Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

• Reporting to: Head of Operations  
• Responsible for: Assistant Operations Managers, volunteers, placements and potentially additional roles, subject to funding 
• Salary:  £28,000-£35,000 pro rata. 
• Hours: 37.5 hours a week (negotiable), this will include some weekend and evening working. 
• Terms:  33 days including bank holidays pro rata.  Following 2 years continuous service this increases by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 5 additional days.  1 day volunteering leave is available in agreement with line manager.  All pro rata. 
• Contract: Permanent. Subject to six-month probation period. 
• Works with: Management Team, Development Team, Operations Team, Volunteers and placements 

FareShare Cymru

FareShare Cymru is an award-winning independent charity and part of the national FareShare UK network of surplus food redistribution charities.   We turn an environmental problem into a social solution. We source quality surplus food – from food retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers – engaging volunteers to redistribute to local charities and community groups that provide meals to vulnerable people (individuals who are homeless, unemployed, socially isolated, recovering from addictions). Our food is a vital lifeline for children and families, people on low incomes, people who have lost their jobs, the homeless, refugees, domestic abuse survivors, the elderly and key workers.    

Our Mission 

Maximising the social value of surplus food and ensuring that no good food is wasted.  

Vision  

A Wales where no-one goes hungry when there is food being wasted and where vulnerable people are supported to join or rejoin the workforce.  

Our Values 

• We strive towards sustainability  
• We work with others  
• We work with respect and fairness  
• We work with integrity  
• We are helpful and supportive  
• We maximise impact  

Role Purpose 

To provide leadership and oversee the FareShare Cymru operational locations, ensuring that operations are managed efficiently, to required levels of compliance with regulations and Service Levels, meet operational objectives and ensure its ongoing success 

Strategic Development 

• Support the implementation of the FareShare Cymru strategic plan ensuring all operational plans and capacity aligns with the aims and goals of FareShare Cymru’s strategic plan 
• To recommend, develop and integrate new operations and systems to ensure the ongoing success, growth, development and financial sustainability of FareShare Cymru.   
• Support the monitoring of delivery and reporting of progress against the strategy 
• Develop long term partnerships with external stakeholders in achieving strategic goals.   

Operational Management 

• Responsible for the day-to-day operations of FareShare Cymru - ensuring that we adhere to all food safety, health and safety, operational standards and security measures.  This may include (but is not limited to): 
• Prioritisation and delegation of tasks to the Operations Team (including volunteers) and ensure that daily briefing meetings are held. 
• Ensure that there is sufficient staff and volunteers to carry out operations on a day-to-day basis. 
• Ensure that all necessary operational policies and procedures, and risk assessments are developed and that these are communicated to and adhered to by staff, volunteers, placements, visitors and contractors - including but not limited to Health & Safety, the Food Safety Manual and Equal Opportunities Policy.  
• Responsible for the wellbeing of all depot staff and volunteers.  
• Ensure that all maintenance is carried out in a timely and cost-effective manner.  
• Work with the Food Sourcing Lead to maximise intake of food and minimise waste.   
• Ensure that a good level service is provided to Community Food Members. 
• Maximise operational efficiency. 
• Maintain good relations and communications with the FareShare UK Food team, local food suppliers and Community Food Member recipient projects. 
• Ensure good collaboration and working relationships with the Development Team. 
• Liaison with external bodies including EHO and Trading Standards 

Operational Development 

• Support the strategic development plan by committing to delivery of operational objectives. 
• Recommend and implement innovative practices that will transform the charity’s operations to ensure there are no barriers to growth.   
• Develop new operational procedures in accordance with FareShare UK policies and procedures whilst also reflecting local needs.   
•  Set up and integrate new areas of delivery in line with growth of the charity.   
• Seek out and emulate good practice from within the FareShare network and beyond. 
• Monitor and evaluate operational elements of FareShare Cymru’s activities and make regular reports as required. 
• Work with the FareShare Cymru team to implement continuous improvement and quality delivery. 

Team Management   

• Line manages key positions (including the Assistant Operations Managers (AOMs)) using clear objective setting and performance management procedures.   
• Lead and support the Operations Team to deliver against objectives, ensuring they are motivated and inspired to achieve daily tasks and contribute towards strategic growth plans.  
• Complete probationary reviews and annual appraisal paperwork and meetings on time and when required, following up on training requirements and/or performance issues and keeps accurate records.  
• Hold regular two-way meetings with the team and enable feedback from the team. 
• Work with the Volunteer Lead, Employability Lead and responsible AOM to develop and implement best practice for the management, development and engagement of volunteers. 
• Deputise for the Head of Operations attending management team and other meetings as required. 

Other    

• Carry out any other duties which may be necessary to fulfil the main purpose of the post    
• Manage specific areas of the operations budget as agreed with the Head of Operations and Finance Manager   

Person Specification  

Experience and Skills - Essential 

• Experience leading multi-dimensional activities from an operational perspective.   
• Experience of working in a regulated environment and demonstrable risk assessment capabilities.  
• Strong numeracy skills, including the ability to prepare and present data in a clear and understandable way  
• High level communication skills and ability to engage at all levels with diverse external stakeholders. 
• Ability to use MS Office products (Word & Excel) and experience of using database systems.  
• Must hold, or be willing to gain, Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate.  
• Must hold, or be willing to gain, a recognised health and safety qualification for dealing with health and safety within a warehouse/food distribution operation.  
• Must hold, or be willing to gain, a forklift truck licence.  
• Clean & current driving licence.  
• Willingness to have a DBS check.  
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to create good work partnerships with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally. 
• Ability to work systematically to agreed guidelines in the absence of close supervision.  
• Ability to deliver excellence through a competitive service offer to all stakeholders.  
• Leadership management skills including the ability to motivate and develop people to deliver high levels of performance.  

Experience and skills - Desirable  

• Experience of budgeting/financial management, including control over income and expenditure and performance measures.  
• Good presentation/facilitation skills 
• Knowledge of the South Wales area  
• Experience developing long term partnerships with external stakeholders to achieve strategic goals.   
• Experience of working with and supporting volunteers who may feel vulnerable or need support.  

Personal Qualities - Essential 

• A high degree of personal motivation and a willingness to learn new skills, taking on challenges and undertake relevant training 
• Commitment to the third sector and working in partnership with organisations with shared aims. 
• Commitment to and a working knowledge of equality & diversity. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to create good work partnerships with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally. 
• Ability to work systematically to agreed guidelines in the absence of close supervision. 
• An understanding of the importance of confidentiality across all aspects of the workplace 
• Ability to act quickly decisively and positively to change. 
• Confident in setting, maintaining and managing business and team performance to predetermined standards 
• Ability to recognise and address high priorities and when necessary, link these elements to overall strategy. 
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make effective decisions ‘on the spot’ 
• Ability to effectively plan and organise own workload and coordinate other resource to meet deadlines.  

Application information

Please send a CV and cover letter no longer than two sides of A4 to jobs@fareshare.cymru

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs