Project co ordinator jobs

Join a rewarding new initiative supporting local people facing food insecurity

Job Title: Pantry Co-ordinator

Location: Nottingham

Hours: Part-time, 22.5 hours per week

Contract:12-month fixed-term contract (with potential extension)

Salary: £15087.60 per annum

About FareShare Midlands

FareShare Midlands is the region’s largest food redistribution charity, tackling inequality, transforming lives and ensuring no good food goes to waste. We rescue surplus food and redistribute it to 650 local charities and community organisations, feeding 60,000 people every week. We also invest in communities, providing education, training and volunteering opportunities, helping over 700 individuals to date to build a better future. Together, we’re fighting hunger, reducing food waste and creating opportunities across the Midlands. Learn more here or read our latest Annual Report Snapshot here.

FareShare Midlands is proud to partner with Muslim Hands to launch a new Community Pantry network in Nottingham. This exciting initiative will redistribute healthy surplus food to support communities in need - tackling food waste and providing affordable food to those who need it most

The Role

The Pantry Coordinator will play a vital hands-on role in both developing and managing the daily operations of these new community food pantries.  They will be responsible for managing food supplies, while embedding food safety guidelines and best practices at every stage.  They will implement effective systems to ensure smooth service delivery while continuously consulting with the community to refine and improve the pantries’ operations.

As a critical role in the success of the trial, the Pantry Coordinator will monitor performance, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement to enhance service quality. Additionally, they will create and maintain an inclusive, welcoming space where individuals and families can access food with dignity.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Management

• Collaborate with supply chain, member services, and depot teams to ensure pantries receive an appropriate mix of high-quality, nutritious food that meets community needs
• Oversee and provide hands-on support with receiving, storing, and displaying food across all pantry sites
• Monitor and manage inventory to ensure adequate food for all attendees and minimise any waste
• Implement systems to maintain cleanliness, organisation, and operational efficiency within the pantry
• Ensure all food safety and hygiene standards are consistently met
• Drive our vans to deliver food from the depot to the pantries as required

Community Engagement

• Work closely with pantry community leads and partner venues to foster strong collaboration and build community resilience
• Build positive relationships with pantry members, ensuring their needs are understood and addressed
• Use community consultation and feedback to continuously enhance the pantry experience
• Promote a supportive, inclusive, and non-judgmental environment for all users
• Support outreach activities to engage underserved or hard-to-reach groups, working with network partners such as social prescribers where appropriate
• Signpost pantry users to additional support services when needed, helping them access broader assistance

Volunteer Coordination

• Recruit, train, and manage a team of pantry volunteers, ensuring they are well-supported
• Provide ongoing guidance to enable volunteers to deliver excellent service
• Monitoring and Reporting
• Track pantry usage and prepare regular reports on attendance, food distribution, and key outcomes
• Gather feedback from pantry members to identify areas for improvement
• Ensure full compliance with all relevant policies, including health and safety, food safety, safeguarding and data protection
• Strategic Input
• Work with the wider project team to develop and implement strategies for improving and expanding pantry services
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and best practice sharing to enhance long-term sustainability

Common/Shared Responsibilities

• Undertake Staff Induction Programme as devised, and assist, as requested, in the induction and training of new staff, trainees and volunteers.
• Participate in staff meetings, team meetings, supervision meetings, appraisals, training, team development sessions, working groups and other meetings as required.
• Be mindful of and practice Adhere to FareShare Midlands Values and Behaviours framework in everyday activities and interactions with others.
• Share responsibility for good Health and Safety practices, reporting any concerns to line management.
• Take shared responsibility for training and development, reviewing development needs and plans at Supervisions and Appraisals, including keeping up to date with best practice and training methods.
• Ensure effective use of FareShare Midlands systems, processes and procedures as relevant to each role.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with colleagues including working collaboratively across FareShare Midlands.
• Encourage and promote equality, diversity and inclusion inside and outside of Fareshare Midlands and in day to day activities and interactions, reporting any concerns to line management. 
• Be a responsible ambassador and representative of FareShare Midlands

Person Specification

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in actively contributing to project delivery
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate and support teams to achieve successful outcomes
• Track record of building and maintaining strong internal and external working relationships
• Experience in developing and implementing effective systems and processes
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel)
• Familiarity with the food sector, including food safety and handling procedures

Personal Qualities

• A confident and effective communicator across all levels
• A team player with excellent interpersonal skills
• Highly organised, with strong time management, prioritisation, and planning abilities
• Self-motivated and adaptable with the ability to work independently and make informed decisions
• Results driven, with strong relationship-building skills and the ability to foster engagement
• A problem-solving mindset, with a focus on continuous service improvement
• Passionate about FareShare’s mission and values, demonstrating a commitment to food security and community support
• Willing to travel to pantry locations
• Minimum 1 year’s driving experience, with no more than 3 points on driving license
• Ability to confidently drive a long-wheelbase van safely and efficiently
• Willing to undertake any other reasonable duties to support the charity’s operations

Desirable Experience

• Experience working with diverse groups of people, including different ages, abilities, ethnicities and cultures
• Experience in the charity, social enterprise, or community sector
• Experience in volunteering and managing volunteers
• Knowledge and experience of promoting inclusion and accessibility
• Food Safety Level 3 Certification (or willingness to obtain)
• Experience in stakeholder reporting, with the ability to produce clear and concise reports

How to Apply

To apply, please submit:

• A covering letter explaining your interest in FareShare Midlands and outlining your suitability for the role.
• Your CV.

Please note: Applications that do not include a covering letter addressing both your interest in FareShare Midlands and your suitability for the role will not be considered.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands. 

Applicants must have the “Right to Work” in the UK for the full duration of the project.

Closing date for applications: Friday 8th August