen regional food system infrastructure, and serve as a bridge among producers, distributors, food hubs, logistics coordinators, and school districts. Success in this role requires deep knowledge of food supply chains, regional market dynamics, food sourcing strategies, and K–12 procurement regulations and policies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent
5-7 years of professional experience in supply chain development, food systems, or procurement strategy
Proven track record working with regional food producers, distributors, or institutional buyers
Deep understanding of K-12 food distribution logistics, including last-mile delivery challenges
Working knowledge of K–12 school food procurement policies and regulations
Ability to work independently, virtually
Ability to travel 25% throughout the year to various US locations
Knowledge and high proficiency with Google Workspace and the ability to adopt new technologies as deemed necessary.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree
Experience with cooperative or group purchasing models
Demonstrated work experience engaging external stakeholders and managing projects or events
Prior experience in a leadership capacity
A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness
Experience with nonprofit or mission-driven organizations
Ability to design scalable models that can be replicated across multiple states
Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while juggling and coordinating multiple projects and deadlines
Strong facilitation and relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders
Excellent strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Flexible mindset and an innovative thinker
Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training.

Responsibilities

Leverage the collective purchasing power of SFAs enrolled in CAF programs, including Healthy School Food Pathway, Values-Aligned Purchasing Collectives, and CAF’s key programs, to drive supply chain innovations that increase SFAs' purchases of values-aligned foods.
Provide tailored technical assistance to SFAs navigating values-aligned sourcing challenges, limited supply, and logistics constraints.
Offer strategic insights for how to improve CAF’s SFA procurement support to school districts, informed by CAF and SFA program priorities as well as supplier availability and capacity.
Develop, maintain, and nurture relationships with values-aligned suppliers, processors, aggregators, and manufacturers across priority states.
Collaborate with CAF’s Programs team to improve upon the internal-facing preferred supplier program to ensure accurate documentation of producer and product attributes for CAF’s centralized values-aligned supplier database (described in section 4).
Convene focus groups (e.g., farmers, hubs, distributors, SFAs) to identify bottlenecks and co-design operational solutions.
Map and optimize distribution pathways through conventional distributors, food hubs, cooperatives, and direct-to-district models offering scalable logistics solutions that expand SFA access to values-aligned foods, such as:
In key states, expand access to organic produce using USDA entitlement funds.
Explore hybrid or shared distribution models that leverage both commercial distributors and mission-aligned aggregators to improve distribution access for SFAs.
Identify and recommend additional innovative approaches that improve access, affordability, widespread distribution, and long-term supply chain resilience for values-aligned foods in K-12 school meal programs.
Develop and manage an internal-facing preferred supplier program that catalogs values-aligned producers, their products, and associated product attributes—including, but not limited to, certifications, pack sizes, and distribution channels—across key CAF states, with the goal of enhancing and expanding the purchase of values-aligned foods.
Use CAF program procurement data to develop reports on purchasing trends, supply gaps, and priority product categories.
Lead the development of efficient tracking systems to capture values-aligned purchasing spend and volumes across CAF programs, ensuring consistent measurement of program impact.
Represent CAF in regional farm-to-school networks, state working groups, and values-aligned procurement coalitions.
Collaborate with CAF’s Research & Evaluation and Policy & Advocacy teams to leverage data-backed insights to inform CAF’s advocacy, education, and strategic planning
Contribute to supply chain-related programming at VAPC gatherings and HSFP regional events.
Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position