Food System Program Associate

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Opportunity.OpportunityDetail.Description

Self-Help is a leading national community development financial institution headquartered in Durham, NC. Since 1980, Self-Help has provided $8.5 billion in financing to 159,000 families, individuals and businesses. It helps drive economic development and strengthen communities by providing responsible financial services; lending to individuals, small businesses and nonprofits; developing real estate; and promoting fair financial practices across the nation. The Self-Help family of nonprofit organizations includes Self-Help Credit Union, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Ventures Fund and the Center for Responsible Lending. Through its credit union network, Self-Help serves over 150,000 people in North Carolina, California, Chicago, Florida and South Carolina. Learn more at www.self-help.org, www.self-helpfcu.org and www.responsiblelending.org. 

Role Overview:

Self-Help is seeking a Food System Program Associate to join our team in Durham who will help lead Self-Help’s initiative to improve capital access for food entrepreneurs, especially of color through research, policy and coalition building work. This is a grant funded position that is expected to last through September 2020 although it may be renewed.

This initiative will leverage Self-Help’s lending experience, knowledge and relationships to manage new and existing partnerships nationwide to strengthen referral networks, share knowledge, develop new capital sources and explore policy solutions that benefit food systems innovators, with a particular focus on entrepreneurs of color.

Essential Responsibilities:

Collaborate internally and externally to contribute to the strategy of larger, ongoing projects. This includes but is not limited to:

• Leading outreach initiatives to strengthen and maintain a national network of lenders, practitioners and policy organizations.
• Participating in various national coalitions to ensure timely input in policy matters, especially relating to lending.
• Contributing to ongoing partnership with national food organizations, including support in facilitating/coordinating meetings and creating written knowledge products to share with partners to advance knowledge in the field.
• Assessing the status of newly implemented impact metrics that seek to understand the social impact of Self-Help’s food system lending.
• Supporting ongoing research and policy initiatives related to increasing capital access for socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and food system entrepreneurs and lenders.
• Collaborating with evaluation consultants to provide guidance for grant program evaluation activities, such as ongoing data collection, feedback on annual reports, conference submissions, etc.
• Providing creative ideation and implementation on how to integrate both short- and long-term program impact in the Self-Help organizational family.

Lead the day-to-day work of this initiative, working closely with the Director of Policy. This includes but is not limited to: 

• Facilitating internal meetings to help drive planning and next steps.
• Tracking program activities and accomplishments and writing relevant annual reports.
• Tracking grant related expenses to inform program flow and annual reports.
• Maintaining a national calendar of food system related events.
• Contributing to the creation of a web-based tool that promotes connectivity for food system stakeholders and shares capital resources and tools.
• Working with healthy foods lending team, as appropriate.
• Performing other duties as may be deemed necessary.

Credentials, Experience and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years related experience. Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
• Knowledge of Food Systems and Community Development finance field preferred.
• Strong writing and communications skills
• Data analysis and research skills
• Self-motivated and self-directed and excellent at project management
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment
• Ability to develop, cultivate and nurture relationships with key stakeholders
• Proficiency with MS Office
• Ability to travel approximately 35% and to work evenings and weekends, when required

Physical Requirements:

Frequently requires use of manual dexterity and repetitive motions, primarily with the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.  Must be able to occasionally lift and exert force of up to 40 pounds.

Compensation: 

Competitive nonprofit compensation, based on experience, plus a generous benefit.

Self-Help is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, class, age, gender, religion, disability that can be accommodated, marital status, ancestry, nationality, family status or sexual orientation.

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