Time Commitment: Full-Time (35-40 hrs/wk) 
Salary: $68-$73k starting 
Location: Candidates must be based in the Portland Metro, Columbia Gorge, Bend, or Eugene Areas 
Travel: Local travel on a weekly basis, and regional travel around Oregon is expected quarterly

Background of KSS and this Role:
Launched in 2019, Kitchen Sync Strategies is a small (but mighty!) social enterprise dedicated to supporting small farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food makers through brokering sales and consulting. We believe there is immense, untapped potential in the institutional foodservice market channel, and through our work supporting small farms, food hubs, and food companies to scale their own operations and our work brokering sales opportunities directly for these businesses we have created systems that help bring larger markets to suppliers who are otherwise left out of this multibillion dollar marketplace. Our staff consists of 3 fearless teammates and we regularly work with a handful of experts, close collaborators, and contractors. 

Our clients are triple-bottom-line food businesses pushing for fairness, environmental sustainability, and other core values of KSS and our work helps these clients build sales relationships with K-12 schools, healthcare facilities, and institutions of higher education. Often, before we can directly broker sales for our clients, we partner with public and nonprofit collaborators in their region through regional food systems development projects to build their capacity and advance the region’s value chain infrastructure. 
Our staff are based around the US, and we are active in the Pacific NW, the Mountain West, the Midwest, the Northeast, in noncontiguous parts of the US (AK, HI, Guam), and with national projects, and we are focused on selling more good food for our farmers and food businesses in each of these regions. 

[email protected] | KITCHENSYNCSTRATEGIES.COM

Position Summary:
The Regional Food Sales Lead (OR) is an exciting role for Kitchen Sync Strategies, and it will play a pivotal role in our rapidly growing work in Oregon. This Sales Lead will be responsible for using Kitchen Sync’s existing systems and processes to drive sales of food from food hubs and values-aligned supplier clients of ours to Oregon institutions like K-12 schools, hospitals, universities, corporate dining facilities, and others. The position is also responsible for developing new business partnerships with values-aligned food businesses (like value-added food makers, CPG companies, etc.). As a representative of Kitchen Sync playing a specific sales- and value chain coordination-focused role in each project, the Sales Lead will support the Director of Regional Growth and CEO to embed KSS in farm-to-school, farm-to-ECE, and farm-to-institution projects across the State. 

This work will focus on our work with 2 core partners: 
- Food Hubs/Suppliers: The RFSL will lead the sales of local/regional, sustainably grown, and/or equitably grown food products to institutions on behalf of our 5 food hub clients in the state. 
- Non-profit Support Partners: The RFSL will support our company’s partnerships with the Oregon Farm to Institution Collaborative coordinated by Health Care Without Harm, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and others. 
We’re seeking an experienced, charismatic sales leader who understands the process of institutional food sales well, who has a sharp sense of strategy, and has a firm commitment to building a fairer, more sustainable food economy. 

A successful Regional Food Sales Lead will: 

• Develop strong personal relationships with buyers, sustainability leaders, and/or local procurement leadership within each institution to which Kitchen Sync sells products Implement a bold yet achievable sales growth plan for client food hubs and food companies that increases their sales to institutions in Oregon and, as relevant, the broader PNW 
• Perform weekly sales activities including: 
• Carefully manage Kitchen Sync’s CRM database to track existing sales accounts Make regular, recurring contact with all active leads, anticipating customer needs and working hard to strengthen personal relationships 
• Conduct outbound sales calls to new institutional customers 
• Understand inventory, logistics, and operational capacity for client food hubs and suppliers, and share tactical substitutions, menu items, and seasonal specials with customers on a weekly basis 

• Engage a broader range of values-aligned food hubs and food companies in new brokerage relationships, including adding values-aligned food businesses to KSS’ sales portfolio in Oregon and the PNW 
• Work with CEO to develop marketing and branding strategies for attracting more institutional buying clients for KSS 
• Ensure customer satisfaction while meeting sales targets for client food hubs and long-term goals for KSS 
• Making group presentations to institution representatives (especially K-12 school districts) on local procurement strategies and providing 1:1 Technical Assistance Recognizing and documenting barriers for buyers and sellers, trends in buyer behavior, informing solutions to improve KSS work and partner programs 
• Maintain a high level of integrity as a representative of KSS, and be about it �� Other stuff that we encounter along the way- but not too much of it, we promise I

Important Skills Required (and Desired): 
Required Skills:

• Sales experience specifically in local/regional food systems 
  • Preference for candidates with 3-5 years of experience in fields of institutional foodservice, food sales, or food procurement 
• A strong grasp of the institutional foodservice market and a particularly keen understanding of farm-to-school and institutional procurement 
  • Preference for candidates with direct experience in institutional foodservice, working with food hubs and other suppliers, and/or large scale procurement businesses and foodservice companies 
• A deep, firm commitment to the notion that supporting small farms and food producers to access institutional markets is one critical step towards building a fairer, healthier, less harmful food economy 
•  Good writing and even better verbal communication skills 
•  A commitment to building real relationships rooted in compassion, kindness, and care 
• Ability to synthesize complex information, recognizing and documenting patterns in buyer and seller behavior to inform improvements to systems and programs

Desired Skills:

• A sense of adventure and a willingness to explore new ideas of how to build fairer food economies- and a tolerance for the high levels of ambiguity inherent in this work ● Tech savvy and ability to quickly leverage a range of softwares that increase productivity and creativity in your work. (We tend to use tools like Mural, Canva, and other design tools to visualize our work.) 
• Experience with HubSpot or similar ERP software, and/or experience inventory systems for food hubs (Local Food Marketplace, Shopify, etc.) is a big plus ● Strong focus and the ability to maintain drive while working remotely, with regular meetings via Zoom (or in-person as necessary) 
• Fluency working across the G-Suite platform (Gmail, Google Drive, etc.) ● Training or teaching experience, including ability to cross-train others in 1:1, small group, and large group settings 
• Experience presenting to groups and comfort with public speaking and presentations

Compensation Package: 

• This contract position is a full-time (35-40 hours/wk) 
• The position will be paid a starting salary of $68k - $73k per year with the following 
• benefits: 
• Generous and flexible vacation policy (15 days PTO plus federal holidays) 
• Generous medical benefits package (Health, Dental, Vision, Life) 
• 401k plan with pro-rata profit sharing 
• Healthy travel stipend for business travel 
• Annual professional development funds 

To Apply:  

• Please email a .pdf cover letter, resume & contact for 3 references to
  
• [email protected] Please reference “Regional Food Sales Lead (OR) ” in the subject line of your email.
  
• Applications accepted until the position is filled, and interviews will start on a rolling basis starting November 5, 2024. 

As a company, we are committed to prioritizing racial equity in all aspects of our work, and we strongly encourage individuals who share that core goal to apply especially if they identify as people of color. Kitchen Sync Strategies is an equal opportunity employer and provider of services. 
​
[email protected] | KITCHENSYNCSTRATEGIES.COM

Hybrid Work, Full Time Position
Salem | ODA | Headquarters Office
REQ - 165614
​
Initial Posting Date: 09/19/2024​
Application Deadline: 10/06/2024
Agency: Department of Agriculture

Salary Range: $6,257 - $9,677

Position Type: Employee
Position Title: Compliance and Regulatory Manager 1 (Food Safety Program Manager)

Job Description:
The Oregon Department of Agriculture, Food Safety & Animal Health Program area, is looking to hire a Compliance & Regulatory Manager for the Food Safety Program.

What you’ll be doing:
The Compliance & Regulatory Manager 1 (Food Safety Program Manager), primary purpose is to develop and implement Food Safety program policies, direct and coordinate activities of the Food Safety program staff, assist in managing and coordinating regulatory oversight of Oregon’s food industry, and enforcement of state sanitation laws. In addition, you will assist in managing the department’s operational resources to achieve high quality service, long and short-range planning, and monitoring of the overall effectiveness of the program.

This position is responsible for:

• Coordinate inspection, sampling, and related activities of establishments involved in the production, processing, and sale of food.
• Regularly review and confer with Program Director on licensing, sampling, and laboratory testing of food products for compliance with legal standards.
• Standardizes quality, uniformity, frequency, completeness, and accuracy of inspections, sampling, and other activities conducted by the field staff.
• Assures the manufactured and retail food programs comply with the requirements of state and federal laws.

​
Our Compliance & Regulatory Manager 1 (Food Safety Program Manager), is a permanent full-time position, located in Salem, Oregon and is a Management Service – Managerial position and is not represented by a union. Candidates may have the option to work a hybrid schedule based on agency needs.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) mission to protect, promote, and prosper by safeguarding Oregon’s agriculture, natural resources, working lands, economies, and communities through assistance, compliance, and market support. The ODA provides a broad range of leadership, service, inspection, regulation, and market development functions to Oregon agriculture. ODA is committed to serving the people of Oregon’s needs through core values of being approachable, genuine, growth-oriented, inclusive, experts, and sustainable – “Aggies”. 


ODA unifies 38 programs operationalized by a $190 million budget with 523 employees located across Oregon. ODA serves over 35,000 farms, an economic value of over $16 billion, and 225 + commodities diversly grown for local and international markets.


The Food Safety Program Area ensures healthy natural resources, environment, and economy for Oregonians now and in the future through inspection, education, regulation, and promotion of agriculture and food. The Food Safety Program helps to prevent the spread of food-borne illness and works to ensure the consumer gets food that is not contaminated, mis-labeled, mis-represented, or changed in any way that would impair safety, wholesomeness or purity.


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are embedded in the Department of Agriculture core values. Employees at all levels of the agency work together to foster fairness, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The department strives to be a model employer committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and that candidate may not meet every one of our listed preferred qualifications. Lived experience may count towards the desired attributes. If you are excited about this position, we encourage you to apply. If you are unsure as to whether you meet the minimum qualifications of this position, please contact our human resources department to discuss your application.


 Click here to view a full description of this position  


What we’re looking for:


Minimum Qualifications:


Five years of lead work, supervision, or progressively related experience.


OR


Two years of related experience and a bachelor’s degree in related experience


Additional Requirement

• A valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.We will conduct pre-employment driving records checks on our final candidate(s). Your license does not have to be issued in Oregon to be considered.
• Experience in budget and management are necessary to perform the duties of this position.
• Experience in the administration of various complex programs.
• Ability to think creatively and identify opportunities for cross program service delivery are required.
• Knowledge of agriculture and/or biological sciences necessary for success.

Desired Attributes:


You do not need to have all the skills below to be eligible for this position. Please let us know which of these skills you do have by demonstrating them in your application.

• Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills to tactfully facilitate and negotiate solutions to complex regulatory issues; ability to build partnerships across diverse community, groups, and interests.
• Familiarity with interpreting state and federal laws, regulations, procedures, and scientific principles.
• Experience in development of program rules and policies, development of long and short-range goals and plans, program evaluation, and budget preparation.
• Leadership experience, including principles and practices of employee relations and program management. Proven experience fostering teamwork, collaboration, and cooperation among peers and direct reports; experience in coaching, mentoring, and motivating staff in a hybrid work environment.
• Experience in collecting and interpreting data to prepare reports.
• Bilingual is a bonus.

Projected Recruitment Timeline

• Recruitment Closes: October 6, 2024
• 1st Round of Interviews: October 14 – 17, 2024
• 2nd Round of Interviews: October 21 – 24, 2024
• Anticipated Start Date: November 4, 2024

*These dates are approximate and may change. *


How to apply:


Required: Attach a cover letter and a resume to your application. Demonstrate how you meet the qualifications and requested skills in your cover letter. Applications without both requested documents attached will not move forward in the recruitment process. We will only review documents that are requested. Because details are extremely important to us, your application materials will be evaluated for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 

• Ensure your application shows your relevant work experience and/or related education; this may be in the form of a filled-out application and/or through an attached resume.
• Ensure your cover letter includes specific examples of how your background and experience relate to this position.

• Upon submitting your application, please be sure to check your Workday account for additional tasks to complete such as questionnaires and to request veteran’s preferences (if applicable).

What’s in it for you
The State of Oregon offers a competitive and affordable health and benefits package, including excellent medical, vision and dental coverage, paid holidays, and personal business leave, as well as paid and accrued vacation leave and sick leave. In addition to medical benefits and employee leave, the state also provides additional optional benefits, such as basic life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, deferred compensation savings program, and flexible spending accounts for health care and childcare expenses. More information is available from the Public Employees Benefit Board.


Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunity!


Additional Information:

• Current state employees, please apply through your employee Workday account.

• A comprehensive and equitable base salary will be offered within the listed range. Through an equal pay assessment, we will determine the salary offer using the information you provide in your submitted application materials. Please ensure your application materials are detailed, accurate and reflect your skills, experience (paid and unpaid), and education as they relate to the position when applying.  On average, candidates new to state service may be offered compensation in the lower to mid-level of the salary range.
• The salary range listed is the non-PERS monthly salary range. If you are already a participating PERS member or once you become PERS eligible, the salary range will increase by 6.95%.

• Please review the Classification and Compensation page for more details on the classification, or you may visit our website for information on the job offer process following pay equity. Prior to making a job offer, an internal pay equity assessment will be completed. The successful candidate’s professional experience and education will be compared to the state employee workforce performing work of a comparable character to determine appropriate placement in the salary range. Candidates new to state service typically receive a salary within the first half of the salary range.

NOTE: Please ensure you’ve provided a thorough and updated application as it pertains to the position for which you are applying. Your application materials will be used to determine salary based on a pay equity assessment.  For further information, please visit the Pay Equity Project homepage.


United States Employment Eligibility: The Oregon Department of Agriculture does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. The Oregon Employment Department is an E-Verify employer. If you are the successful candidate, you must present your I-9 acceptable documents (See page 3) for employment verification.


Questions/Need Help?
If you have questions about the recruitment or need an accommodation for the recruitment process, please email to: [email protected] or call 503-986-4584.

External candidate link

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Swing Shift, Food Manufacturing, Salem, OR Area
Spanish is a must, Local, on-site

​Summary: Supervises and coordinates the activities of workers engaged in production. Will have a full understanding of all the manufacturing processes required for each product. Duties include but are not limited to ensuring that all production workers are properly trained and fully understand the processes they are involved in. The position will also maintain and record production and inventory records.

What You’ll Do:
Leadership

• Talent management/development including coaching direct reports and other leaders. 
• Drive & implement systems and process improvement through other teams.
• Problem Solving on an interdisciplinary team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Know all required production processes.
• Maintain HACCP program requirements.
• Train line workers in production processes as needed.
• Prepares and maintains required reports and records.
• Completes daily timesheets and scheduled time off for employees.
• Completes daily production reports.
• Ensures that employees adhere to company policies and work rules.
• Maintain neat and accurate records.
• Good PC skills, to include Word and Excel
• Keeping team trained and within compliance.

 
Process Controls/Continuous Improvement

• Lead and coach other leaders on effective use of Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Deploy a robust non-conformance & corrective action follow up process. 

Skills, Requirements and Minimum Education Level

• Previous experience in a supervisory position within the food manufacturing industry, preferably bakery or frozen foods manufacturing.
• Associate's Degree desirable. Experience may be substituted for education (based on qualifications).
• Entrepreneurial/Start-Up Mentality – be pressure tested and able to thrive in environments of uncertainty and pressure.
• You are fascinated by problems and are relentless in the pursuit of solving them.
• You are deadline-oriented with ability to organize assignments, set priorities, and carry out plans.
  
  

Direct Reports: Production Line Leads

Benefits: We pride ourselves in providing an employee-friendly work environment that includes: 

• A competitive annual salary based on experience and market demands.
• Yearly Bonus (discussed at time of job offer)
• Employer supported medical plan for employees and their dependents.
• 401K retirement savings plan.
• 10 PTO days.
• 10 Company paid holidays.
• Business casual atmosphere.

Work Environment:
Business casual environment. Maintain a business professional appearance during external meetings. This is a production environment, there are a lot of moving parts and conveyors. Must be able to maneuver through and over obstacles daily. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, or crouch.  

Physical Demands:

• Must maintain a valid US-state based driver’s license.
• Ability to lift 30+ lbs.

Salary: $65,000 to $80,000

Send Replies to: Connie Dorigan  ([email protected])
Please send your Resume as a Word.doc with the title of the position in the subject line.
 You must be authorized to work in the United States now and in the future without sponsorship