GOOD FOOD PURCHASING IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER FOR COOK COUNTY
NOVEMBER 2024
Who Are We?
Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) was founded in 2002 as a coalition became a 501c3 nonprofit in 2011, and added full-time staff in 2017. CFPAC connects people across Chicago’s food system to build equitable networks and to advance food justice and food sovereignty.
Our Mission & Vision
We envision a food system where residents of all races, genders, and social identities have the right to produce and access food through community-driven, ecologically regenerative, and economically resilient processes. We address gaps in today’s food system using an incubator model to initiate solutions that build an equitable future for systematically marginalized, local farms and food businesses. We specifically focus on dismantling structural racism in the food system and lifting up food policies that support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We champion food leaders who equitably represent Chicago’s tapestry (race, class, gender, social identity) by connecting them within our network to take leadership roles, lead policy conversations, and establish greater capacity for equitable solutions. We prompt grassroots action for food system equity by creating space for leaders to connect, facilitating conversations around policy and solutions, and addressing systemic barriers to food equity and food access. To that end, please visit www.chicagofoodpolicy.com to learn more.
Position Overview
Working with the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative’s team at the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, the Cook County Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Specialist will provide technical assistance and support to implement GFPI across all Cook County departments and agencies in close collaboration with partners at the Cook County Department of Public Health.
Background on GFPP in Cook County
Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the Good Food
Purchasing Initiative by policy resolution in 2018, and have since been working toward shifting public food procurement to be more racially equitable, transparent, and accountable through five Good Food Standards: Local Economies, Environmental Sustainability, Valued Workforce, Animal Welfare, and Nutrition. Cities, counties, and other institutions all across the country are working on GFPP with leadership from the Center for Good Food Purchasing and advocacy partners at the Food Chain Workers Alliance and HEAL Food Alliance.
The Center for Good Food Purchasing supports institutions with making shifts towards the Good Food Standards by analyzing their food purchasing data and helping the institution understand their current buying practices. The institution then collaborates with the Center and local partners to develop a Good Food Action Plan to guide their purchasing shifts forward. This includes activities such as revising menu items, changing language in solicitations for food service and supplies, and identifying more GFPP-aligned products on the market that an institution can purchase.
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council coordinates the Cook County Good Food Purchasing
Initiative (GFPI) to leverage local GFPP adoption for racially equitable supply chain
development and normalizing values-based food procurement with institutions across the
region. Learn more about GFPI here, and specifically the adoption of Cook County Good Food Purchasing Initiative here.
Objectives You’re Here to Meet!
● Provide leadership as the co-chair of the Cook County Good Food Task Force, convening quarterly meetings and developing strategic plan and carrying out execution to advance nutrition and food access in alignment with Good Food Purchasing Policy.
● Collaborate and lead menu planning and values-based procurement in institutional food services through strategic planning and relationship management.
● Support the Cook County Good Food Purchasing Initiative with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council GFPI team to share best practices, build capacity and coordinate strategic opportunities to transform markets.
Position Responsibilities
● Provides programmatic leadership and coordinates planning, implementation and evaluation of GFPP; including supporting departments and agency’s Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) implementation progress (data collection, action planning and accountability)
● Co-chair the Cook County Good Food Task Force and co-organize quarterly meetings with CCDPH staff to identify procurement reforms aligned with GFPP that build transparency, accountability, and racial equity
● Supports food-related solicitations and contract renewal processes to ensure robust GFPP language and reporting requirements are included and enforced
● Support development of a public contract expirations database and create map of meal programs and current contracted food service management companies and distributors
● Coordinate scratch cooking audits of kitchen facilities and food waste reduction auditing and action planning process for Cook County meal programs and food environments
● Ensures benchmarks/objectives are met and reports are prepared and submitted promptly; including a public Cook County GFPP Annual Report to document progress and challenges with GFPP implementation
● Collaborate with CFPAC grant administration team to ensure all deliverables and reports specifically associated with Cook County ARPA funding are completed and submitted on time, in addition to other funder reporting requirements
● Participate in the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council to share best practices, build capacity and coordinate strategic opportunities to transform markets.
○ Identify, facilitate and create opportunities to support Suburban Cook County-based public and community institutions, including hospitals and higher education institutions, in accessing additional resources to purchase good food (e.g. public policy strategies, developing creative funding streams).
○ Identify, develop and maintain strategic partnerships that will support implementation, evaluation and sustainability of GFPP
○ Coordinate, build, mobilize and sustain relationships with local decision-makers, elected officials, community and organizational partners
○ Synthesize and communicate best practices from leading GFPP institutions so that procurement leaders can share their expertise with others and extend impact.
○ Provide support to regranting processes of GFPI Community Fund
○ Engage with national partners on Good Food Purchasing, including the Center for Good Food Purchasing, HEAL Food Alliance, and Food Chain Workers Alliance via the Good Food Communities network and Good Food Operators calls
● Support organizing of the annual Chicago Food Justice Summit, Buyer/Supplier Networking
Events, and other GFPI-related events as needed.
● Other responsibilities:
○ Maintain and report expenses and grant financial and narrative reports as required.
○ Present on GFPP work at conferences, colleges & universities, and other opportunities that arise.
○ Support online and social media outreach, updates and publicity.
○ Support the efforts and administration of other CCDPH initiatives and Chicago Food Policy Action Council’s Rhizome Network, as relevant to GFPP.
What You’ll Bring
● 3-5 years of project management experience, plus if in community food systems development or food procurement experience.
● Experience working on menu planning and values-based procurement in schools and/or other institutional food services
● Commitment and passion to food justice & equity - including understanding the root causes of racial and social inequity in power and control over food systems.
● Extensive knowledge of local, sustainable, and healthy food systems– including food production, urban and sustainable agriculture, and community development.
● In-depth understanding of U.S. agriculture, food production, and distribution systems, community food systems, and small food entrepreneurship
● Experience in coordinating, facilitating, and/or organizing meetings, events, trainings, and workshops.
● Ability to work productively and collaboratively in a highly autonomous environment.
● Ability to analyze and re-envision complex systems both to equitably and sustainability shift
supply chains and help inform decision-makers and advocates.
● Relational approach to your work, and a mindfulness to uphold and steward our values, and
add to our culture!
Bonus If...
● Proficient in both Google Workspace programs and Microsoft Office programs as both will be used
● 3-5 years of experience in community food systems development
Essential Qualifications...
● Use of a personal vehicle for travel to Cook County office building for in-person meetings and related County events
● Valid Driver’s License and active vehicle insurance
Desired Competencies
● Relationship Management: Ability to effectively build, sustain, and navigate varying relationships across multiple stakeholders and partners
● Organization/Planning: Excellent time management ability; able to effectively balance and prioritize multiple projects and initiatives with various stakeholders
● Self-Starter: Highly self-motivated with a knack for moving projects forward primarily independently and also when working within a collaborative team setting.
● Adaptability: Ability to react positively to change and remain productive in a changing environment. The capacity to change one’s actions, approach, or decisions based on new information or a new situation.
● Resourcefulness: Ability to find efficient and innovative ways to overcome challenges, optimize resources to improve or create, and present solutions to every obstacle.
Total Rewards Package
Salary range is $65,000 - $70,000 based on experience and qualifications for the role. CFPAC is proud to offer a premium benefits package starting day 1, with 100% employer-covered health care through Blue Cross Blue Shield for employee, fully covered vision and dental insurance for employee, a generous annual professional development allowance, approximately 30 accrued PTO days in addition to over a dozen paid holidays, and more.
Chicago Food Policy Action Council is a semi-distributed team, providing an office and collaborative work space in the Loop in downtown Chicago. We host mostly hybrid meetings for staff to attend in-person and virtually. However, we do expect staff to live in relative proximity to downtown Chicago for the availability of in-person partner meetings, events, and staff gatherings.
How to Apply
Please submit your resume and a one-page cover letter tying your experience to specifics in the job description to Hiring@chicagofoodpolicy.com with the subject line “Cook County GFP Implementation Manager application.” Please note, as a small, people-centered organization, our communication in response to you may be slow while we carefully and thoughtfully evaluate each candidate.
Priority will be given to applicants who submit materials by November 29th.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Chicago Food Policy Action Council is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. CFPAC makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.
We strongly encourage all who are interested to apply, regardless of whether or not you meet all of the listed qualifications!
Studies show women and BIPOC candidates are less likely to apply unless they check every single box. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and uniquely talented team reflecting the beautiful tapestry of Chicago and the world. If you are excited about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t match up perfectly, please consider applying anyway.