Company description

Food Works Group (FWG) is a woman-owned food systems consultancy that helps regional food organizations and businesses be more impactful and sustainable. We are a small but mighty and growing team of eight individuals across the U.S. Our work focuses on four verticals to support regional food systems: food access, food businesses, food networks and ecosystems, and food investments. We work with a broad range of clients, from individual farms to regional economic development authorities, and from small nonprofits to large public-private partnerships. FWG focuses on systems-level and infrastructure issues, and we advise clients on business planning and development, as well as project feasibility, need, best practices, and evaluation. For descriptions of FWG’s recent projects, please have a look at our website.

OUR WORK 

FWG’s work runs the gamut from research-heavy to more implementation-focused. Much of our work falls under four verticals: food security, food businesses, food networks and systems, food investments. We also do work related to economic and workforce development through food and farming enterprises, regenerative agriculture, food system infrastructure, food hubs, and network creation. Our diverse lived experiences working in the food system leads to innovation for our clients, addressing root causes, and fostering change that will lead to a more just, sustainable, resilient, healthful, and delicious food system.

Our team has witnessed the fast-paced evolution of regional food systems in recent years. Our depth of experience as operators in the food space, combined with our proven ability to guide clients through dynamic, effective planning for mission success, set us apart from other firms. 

 

FWG is committed to uncovering and disrupting the tenets of white supremacy that underpin our food system. We recognize the multiple, intersectional barriers that prevent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farmers, food vendors, and food system leaders from achieving their full potential, and we strive to identify, address, and work to eliminate these barriers whenever possible. We recognize that access to economic opportunity, health, and mainstream social capital often fall along racial lines. We work to elevate the voices of marginalized communities through thoughtful, informed engagement.

Job description

WHO WE ARE

We are a dynamic team that values each individual’s skills, interests, and needs. Our dream teammate is kind, passionate about food (whether eating, growing, cooking, moving, processing, or selling it), experienced in on-the-ground food systems work, and committed to visioning and executing excellent solutions. 

WHO YOU ARE 

We are looking for a consultant to plug into our existing and upcoming projects. If you like work that rarely looks the same from one day to the next, that requires creative thinking and adaptability, and that balances ownership and independence with a supportive team, this role could be for you. Each contractor works on various projects as lead or support, depending on skills required, capacity, etc. If you are looking for predictability and ready-made, plug-and-play frameworks and toolkits, this role is not for you. There is no hard and fast list, but here are some of our desired qualifications:

Direct work experience in food production, food business, CPGs, agriculture, commercial kitchens, sustainability, environmental science, food waste management and reduction/recovery, food supply chain and logistics, and others
Experience as an operator in one or more food facilities, e.g., food banks, food hubs, farms or farmer networks, processing facilities, commercial kitchens 
Expertise in engaging with stakeholders, via interviews, focus groups, facilitations, and more
Excellent research, analysis, and writing skills; confident with virtual and in-person group facilitation 
Strong financial understanding, ability to develop program or project budgets, multi-year forecasts for revenue or operating expenses
Self-possessed, quick thinking, and has agency to lead projects and represent the company when interfacing with clients and partners
Organized and thorough — things rarely fall through the cracks
Innovative, visionary approach to solving problems
Applies creativity in advancing concepts into actionable strategies 
Able to meet client deadlines 100% of the time (with grace for the realities of life)
Offers a warm, kind, positive, and collaborative approach 
Curious about and committed to the work
Proficiency in Google workspace, Excel, Powerpoint, Canva (or other design platforms) and other software packages

Additional qualifications that are plus include: 

Fluency or strong conversational skills in non-English languages, especially Spanish
Established network of thought partners in the food space and adjacent arenas 
Experience with federal and state grants, including grant-writing, implementation, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation
Data management and analysis skills, e.g., GIS mapping, advanced proficiency with spreadsheets
DEI training and background 
Graphic design/web design experience

WHAT YOU’LL DO

FWG consultants work as independent contractors that partner with other team members to service a project; all FWG work is project-based. Consultants tend to work on a handful of projects at any given time. Most projects have a Project Lead and Project Support with a FWG Partner in an advisory role. As a consultant, you could support existing and prospective projects. Your day-to-day work can involve activities such as stakeholder interviews and surveys, virtual facilitation, online research, data gathering and analysis, work plan management, authoring client memos and finalizing project recommendations, and managing recurring client meetings in pursuit of progress to goal. Our projects often result in deliverables or outputs such as feasibility studies, landscape analyses, strategic plans or business plans, program development, operating playbooks or project toolkits. You can expect to spend half your time working independently and half your time working collaboratively with FWG’s team and partners readily available for input, collaborative work, and feedback.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

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Deadline

no deadline