Operations and Outreach Officer

The Operations and Outreach Officer supports the smooth running of Cambridge City Foodbank’s operational service, from warehouse to Foodbank Welcome Centres and to Fairbite Food Clubs. Principally community focused it includes supporting good-practice in centres, networking with support agencies, working with visitors/members, and promoting CCFb with community groups

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●        Support the operation of Foodbank’s Welcome Centres and  voucher system – helping develop good-practice, train volunteers, resolve issues and ensure a welcoming service.

●        Obtain regular feedback from foodbank visitors via surveys, interviews and work with groups, to help improve services through listening.

●        Support the inclusion and development of those with lived experience of food poverty, identifying skills and talents and encouraging their contribution in Foodbank services.

●        Update ‘support service’ signposting information - Schedule agency visits to centres, attend meetings to identify / develop support pathways. Create signposting resources. Inform / train volunteers on support services available for Foodbank visitors and Fairbite members.

●        Support the operation of Fairbite Food Clubs ‘social supermarkets’ – providing operational support to the Fairbite Network Manager. (Includes occasional evening and weekends)

●        Support Warehouse operations – working with the Warehouse & Logistics Coordinator to ensure smooth running of the warehouse. (Inc. lifting, and driving manual & automatic vans)

●        Promote the work of the foodbank within the community. Visiting community groups, churches and local businesses to talk about the Foodbank’s work and encourage referral or donation partnerships. (Includes occasional evenings and weekends)

●        Assist coordination of the Supermarket Food Drives

●        Other activities may be requested from time to time by the CEO, and senior staff, consistent with the job role and the needs of the Charity.

Personal Specification:

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

●        Experience of coordinating / managing projects.

●        Experience managing and working with volunteers.

●        Experience of working alongside people affected by poverty, inequality and hardship.

●        Able to work on own initiative to obtain information and appropriately convey to others.

●        Confident in the use of IT and MS Word software.

●        Able to lift supermarket crates onto shelves and in/out of vans. (10-15kgs)

●        Full clean driving licence, and able to drive manual and auto-electric vans.

●        Use of car (or cycle) to travel between foodbank and community locations.

Behaviours and competencies:

●        Confident in communicating with people from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds in a friendly, non-judgemental manner, and to convey information and win support.

●        Demonstrate a commitment to the values of Cambridge City Foodbank and Trussell Trust.

Our Vision, Ethos & Values:

Our Vision is to end the need for UK food banks. Each day we meet the need for emergency and affordable food, and tackle the causes of poverty, by harnessing the power of the community. We are an independent local charity and member of the Trussell Trust network.

We value dignity, justice, compassion, community and impact, in all that we do. We serve local people regardless of background, inspired by our Christian ethos and values.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity actively encourage applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions and those with a lived experience of poverty as well as any other under-represented group in our workforce. We are committed to ensuring the safety and protection of our employees from all forms of harm.

In 2026: our team of over 200 volunteers, will provide 250,000 meals to people across Cambridge through our network of Foodbank Welcome Centres and Fairbite Food Clubs.