Job Description

Job Location: Washington, DC 20017,

Position Type: Full Time,

Salary Range: $27.29 - $33.35 Hourly,

About the Organization

The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for more than a million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, the food bank provided more than 60 million meals to people in need last year, by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations as well as directly to the community. Creating long-term solutions to food security requires more than just food: it includes addressing the root causes of food insecurity by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, health care, and education. To learn more, visit Food Bank for the Washington, DC, Region | Capital Area Food Bank.

Description

The Specialist, Partnerships - DC serves as a primary relationship manager and trusted resource for partner agencies throughout the District of Columbia. This position builds and sustains productive relationships with a diverse network of nonprofit and community-based organizations, working to understand partners’ priorities, respond to concerns, strengthen organizational capacity, and improve their experience with Capital Area Food Bank programs, tools, and systems, while ensuring program compliance.

The Specialist develops a strong understanding of the District’s emergency food and food-access landscape and uses partner feedback, program data, and knowledge of community needs to identify trends, assess opportunities, and make well-reasoned recommendations. The role requires sound judgment, critical thinking, and the ability to balance relationship-building, compliance, recruitment, partner engagement, data management, training, and other competing priorities.

Working collaboratively with colleagues across regions and departments, the Specialist plans and implements targeted partner recruitment, engagement, and capacity-building efforts. The position is responsible for providing regular, structured opportunities, such as monthly partner engagement hours, needs-based meetings, and gathering feedback that informs the food bank’s programs and services, for partner organizations representing diverse communities to contribute to CAFB’s work in the District and improving partners’ experience, access to tools and resources, and interaction with food bank systems.

Essential Functions

Partner Relationship Management and Compliance

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for more than 80 partner agencies across all eight wards of the District of Columbia, building trust, maintaining regular communication, and developing a strong understanding of each partner’s priorities, strengths, and challenges.
• Manage a varied portfolio of partner engagement, compliance activities, site visits, recruitment efforts, trainings, and follow-up commitments, prioritizing work based on urgency, risk, partner impact, and regional goals.
• Serve as the regional expert on partner agency activities, acting as a thought partner and cross-functional collaborator on partner recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and relationship-management strategies
• Respond to partner questions and concerns in a timely, respectful, and solutions-oriented manner, including navigating difficult conversations and resolving issues while preserving effective working relationships.
• Schedule and conduct site monitoring and evaluation visits, ensuring compliance with CAFB and Feeding America National Organization (FANO) requirements.
• Monitor partner compliance and support the development and implementation of corrective action plans.
• ​​Maintain accurate partner information, documentation, and activity records in organizational databases and files.
• Plan and facilitate partner trainings, workshops, and meetings that are accessible and responsive to differences in experience, organizational capacity, and community context.
• Contribute to opportunities for partner agencies to engage with, contribute to, and influence CAFB’s work in the District of Columbia

Analysis, Engagement, and Planning

• Conduct targeted outreach to potential partners and evaluate organizational readiness, geographic need, community reach, and alignment with regional priorities.
• Analyze partner activity, engagement, capacity, geographic coverage, and community needs to identify trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities for network improvement.
• Collaborate with other regional teams to establish and implement standards of practice to strengthen regional partner network.
• Lead efforts to improve partner experience, including partners’ access to CAFB resources and interactions with food bank tools and systems.
• Engage partners in data collection efforts and other CAFB initiatives and recommend system enhancements to increase partner engagement.
• Balance planned projects with time-sensitive partner needs, shifting priorities thoughtfully while maintaining follow-through on commitments.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required

• Associate degree and 2 to 3 years of experience in customer service, community engagement, member services, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building effective working relationships with people and organizations representing diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures, lived experiences, and levels of organizational capacity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor information to different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent responsibilities, establish priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain follow-through in a changing environment.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the District of Columbia

Preferred

• Knowledge of, or ability to quickly learn about, District of Columbia communities and the local food-access environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Familiarity with issues related to food access, economic insecurity, and structural barriers affecting communities.
• Ability to uphold compliance standards and communicate corrective actions clearly, respectfully, and consistently.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to evaluate quantitative and qualitative information, identify patterns and gaps, and make sound recommendations.
• Detail oriented, with the ability to manage competing priorities and succeed in a diverse, fast paced, and team-oriented environment.
• Experience facilitating meetings and/or presentations for groups with varying levels of knowledge and experience
• Experience working with customer relationship management systems and electronic databases
• Access to a reliable vehicle strongly preferred.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods
• Ability to operate a computer and other standard office equipment
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and external stakeholders
• Ability to move throughout the office as needed
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds
• This position requires some local travel

Compensation

• $27.29 - $33.35 / hour

Schedule

• Hybrid schedule available
• Regular work hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm; occasional weekends or extended hours for special events

Application Process

• Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and sign their application to finalize if applying through Paycom.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
• We do not accept walk-in applications or status updates for any positions.
• All Applicants must apply online. To ensure a fair and consistent hiring process, we kindly ask that applicants do not call, email, or visit our facilities to inquire about the status of their application. To check your application status, please log in to your Paycom Applicant account. If your qualifications match our current hiring needs, a member of our Human Resources team will contact you directly regarding next steps.

NOTE: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Please access our website at Food Bank for the Washington, DC, Region | Capital Area Food Bank to learn more about Capital Area Food Bank and our employee benefits.