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Software Support

Open Food Network UK
Remote working

Posted: 6 Jan 2025

Deadline: 31 Jan 2025

Compensation: From £28,600 per annum, pro rata

Paid Part-time Flexible hours Remote working

Job description

The Open Food Network UK team is seeking a passionate and motivated person to join our team in supporting food producers, food hubs and customers to use our open source software platform.

About the Open Food Network (OFN)

OFN UK is a Community Interest Company that enables sustainable food hubs and producers to sell online, extend their customer base and benefit from our range of management tools. Our vision is an international network of food enterprises that put their communities and the planet first. A world in which all food is produced using agroecological methods and is distributed in such a way that communities thrive and everyone is well nourished. We’re best known for our ‘food hubs’ functionality, which lets hubs connect with producers, stock their products, and develop localised, resilient and sustainable food networks.

The Role

We’re looking for someone that can fit well into our compact team and help us provide outstanding user support for the food producers, food hubs and communities who use our software. The role will require you to develop a deep understanding of the platform and surrounding integrations and offer helpful and friendly email, phone and video support to our users. You’ll be the first line in our support team and the first person our users interact with when they need help. However, the support we offer does not end at the software. Running a food enterprise involves finances, marketing, volunteer management and more. You’ll support our users across their whole journey by also signposting to other colleagues, partner organisations and established food hubs to help them grow into thriving businesses.

Your main responsibilities:

• Work with current and potential users to make the most out of the OFN platform and create thriving food hubs across the country.
• Support current and potential users to understand the software tools available, navigating complex features and communicating them in an accessible and simple manner.
• Work with our existing software support team and fit seamlessly into our existing processes.
• Support current and potential users to access the business and integration support available by working closely with the rest of the team.
• Work with the existing team in understanding user requirements and documenting any software issues.
• Triage UK and global OFN general email inboxes and direct to relevant global colleagues and UK team members.

 Our ideal next team member will:

• Find software intuitive. When you use a new piece of software you tend to be able to find your way around it and use user guides to figure things out independently.
• Be an adaptable communicator. You’ll need to translate between technical and non-technical language and be confident speaking with people across the whole spectrum of technical ability.
• Have keen attention to detail. Often very small technical details are the key for identifying a bug or spotting a user error.
• Enjoy problem solving. Software support is part deduction, part investigation and part translation, so you’ll need to enjoy a challenge.
• Relish supporting people, particularly those who find software more difficult than you. You take pride in doing your best to help others, even when the person you're supporting is finding it really hard.
• Be organised. You’ll be working with dozens of users at any one time across a range of tasks. You’ll be comfortable switching tasks regularly.
• Thrive in a small, remote working team. You’ll be self directed and independent, but also know when its time to ask for help.
• Be driven to support our work to put communities at the centre of food systems.

Further details

We’ve always worked remotely, so you’ll need your own computer. Our team is non-hierarchical and we function as a sociocracy, so you’ll be working with all of us. From experience we know this requires a special mix of humility, accountability and autonomy. If this all resonates with you then we can’t wait to hear from you!

This role is being offered as a 0.4 FTE position (15 hours a week), which must be spread across at least three days to ensure support is sufficiently covered within the team. The role will initially be for a 12 month period, and will include a three month probationary period. We have a flat pay structure at OFN UK, and pay will therefore be determined based on experience at one of our three pay levels, which start at £28,600 per annum, pro rata. We are open to fixed-term employment or self-employment to suit your circumstances.

Application information

To apply, fill out our short application form by 31st January.

Additionally, if you believe you would be a great member of our team, but don’t meet all the criteria in the role descriptions, we would still love to hear from you.

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