Position Details

Position Title: Director of Community Engagemen

Supervisor: Chief of People and OperationsSupervisees: Campaigns & Coalitions Team Leads (3) Employee Status: Exempt / Full-timeStandard Hours: Hybrid, 35 hours per week; in-state travel, some early mornings, evenings and weekendsStarting Salary: $76,000 annuallyComprehensive Benefits including medical, dental, & vision, generous paid time off, retirement, and disability

Position Summary

As the Director of Community Engagement, you will carry out inclusion-focused, place-based work building relationships and understanding community needs. You will take the lead in equitable community engagement, centering Hunger Free Vermont’s mission to end the injustice of hunger through directly listening and being accountable to the many different kinds of people who are most impacted by hunger and its root causes in Vermont. You will partner with other Hunger Free Vermont staff members in mapping communities and community assets, connecting people to resources, and engaging people as project partners, but most centrally you will take a learning stance to gain insight into how needs are being addressed within communities and what is wanted and needed from Hunger Free Vermont that may call us to shift our perspective and approaches. 

The Campaigns and Coalitions Team

The Director of Community Engagement leads the newly-formed Campaign and Coalitions Team. This team works with a wide range of anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocates and champions, making space in strategic conversations for the voices of Vermont residents who are poor, disabled, people of color, elderly, and/or tend not to be included in policy decisions. This team also ensures that we are accountable and responsive to the coalitions we join and that we share power in the campaigns we build. They harness the collective voices of coalitions to power innovative policy and community initiatives that create food security for everyone in Vermont. 

Working at Hunger Free Vermont

Hunger Free Vermont is dedicated to ensuring everyone in Vermont has what we need to thrive, including nourishing food. We place a high value on the wellbeing of our colleagues and everyone we serve. We have deliberately designed roles that require collaboration across teams, because diverse perspectives lead to more effective and equitable outcomes and because shared knowledge lets us sustain a work-life balance. Embodying a learning culture, we encourage curiosity and innovation and actively work to create an environment where colleagues practice open communication. Recognizing that our work requires emotional and mental energy as human beings, we value colleagues who want to contribute to a culture of care.

Focus of Position 

These deliverables are part of a multi-year strategy and the director is not expected to achieve all of them in the first year. You will have the opportunity to develop your role over time as we discern what it really means for Hunger Free Vermont to implement reciprocal practices for consulting and engaging with the people who are most impacted by hunger and its root causes in Vermont.

• Take the lead in equitable community engagement that holds us accountable to people most affected by hunger and its root causes. This includes identifying where historic and ongoing inequity has happened and to whom and recommending any restorative actions or practices that are necessary for repair.
• Explore and discover whether and how we should do work outside of our current focus on expanding access to government programs and making policy changes that increase government program benefit levels.
• With the Coalition Development Lead, research and map the socio-historical and contemporary context of hunger and hunger cessation work in Vermont with a focus on most-impacted communities and their resilient strategies.
• With the Coalition Development Lead, develop a strategic plan for mapping the landscape of, and building authentic relationships with, the many organizations and groups in Vermont that share our commitment to taking social justice and root cause approaches to ending hunger; dividing this work between you as appropriate.
• Provide consultation and support to the Coalition Development Lead in prioritizing collaborative decision-making and engagement practices that expand equity, inclusion, and diversity as they implement a process to redesign the Hunger Councils in alignment with Hunger Free Vermont’s strategic priorities.
• With the Legislative Policy Lead, ensure that our policy work is aligned with the priorities of communities most affected by hunger, and is focused on dismantling systems that lead to hunger. Facilitate connections with new and diverse individuals and groups who are inspired to work with us to achieve policy objectives that matter to them, providing clear options and opportunities for participation. 
• With the Ending Childhood Hunger Campaign Lead, develop a process aligned with Hunger Free Vermont’s values and priorities to ensure that people raising children on low incomes are able to meaningfully contribute to the Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger in Vermont, and that (in future years) people who are inspired to work with us to fulfill different parts of the plan that matter to them have clear options and opportunities for participation.
• With the Campaigns and Coalitions Team, design culturally responsive and equitable approaches to engaging communities, and work with the Chief of People and Operations and the other program directors to facilitate their implementation across all programs and projects.
• With the other Program Department Directors, lead the Programs Department, including planning and facilitating Programs Department meetings and supporting cross-team collaborations through our working groups structure.
• With the other Program Department Directors, provide the direction and structure to facilitate the totality of Hunger Free Vermont’s programmatic work in alignment with our defined organizational priorities and mission.
• As a leader in the organization, you will play a key role in fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, encouraging curiosity, innovation, knowledge sharing, and skill building.
• All members of the Programs Department support the Development and Finance teams by developing and managing team and project budgets, and by documenting work and contributing ideas, information, and language for grant proposals and reports.
• Other duties as assigned.

Important Perspectives, Knowledge, and Skills

We encourage all candidates who can demonstrate a fit with the role, even if you don’t match every qualification listed below, to apply. We embrace nontraditional paths and appreciate the fresh insights they offer. You could demonstrate your experience and skills in a variety of ways, including professional or volunteer work, travel or living abroad, creative pursuits, and military service.

• 5 years of experience in community organizing and/or equitable community engagement work that has resulted in skill sets for building trust, forming relationships, and engaging with individuals and communities who are usually excluded from the spaces where decisions are made and where strategies are designed.
• 5 years of experience leading, managing, and empowering team(s).
• A belief that hunger and its root causes are solvable, and a desire to contribute to ending these injustices for everyone in Vermont.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to be a curious and active listener.
• Experience with (or willingness to be trained in) equitable design practices and/or trauma informed community engagement.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively, manage complex projects, and build positive relationships with other staff and external partners.
• Ability to read, write, & communicate in English. The ability to communicate in other language(s) is a welcome plus.
• Ability to operate basic computer and internet programs like Google Suite and a willingness to learn new systems, applications, and technologies on the job.
• A valid driver’s license and ability to access a vehicle for travel within the state as needed.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

Hunger Free Vermont will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals to perform the

essential functions of their work to the degree we are able to do so.

• Internal Work Conditions: Work is performed in a climate controlled office environment with no exposure to hazardous materials/conditions. There is a moderate level of noise from office equipment (phone, copier, etc) and an office layout that includes open work areas, meeting rooms, and smaller private work rooms. Some limited remote work is possible.
• External Work Conditions: Routine in-state travel to training/meeting sites is required; some availability outside of normal business hours is required.
• This position requires regular in-state travel. Hunger Free Vermont makes rental cars available for staff to use for work-related travel.
• Physical Demands:
  • Reliable attendance at regularly scheduled in person and online meetings is required
  • Must be able to work in an office environment and operate a computer for extended periods of time
  • Work may include occasionally moving boxes, furniture, or technology equipment, which may weigh up to 20 pounds. Accommodations can be made for moving heavier items.

Bringing diverse perspectives into anti-hunger work is critical to affecting meaningful change. To expand the diversity of voices that speak with authority towards this end, we welcome highly motivated candidates - with particular attention to candidates who have experience in communities that are underrepresented in the work to end hunger and poverty and possess a strong commitment to issues of social and racial equity.

Hunger Free Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply. If you require any accommodations in order to apply, please let us know by contacting us through jobs@hungerfreevt.org or by calling (802) 865-0255.

To review our employment process and learn about our benefits, please visit hungerfreevt.org/employment.