Assistant Director, Community Partnerships

Project Bread is the leading statewide organization committed to preventing and ending hunger in Massachusetts. We recognize that hunger is both a consequence and perpetuating agent of economic inequity and health disparities. We provide access to food for people who are hungry today while working to break the cycle of hunger through advocacy, education, and community action. As Assistant Director, Community Partnerships, you’ll play a vital role in growing the Project Bread network of partners that will support the impact of programs across the state.

Building on our expertise in community-based work and federal programs, Project Bread is launching a targeted Community Investments Program across Massachusetts. 

The primary goals of the Community Investments Program are to:

• Understand the impact and barriers of federal nutrition programs, especially within the context of the pandemic and strengthen access points to these programs
• Expand our knowledge about community assets and how to take them to scale
• Find authentic and appropriate ways to learn from community members with lived experience
• Evaluate grant making as a strategy to expand access to sustainable and replicable food resources
• Collect quantitative and qualitative data to inform programmatic and policy responses.

We will select lead partner agencies in 8-10 communities and leverage their local engagement strategies. Through these partnerships, we will evaluate and share learnings and advocate for programmatic and policy reforms. 

As a member of the Programs & Policy Team reporting to the Vice President of Programs & Policy, you’ll play a pivotal role in leading this newly created program.  By joining our team you’ll have the opportunity to join a vibrant organization with a deep commitment to creating positive social change. 

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO  

The key responsibilities of this position include:

• Initiate and develop strategic partnerships with key public, non-profit, and business leaders across Massachusetts to promote the successful launch and implementation of the Community Investments Program
• Map out community needs and gaps, and local assets related to food insecurity and hunger through multiple modalities, including interviews, surveys, and focus groups with community leaders and residents with lived experience
• Leveraging Project Bread’s assets, resources, and already established partnerships to broaden access to food resources within communities throughout Massachusetts
• Grow the Community Investments Program through development and implementation of systems and tools that identifies and selects recipients
• Promote advocacy and action on behalf of food access and hunger relief in partnership with the Community Investment Program network and Program & Policy team

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We know people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

• You have a deep commitment to Project Bread’s mission to end hunger for communities across Massachusetts
• You know the Massachusetts community from a personal and professional perspective 
• You thrive in environments where you get to roll up your sleeves to tackle challenges with flexibility 
• You enjoy doing whatever it takes to execute on complex projects and describe yourself as a self-starter
• You have experience in a highly community-oriented role, including, but not limited to, experience in grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts
• You are familiar with the process of administering grants to community organizations
• You have experience in project management, taking ideas from conception to launch
• You have a proven track record for working well across teams and with external partners
• You have a process-oriented mindset and ability to execute in fast moving work environments
• You have experience with and value building relationships with community members from diverse backgrounds, including those with lived experiences of food insecurity 
• You possess outstanding communication skills and the ability to advocate for your point of view and to influence others

WHAT WE OFFER

We’ll promote your professional growth and development by providing access to a competitive salary and benefits package, including:

• Healthcare: medical, dental
• Paid time off
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Health Reimbursement Account
• Life insurance & disability Insurance
• Retirement plan 403(b) and employer match 
• Health club membership reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits

Project Bread is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, height, weight, or marital status in employment or the provision of services. Knowing its importance to the success of our work, Project Bread is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community, including groups that are traditionally underrepresented among our sector leadership.