The Procurement Specialist role will support the implementation of CAF’s procurement operating framework work at the Chef Ann Foundation, ensuring that this critical piece of support increases School Food Authorities sustainable procurement and integration of local ingredients in scratch cook operations.

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 14,100 schools and over 3.4 million children in all 50 states.

Job Description

This position provides technical and administrative support for the day-to-day operation of CAF’s procurement program and will be responsible for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues, ensuring smooth operation of systems and processes. This position resides on our School Food Operations team and reports to the Senior Procurement Specialist. This role will primarily support the Healthy School Food Pathway program, Get Schools Cooking, and specialized programming, where they will support and complete assessments of school food service departments' purchasing, bid processes, clean label initiatives, and menus. Additionally, they may provide technical assistance to food service professionals based on areas of expertise. It is expected that this role will play a critical part in evolving the purchasing power of school food programs and creating connections and relationships with local growers, farmers and producers.

• Healthy School Food Pathway is a work-based learning program that aims to prepare individuals for job opportunities in healthy, scratch-cook school food programs through hands-on and virtual learning.
• Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public k-12 schools with the operational knowledge to transition from a heat & serve to scratch cook operational model.
• Specialized Programming presents a unique opportunity for a district or multiple districts to receive individualized and direct support for improving their meal programs, including Virginia Food for Virginia Kids, Arizona’s Creating Your Kitchen, and implementation work in California districts as well as other states.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Procurement Specialist in the development and execution of CAF’s procurement operating framework and subsequent programing across the organization.
• Responsible for teaching our partner districts how to connect their operations to regenerative farms, local products, and high-quality protein producers.
  • In regions where CAF works identify local and sustainable sources of top agricultural commodities and/or artisan products and facilitate connections between distributors, producers and SFAs with the goal of empowering SFAs to begin local sourcing programs and
  • Others to be determined.
• Supports the development and dissemination of tools, guidance and the facilitation of place-based gatherings at a regional, statewide and national level to promote the awareness of, availability of and purchase of locally grown, Organic, climate smart and clean label ingredients for use by K12 food service department
  • Assist with hosting CAF procurement webinars,
  • Assist with drafting CAF procurement newsletter and
  • Others to be determined.
• Provides technical assistance to School Food Authorities participating in CAF programming (such as HSFP, Get School Cooking, PLANTS, etc.)
  • Performs data collection and analyze as it relates to school food purchases,
  • Support the CAF team and Sr. Procurement Specialist to perform district assessments,
  • Work with School Food Authorities in drafting procurement plans and/or strategies to optimize and increase the number of local procurements conducted and
  • Others to be determined.
• Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years experience of procurement related work experience within K-12 school food service.
• Ability to travel for work, up to 30% of the time.
• Strong project management skills, including time management and clear communication.
• Ability to balance and prioritize competing timelines/deliverables.
• Knowledge of work experience in sustainable food systems preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and GSuite platforms, especially on Mac OS.
• Ability to work independently virtually.

Essential Traits

• Ability to outreach and connect with new farmers, food vendors and school districts.
• A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness.
• Strong professional relationship cultivation and management skills that translate into building strong partnerships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Flexible mindset and innovative thinker.
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training.

Compensation

Compensation ranges between $65,100 - $86,100 per year and will be commensurate with the candidate’s previous experience and credentials. This is a limited-term position with funding guaranteed until December 2025. Future funding to be determined in quarter two of 2025. The Chef Ann Foundation is a great place to work and provides its staff with a competitive benefits package, including medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, short term disability, long term disability, group life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with a match & Paid Time Off. We are a fully-remote organization whose headquarters are located in Boulder, CO, with team members spread across the US. This position is remote.

Posting will close on March 24, 2024

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.