Careers at Manna

Job summary              

The Advocacy Manager will play an important role in supporting the development and implementation of Manna’s advocacy program by working closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Community Impact Director and team, and the Advocacy Task Force (ATF) to develop and implement an annual/multi-year advocacy strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Active engagement in the creation and execution of Manna’s advocacy strategy.
• Ensuring that there is a constant flow of information between Manna staff, Advocacy Task Force, and external partners in government and the nonprofit sectors to ensure maximum impact of Manna’s advocacy initiatives through collaborative efforts.
• Staffing the Advocacy Task Force, ensure that ATF members stay engaged and actively support Manna’s advocacy efforts, and work with ATF members to ensure the success of Manna’s advocacy priorities.

Summary of Essential Job Functions

• Developing and implementing annual advocacy strategy, in partnership with CEO, Community Impact Director, other Manna staff, and the ATF:
  • Ensure that Manna’s advocacy priorities reflect program and operational realities, in particular aligning its advocacy approach (amplifying voices, working in coalition, and building relationships) with Manna’s three-pronged organizational mission (food distribution, education, and advocacy)
  • Coordinate with partners both within and outside government to determine overlap and potential points of leverage in developing advocacy goals
  • Engage participants and community members to identify priorities that could be addressed via Manna advocacy
  • Situate Manna’s advocacy priorities primarily within the context of County and State initiatives.
  • Support the development of the organization’s annual advocacy work plan and framework for monitoring progress, communicating outcomes, and assessing impact.

• Managing The Advocacy Task Force:
  • Support identification and orientation of new ATF members
  • Facilitate quarterly meetings (prepare agenda, oversee follow-up, etc.)
  • Obtain input from and engage Taskforce members to support the implementation of Manna advocacy strategy
  • Serve as liaison between the Advocacy Task Force, Manna staff, and CEO.

• Cultivating relationships and opportunities that strengthen Manna’s advocacy efforts and impact:
  • Monitor county, state and federal level developments relating to food systems, including the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, and alert Manna’s advocacy decision-makers to developments requiring a timely response.
  • Represent Manna on relevant workgroups and committees within the food sector and have awareness of intersectionality with health, economic development, housing, and other issues
  • Support Manna’s advocacy efforts during the annual Montgomery County and state budget cycle to achieve organizational goals
  • Promote regular evaluation and reporting of Manna’s advocacy accomplishments, using both qualitative and quantitative methods

• Work with Development and Communications team to:
  • Inform stakeholders, including donors, of advocacy successes via social media and other channels by providing content and consistently updating Dev/Com about program activities.
  • Support revenue generation and program sustainability by regularly sharing program goals, statistics, outcomes and capacity to ensure accurate information in grant applications and reports and to inform the identification of funding sources.

Minimum requirements

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in food policy, advocacy, and/or community organizing
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders including policymakers and community members
• Excellent organizational skills and superb attention to detail.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and execute on a wide variety of diverse and concurrent responsibilities.
• Interest in and experience with partnership development and management
• Experience working successfully in teams and collaborating with co-workers and peer organizations
• Proven proficiency with Microsoft Office software suite, especially Excel.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Program delivery experience is an asset.

Physical Demands:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.  The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.  The employee constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.  The person in this position frequently communicates with staff, board members, and vendors and must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

Environmental Conditions:  The employee will be exposed to a variety of fluctuating environmental conditions within the building including heat and cold. The employee must be able to work in these conditions for up to 2 hours at a time. 

Why Choose Manna?

It takes all types of people to make Manna great. We seek a diverse and committed group of individuals who are eager to engage in service to the community while enabling their own personal growth and professional development. One of our core priorities is to enable our employees to live a well-balanced life and career, and our benefits are an important extension of that philosophy. As such, we offer a competitive suite of benefits including:

• Participation in Manna’s comprehensive Health Benefits Plan.
• Eleven paid holidays + your birthday! Two weeks paid vacation, which increases with tenure, 10 paid sick days to start, and 3 personal days per fiscal year.
• Free Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Generous retirement benefits.
• New parents leave.
• Support for work-related transportation in accordance with Manna’s practices and procedure.

Our Culture

• At Manna, our core values are passion and determination, relationships built on respect, resourcefulness, community involvement, and adaptability and ingenuity.  Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is a top priority that enables us to find excellent teammates and creates an environment where all types of people can belong and thrive.
• Manna is participant-centered and data-driven. Our people do meaningful work in an environment where they feel a genuine sense of community and connectedness to Manna’s mission.
• Manna relies on problem-solving and solution creation from all levels.
• Working at Manna is a dynamic experience with the opportunity to take ownership and make a difference.
• Our work is strengthened by the voices of people with lived experience of food insecurity.

Racial Equity Statement

Manna Food Center is committed to serving as an ally for racial justice and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are fully committed to equity and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, political opinion, and national origin. Applicants with lived experience of our service area are encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is not a contract and confers no contractual rights, privileges, or benefits on any applicant or potential applicant. Manna has the right to change any and all terms of this job description, including, but not limited to, job responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits. Nothing in this job description constitutes an offer or guarantee of employment. Manna reserves the right to change its current benefits program at any time, in a manner that is consistent with applicable federal and state regulations.

Manna is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Send Cover Letter and Resume to jobs@mannafood.org.

This position will remain open until filled.