Adminitrative Support Specialist

Position Title: Administrative Support SpecialistSupervisor: Executive DirectorEmployee Status: Full-time, Hourly, Non-ExemptFood Connects is seeking an Administrative Support Specialist to employ their technical and interpersonal skills in support of our organization. We are an equal opportunity workplace and will not discriminate on the basis of disability or other legally protected categories. If an employee has a disability that makes it difficult to perform their job duties, they are encouraged to notify us to discuss reasonable accommodations.Who We AreFood Connects, located in Brattleboro, VT is a regional food systems non-profit organization with strong roots in the community and a commitment to challenging the status quo. We value a balance of work and life, which is why we offer a flexible hybrid-remote schedule for administrative positions. Our goal is to provide you with the tools to do your job and the trust to get your work done in a way that works for you.Food Connects has three programs: the Food Hub, Farm to School and Vermont Harvest of the Month. These programs offer a multidisciplinary approach to strengthening local food systems.Who We’re Looking ForBehind every successful organization is a strong administrative structure. This position will play a key role in the administrative backbone of the company, supporting our programs and people in various ways. This requires someone with a broad range of skills: you must be comfortable in various tech platforms and advanced spreadsheets, internally motivated, comfortable and approachable in various interpersonal situations, a problem-solver, highly organized and proactively communicative. What You Will Be DoingThe Administrative Specialist’s primary responsibility is to upkeep internal systems and act as the staff’s go-to HR person. This means they’ll have their hands in most aspects of Food Connects, including: general business operations, administration, finance and HR. While this role won’t be responsible for any of these areas, they’ll play a critical role in supporting their success. Your technical skills will be put to good use in our efforts to go deeper into transforming the food system into one that puts producers and consumers first.Core Competencies•

Technical Expertise: The ability to demonstrate depth of knowledge and skill in a technical area.•

Building Collaborative Relationships: The ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.•

Analytical Thinking: The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.•

Thoroughness: Ensuring that one’s own and others’ work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.•

Time Management: Can organize time for optimum efficacy with regard to deadlines, collaboration, competing priorities, and personal work style.•

Managing Change: The ability to demonstrate support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization’s effectiveness; initiating, sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; helping others to successfully manage organizational change.Primary Duties and ResponsibilitiesHuman Resources (40%)•

Serves as primary day-to-day HR administrator, including: recruitment and retention strategies, maintenance ofs, onboarding, benefits administration, policy training and compliance, and offboarding.•

Acts as HR liaison to our HR Contractor, available for compliance, interpersonal and general support.•

Leads efforts to bolster FC staff culture and cohesion, including staff engagement exercises, professional and workplace development efforts, and annual review processes.•

Maintains records and information - sometimes in a manner that maintains confidentiality - including: basic employee documentation, personnel files, complaints, and benefits paperwork.•

Reviews and prepares data for time and attendance tracking, regular audits for workers compensation insurance, additional as needed.•

Partners with the Executive Director to ensure compliance with the Compensation Philosophy and Employee Handbook, including maintenance, updates and creation of new policies as needed.•

Works with the Executive Director to ensure that all human resource-related matters are handled appropriately and in compliance with applicable local, state and federal regulations and laws.Finance (40%)•

Assists Executive Director and Bookkeeper with various finance systems including AR, AP, customer and vendor outreach.•

Assists Executive Director and Bookkeeper with month end reconciliations and reporting as needed.•

Supports adherence to the company’s finance operating manual as needed.•

Supports organizational budgeting and projection processes.•

Supports regular cashflow management.General Administration (20%)•

Tracks spenddown of grant funds and monitors fund appropriations to ensure contract compliance.•

Partner with Executive Director on internal systems development.•

Implements current processes and procedures - offering improvements is a plus!•

Assists department staff with data input, tracking, analysis and comparison to benchmarks.•

Manages the info@ email address and directs inquiries/concerns to appropriate personnel as needed.•

Supports event coordination and list management.•

Supports staff in the use of various tech platforms including: Netsuite, Slack, asana, G-suite and Rippling (our HR platform), serving as account administrator for certain platforms as needed.Miscellaneous•

Assists with other projects and systems as needed to support FC’s operations.Skills and QualificationsRequired Qualifications•

2 or more years prior administrative experience.•

2 or more years prior experience working in a group setting.•

Strong interpersonal skills, including nonviolent communication and conflict resolution.•

Demonstrated experience and comfort with technology.•

Ability to manage their own schedule and prioritize tasks independently.•

Clarity and groundedness in a fast-paced environment.•

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal.Preferred Qualifications•

Prior role as Office Manager or HR coordinator, or similar.•

Prior experience in a non-profit setting.•

Familiarity with our regional food system or local farming community.Working Conditions & Physical DemandsFood Connects aims to make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals of all abilities to perform the essential functions of their role.•

Schedule: This position is expected to work between 32-40 hours per week, and be available to work between 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday.•

Location: The position is based in the Food Connects office in Brattleboro, although Food Connects promotes a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid-remote model. This role is required to work a minimum 3 days per week in office, in order to experience what it's like to live out our mission on a day-to-day basis. Evening and weekends may be required rarely, and with plenty of notice for planning.•

Working Conditions: This position entails extensive use of a desktop or laptop computer, sitting or standing at a desk workstation.Compensation and Benefits•

This is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt position.•

Pay is $22.50/hour, negotiable depending on experience.•

Benefits:•

15% Employee Discount on Food Purchases through the Food Hub•

$3,000 annual Health & Wellness Stipend•

Accrued PTO (up to 27 days)•

Beginning after 90 Day intro period:•

Access to vision and dental insurance•

Employer-paid Short Term Disability and Life Insurance.•

2% Retirement Contribution (SIMPLE IRA), no employee contribution required