Job Title & Description: Operations Specialist

This is a physically active, frontline role which entails working in a highly collaborative and dynamic environment. A person in this role uses their bilingual skills while interacting with volunteers, staff, and food bank recipients and works within all BFB programs to provide free food to Whatcom Family households. Bellingham Food Bank values staff people who can bring deep empathy, compassion, and creativity to their work. We seek individuals who understand that food is a fundamental human right and who want to join us as we both provide food to our community and also work to undo the systems that have led to the need for food banks. We also believe that humor, levity, and camaraderie are crucial to the work that we do! There is no required level of education or work experience specified because we believe that applicable experience can be gained from many unexpected places, and because we believe that there are many lived experiences that are at least as relevant to this work as a university degree or employment history.

 Work-from-home is not available.

Specific Functions

•                  60% of time: Contribute to BFB’s free grocery store by:

o                 Offering support, training, and direction to volunteers in conjunction with other staff.

o                 Providing customer service to BFB clients with a focus on compassion, respect, and empathy

o                 Assisting with inventory tracking, organizing and maintaining stockroom and distribution floor

•                  25% of time: Participate in BFB’s drive-through, outdoor pre-packed box service one day per week by:

o                 Working as part of core Drive Through staff team, taking lead when needed, enthusiastically working outside in all types of weather.

o                 Driving a box truck to distribution site, setting up tents, tables, unloading trucks

o                 Offering support, training, and direction to volunteers

o                 Assisting with the box packing assembly line, taking lead as needed

•                  10% of time: Support BFB’s weekly home delivery service one to two mornings a week by: o Driving home delivery routes

o                 Providing support to home delivery staff

•                  Provide translation support within all BFB programs, written and oral.

•                  Attend staff meetings 1-2 times per week

•                  Take part in staff trainings as offered, individually or team-based

Skills & Qualifications

Spanish or Russian fluency REQUIRED, native speakers preferred

• Ability to operate the following equipment or enthusiastic to learn: Refrigerated box truck w/liftgate, large van, forklift, manual and electric pallet jacks, power washer. Valid DL required, no certifications required.
• Willingness to undergo Washington State Patrol and Sex Offender background check
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds repeatedly, move quickly, climb in and out of box trucks, sit and/or stand for several hours at time
• Basic computer literacy required, proficiency with Microsoft Office preferred. Willingness to use BFB inventory software, data management software, and routing optimization app required.
• Strong commitment to social/food justice, anti-racism; willingness to continue to learn about these concepts and to apply them to daily work at BFB.
• Independent motivation to identify tasks and complete them, ability to prioritize and manage competing demands.
• Collaborative and team-minded spirit, sense of humor
• Enthusiastic about working with a diverse group of staff, volunteers, and food bank visitors