A strategic role in Organiclea’s Distribution
Do you share a passion for developing and delivering a sustainable community food enterprise?
Can you combine strategic development with day to day operational delivery?
Are you excited by spreadsheets and strategy as well as produce and people?
OrganicLea’s distribution work is growing rapidly but sustainably. Our box scheme is the key route for getting produce onto people’s plates, with 300 bags packed each week. We also run two community market stalls and work with 15-20 cafes and restaurants per week, from our local community café to Michelin-starred restaurants. As well as supplying our own produce, we help build markets and livelihoods for farmers and increasing numbers of local growers. We link this work with our training and volunteering programmes, part of our mission to reimagine an equitable food system.
We are looking for someone to join us on this journey – working to grow our box scheme, help develop new partnerships for distributing our own and other local produce, ensure distribution’s finances are ship-shape on a weekly and annual basis. This is core work with the distribution team being responsible for almost 50% of OrganicLea’s annual income.
If you are motivated by getting good food onto people’s plates, and committed to the role that local food distribution plays in building livelihoods for farmers and growers, then this could be the role for you.
We want to fit the role to the person rather than the other way round so we’re looking for someone we can work with to shape the specific role and hours that will best match their skills. Tasks and responsibilities will include some or all of the following:
Coordinating overall distribution enterprise strategy –manage box scheme and stalls growth, establish new markets, link our core distribution into our expanding work to support other local growers to get their produce to market.
Weekly distribution logistics – eg customer liaison, pack and delivery management, publicity and communications.
Distribution finance oversight – including weekly bookkeeping tasks and financial planning and budget tracking.
We are looking for someone who can work on their own initiative and as part of a team, and progress to full participation in the running of OrganicLea workers’ cooperative, including contribution to its governance and strategic development.The ideal candidate will have very strong administrative, logistic, strategic and people skills. You will be able to coordinate strategic development with your colleagues whilst also getting stuck into the weekly tasks of the box scheme and finance work.
You need previous experience of working in a local community project or of running an enterprise. You should have a high level of computer literacy including confidence with spreadsheets, and experience of using quickbooks or similar bookkeeping software (or the aptitude to learn). You need excellent financial skills and a passion for crunching numbers. We’d like you to have the ability to work well with volunteers, and the skills to make communications flow to those who need to know. You’ll be able to troubleshoot and deal with challenges in a creative, friendly and professional manner. Ideally you will have knowledge of community connections and opportunities in Waltham Forest and neighbouring boroughs, or the capacity to develop knowledge and connections quickly. We’re also keen for you to be a cyclist willing to cycle with a trailer, and a driver willing to drive our milkfloat!
It’s a lot to ask for, but if the role interests you please talk to us – motivation and aptitude and an empathy for the way we work are more important than precise work experience.
The detail: this is a 3 or 4 days per week role – core days are currently Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays. The exact role responsibilities and hours will be confirmed on appointment, depending on availability and skills set. There is also a monthly Saturday stall shift plus additional unpaid coop responsibilities.
The salary is £22,022 pro rata (based on 35 hour week), with pay review in April. Initially it’s a 1 year contract subject to a 7 month probation period for co-op membership. The work is based at Hawkwood Community Plant Nursery and at our office at the Hornbeam Centre in Walthamstow.
How to Apply
Please write a brief outline explaining why you are interested in joining OrganicLea’s distribution team, what experience and skills you can bring to OrganicLea, your work and training history (this could be attached as a CV).
Please also provide the name and contact details of two referees; your own contact details; information on any unspent convictions.
Please send applications to marlene@organiclea.org.uk
Deadline for applications: midday on Monday 21 March
Interview date: Thursday 24 March
Start date: as soon as possible after interview
Organiclea Community Growers ‘Food growing on London’s edge’
020 8524 4994 (Hawkwood Plant Nursery site)
020 8558 6880 (Hornbeam Centre)
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