FRN Executive Director – Position Description

Founded in September of 2011, Food Recovery Network is the largest campus-based food recovery movement in the country. We empower college students to donate surplus prepared food from their campus dining halls to local food pantries in order to reduce waste, feed hungry people and fight climate change.

In less than 4 years, FRN grew to 127 colleges and universities and has recovered over 700,000 pounds of food to shelters and meal sites for food-insecure people. All of the food is recovered and transported by student volunteers and every chapter is led by a team of students. FRN become a leading brand and voice in the growing field of food recovery and is also the largest student movement against hunger in America. We have been featured on MSNBC, Upworthy, The New York Times and other publications.

Food Recovery Network’s national staff ignites the creation of new food recovery programs by organizing interested students on campuses and partnering with food service companies. FRN supports its official chapters by providing best practices, trainings, conferences and grants.

We are a young organization with a team of motivated and creative people leading the way. It is a fast-paced work environment with lots of opportunity for growth and innovation.

FRN has experienced rapid growth over the past three years, adding 12 full-time staff and increasing the size of our network and budget exponentially every year. We have secured partnerships with all the major private food service companies and have developed sustainable sources of funding.

We are looking for an Executive Director to oversee our rapidly expanding organization, and take FRN to the next level. As the first leader of FRN that is not the Founder, the Executive Director will be responsible for crafting and setting priorities for the organization going forward, while maintaining the growth trajectory that the Board and founding team has set.

The ED is responsible for managing all partnerships, development, hiring, and communications with student leaders from the central office located in College Park, MD. We are looking for an individual who is comfortable interacting with a variety of stakeholders – students, staff, foundations and corporate executives. As we transition from a start-up into a non-profit with big ambitions, the Executive Director will need to have the skills to maintain the quality of FRN’s programming while growing at a rapid pace and continue to develop funding streams to make FRN sustainable in the long-run.

Specifics of Position

This is a full time, salaried position. Evenings and weekends may be needed to work with the schedules of students and board members. Some travel to chapters and partners will be necessary. This positions reports directly to the Board of Directors.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Provide leadership in partnership with the Board of Directors on the strategic vision and operations of FRN. Work closely with the Board to ensure FRN is meeting its yearly targets for growth and impact.

• Responsible for all staff, including hiring and attracting high quality staff members as well as providing direction, leadership, training, evaluation and supervision.

• Work closely with the senior leadership team and other staff to ensure programmatic goals are met.

Strategic Thinking/Planning

• Work with the staff, board and other stakeholders to develop strategic plans.

• Create and implement plans to further the mission of FRN.

• Continue developing our leadership pipeline that provides training to students in FRN’s network, preparing them to create systems change in the food industry post-graduation.

Fundraising and Fiscal Management

• Continue to develop new fundraising strategies that keep FRN financially sustainable and enables us to grow our impact.

• Oversee the creation of new earned income streams.

• Maintain and cultivate new relationships with potential foundation funders, including scheduling initial meetings and site visits and fulfilling all reporting requirements for grants.

• Work with Board of Directors and Board of Advisors to develop relationships with individuals who are potential major FRN funders.

• Work closely with FRN’s Director of Development to grow our donor base using our donor management system.

• Fulfill all the legal and reporting requirements for a 501(c)(3), operating in the state of Maryland.

Communication

• Implement and further develop a communication strategy that continues to grow FRN’s movement, including identifying, contacting, and scheduling interviews with the press.

• Serve as the main face of the Food Recovery Network brand and movement.

• Represent FRN dynamically in the press and through public speaking engagements.

• Find creative ways to highlight the FRN staff and students.

• Lead by example to maintain FRN’s fun, warm and results-driven work culture.

External Partnerships

•Work with the Director of Expansion to manage FRN’s existing partnerships with food service providers, and develop further strategic partnerships.

• Cultivate relationships with other non-profits in the industry to strengthen the food recovery field.

What We Are Looking For:

Experience working in a fast-paced environment, either non-profit, for-profit or public sector.
An entrepreneurial spirit.
The ability to scale an organization’s impact.
The ability to present a compelling vision that attracts other supporters.
Experience managing a $200,000+ annual budget.
Experience hiring and managing a staff.
Background in student organizing or other experience working with student leaders.
Proven ability to organize fundraising activities effectively, prioritize prospects and participate in high-level partnership discussions.
Ability to generate earned income for a non-profit
The vision and planning prowess to create a strong alumni network of FRN graduates.
Outstanding project management skills and the ability to multi-task with meticulous attention to detail.
Strong strategic and innovative thinker.
Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to lead and motivate a team.
Honesty, patience, a sense of humor and the ability to contribute to a fun work culture.
Goal orientation with a high level of energy, enthusiasm and dedication to FRN’s mission.
A passion for, and knowledge of, food waste and the food system.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.

How to apply

To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and an additional sheet containing three references, salary history, and any compensation requirements to hiring@foodrecoverynetwork.org.

Review of applicants will begin immediately – please submit your application by April 14 for best consideration.