GOOD FOOD PURCHASING IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER FOR COOK COUNTY

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.