About Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Founded in 1974, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of the largest food banks in the nation and a trusted nonprofit leader in ending local hunger. The organization distributes nutritious groceries through a network of nearly 400 partners at drive-thru and walk-up sites across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Due to the prohibitively expensive cost of living in Silicon Valley, the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise in inflation, Second Harvest is now serving an average of 450,000 people every month. Second Harvest also connects people to federal nutrition programs and other food resources, and advocates for anti-hunger policies on the local, state and national levels. To learn more about how Second Harvest is responding to the incredible amount of need in Silicon Valley, visit shfb.org.

About the Position

The Volunteer Services Production Coordinator Provide a central point of contact for volunteers at our daily food sorting events at the Cypress Center in San Jose. You will work cross-functionally with the Volunteer Production Engagement, Inventory, and Warehouse teams to plan and coordinate successful volunteer projects.

This job might be for you if:

You enjoy taking a leadership role to train and lead volunteers to complete projects, you are comfortable working and thinking on your feet to solve problems, and you want to provide a great customer experience to our volunteers while also ensuring food and work safety guidelines.

Responsibilities:

• Volunteer Project Management:
  • Establish and execute project plans for our daily warehouse food production volunteer events, and occasionally for special Food Bank events.
  • Collaborate with Volunteer Specialist(s) and Supervisor to figure out how many volunteers will do each project, what product movement is necessary, and plan for needed supplies. Model appropriate safety and procedural rules to Specialists.
    • Set up project areas, including using warehouse equipment to move pallets of food and supplies into the work area.
    • Bring volunteer groups onboard:
      • Welcome them to Second Harvest and explain how their work supports our mission.
      • Provide safety and job training.
      • Establish expectations for volunteer conduct upfront
    • Set the schedule and rhythm of volunteer projects so that work is accomplished, volunteers have opportunities to take breaks, and they participate in cleaning up and breaking down the project at the end.
    • Create a fun and positive atmosphere for our volunteers.
    • Close out volunteer projects by thanking and appreciating volunteers, including reporting to them on the direct impact or their work to help us feed those in need in our community.

• 
  Volunteer Leadership
  • Ensure that volunteers are trained and appropriately placed into project groups.
  • Empower volunteers to take a leadership role, including recruiting and managing committed “Team Leader” volunteers who receive special training and allow us to leverage their skills to coordinate projects.
  • Develop training documentation to guide volunteers, especially Team Leaders.
  • Listen to feedback from volunteers, enforce safety and volunteer conduct rules, and act necessary to correct any behavior in the volunteer work areas that is disrespectful, unsafe, or disruptive.
  • Represent Second Harvest to our community of volunteers; be prepared to answer questions about the work that we do and how they may deepen their involvement with us.

• 
  Organization and Cross-Functional Support
  • Establish good working relationships with our neighboring departments, including:
    • Work closely with Volunteer Engagement team to support a great volunteer experience.
    • Reporting daily metrics on production and volunteer participation via email, database forms, and spreadsheets to our Volunteer Engagement and Inventory teams.
    • Collaborate with our Warehouse and Transportation teams to support a smooth flow of product in and out of the volunteer production area.
    • Work cross-functionally to set up processes and solve problems related to volunteer food sorting projects.
  • Write and send summary reports of volunteer activities for internal and external parties.
  • Read and respond to emails daily, including requests for information from inside and outside of Second Harvest.

• 
  Support Special Events
  • Provide primary operational support for special volunteer events like Corporate Partner volunteer shifts, Donor Volunteer Events, Volunteer Recognition events, and other special events by:
    • Collaborating with partner teams such as Corporate Philanthropy and Community Engagement to plan volunteer events.
    • Attending planning meetings and develop a project plan to anticipate and accommodate special needs of volunteers. Orient Production Specialists and Team Leader volunteers who will be helping you run the project.
    • Responding to volunteer inquiries by phone, e-mail, or in person
    • Creating general information flyers, support documentation, confirmation and thank you correspondence
    • Producing a safe, fun, and engaging volunteer event including providing impact stats at the end of the project.

The ideal candidate will possess the following professional qualifications:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including proven ability to engage and speak clearly to groups of up to one hundred people.
• Ability to learn to safely operate forklift equipment and obtain an operator’s license.
• Strong customer service and commitment to a team-based management approach
• Proficiency with Microsoft business suite including Outlook, Excel, Word, and file sharing tools. Ability to learn and use our database tools: Salesforce and CERES (Microsoft Dynamics NAV) to manage volunteers and product.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, plan and carry out activities independently to meet specific timelines with proven record of accuracy in completing and reviewing data. Dependable in maintaining assigned working hours.
• Proven ability to work steadily and independently with minimum supervision.
• Ability to work and interact constructively with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds in a culturally diverse work environment.
• College degree or equivalent business experience; experience working with volunteers or service organizations that interact with diverse populations highly desirable.

EOE

Second Harvest is committed to being an equal opportunity employer which values diversity. Under-represented groups are encouraged to apply for all positions.