Senior Coordinator of Sustainability Programs - Chef Ann Foundation

Full Time, Remote

About the Chef Ann Foundation

Founded in 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) believes that all children should have equal access to fresh, healthy, delicious food providing them the foundation to thrive and meet their true potential. We ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide cook-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, we’ve reached over 13,000 schools and over 3.3 million children in all 50 states.

Job Description

The position resides on our Programs team and reports to the Senior Director of Sustainability Programs. The Senior Coordinator of Sustainability Programs will bolster Chef Ann Foundation’s (CAF) programmatic work to improve the environmental sustainability of school meal programs. 

This position will be instrumental in managing CAF’s Bulk Milk initiative, Salad Bars to Schools grant program, and emerging positive environmental impact opportunities for school food programs (e.g., food waste and seafood to schools). This position will manage the day-to-day tasks for these programs, including but not limited to executing grant processes, processing applications and managing competitive review processes, monitoring grants to ensure programs meet targeted outcomes and goals, and presenting on program goals, components, and outcomes to a variety of internal and external stakeholders. This position will also collaborate with the Senior Director of Sustainability Programs to weave a cohesive strategy for implementing environmentally sustainable, values-driven meal programs.

The Bulk Milk Initiative is a grant program that provides bulk milk equipment, training, and technical assistance to school districts. Bulk milk greatly reduces the amount of waste produced by school meal operations across the country. Also, it improves the freshness and taste of milk being served since bulk milk dispensers have better temperature retention than individually packaged cartons.

Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) is a grant program that provides schools and districts with salad bar equipment and support, such as salad bars, chillers, and technical assistance, to school districts. Incorporating salad bars into school lunches can increase children’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables helping to develop their palates for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Key Responsibilities

Grant Administration and Program Management

• Supports the development of and leads implementation of the grant process to receive grant program applications and distribute salad bars and bulk milk equipment to K-12 school district awardees.
• Collaborates with their supervisor to manage and coordinate the competitive grant review, selection, and award recommendation processes, including identifying applications to be funded with external collaborators.
• Manages program grant awards and related contracts.
• Coordinates grant equipment and technical assistance distribution, fiscal monitoring, internal controls, and spending progress in collaboration with CAF’s Accounting team.
• Implements grant monitoring processes, including progress report structure and final reporting to ensure programs meet targeted outcomes and goals, in collaboration with CAF’s Research & Evaluation team.
• Responsible for reporting program and fiscal deliverables.
• Provides excellent customer service to program collaborators, program participants, and grant recipients, connecting them to necessary resources and technical assistance.
• Presents program details, both virtually and in person, including implementation plan, budget, and outcomes to a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including funders, partners, and at key industry conferences.

Coordination, Collaboration, and Problem Solving

• Supports the identification and development of programmatic opportunities to address environmental sustainability as part of a comprehensive strategy for CAF technical assistance and resources to support scratch cooking in schools.
• Collaborates with their supervisor and the CAF Marketing team to develop promotional materials, including blogs, social media posts, earned media, and presentation decks to generate awareness of CAF’s sustainability programming.
• Collaborates with their supervisor, contractors, and the CAF Marketing team to develop and update marketing package materials for Bulk Milk and SB2S grant programs (e.g., posters, stickers, branded elements, etc.)
• Coordinates with CAF’s School Food Operations and Programs teams for training and technical assistance for program participants.
• Collaborates with CAF’s Technology team to update and maintain the program webpages and cloud-based application/award platform.
• Collaborates with their supervisor and CAF’s Development team to identify and apply for new funding opportunities and implements budget modification and management.
• Works both independently and collaboratively with internal and external partners.

Data Management and Reporting

• Maintains data quality and manages records maintenance, data collection, and report creation.
• Regularly updates partner information and activities in Salesforce.
• Collaborates with their supervisor and the Development team to share compelling program updates and impacts with funders to secure funding for the program. 

Administrative and Other

• Provides administrative support, including detailed note-taking, records maintenance and management, development of standard operating procedures (SOP) and documentation, etc.
• Ensures CAF initiatives are managed at the highest level and represent the organization’s commitment to quality, result-driven programming.
• Attends steering committees and coalition meetings to report back to the team on program/organization alignment opportunities, as assigned.
• Maintains understanding and awareness of federal and state policies related to program operations.
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position. 

Position Requirements

• Demonstrated work experience and/or knowledge in school food, food systems, and/or environmental sustainability;
• Minimum of five (5) years’ work experience in program development and management, including fiscal management;
• Strong project management skills, including time management and clear communication;
• Ability to travel for work: 1-4 trips annually;
• Ability to work virtually.

Preferred Education, Formal Training, and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience working in K-12 school meal programs;
• Experience administering grant programs; Salesforce experience;
• Strong project management skills, including time management and clear communication;
• Experience in program and fiscal management.

Essential Traits

• Strong organizational and time-management skills;
• Ability to balance and prioritize competing timelines/deliverables;
• Strong professional relationship management skills that translate into building strong partnerships and the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills;
• Ability to learn and engage with new technology programs;
• A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness;
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach to work, with a focus on improving systems and processes;
• Resourcefulness in finding solutions to unique problems;
• Take the initiative to make pivots to ensure successful outcomes;
• Ability to build new programming and manage implementation;
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training;
• Flexible mindset and innovative thinker.

Compensation & Benefits 

We offer a competitive annual salary range of $54,600 - $71,280 based on experience and qualifications. The Chef Ann Foundation is a great place to work. It provides its staff a competitive benefits package, including health insurance reimbursement, professional development, a generous paid time off program, and a 403(b) retirement plan. We are a fully remote organization headquartered in Boulder, CO, with team members across the US. 

As a fully remote organization headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, our team members collaborate across the United States.  This position can be held anywhere in the United States.

Posting will close on February 7, 2025.

The anticipated position start date is  March 24,  2025.

At the Chef Ann Foundation, our work to ensure access to fresh, healthy school food for all is built on the idea of equity. We support and celebrate differences, and our team and community are stronger with every new voice. CAF is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. CAF is committed to the incorporation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout our organization, including increased efforts to hire, support, and engage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized groups.