Mobile Market Assistant

Position Details: The Mobile Market Assistant position will assist in day-to-day and pop-up operations of FDE’s Local Motive Mobile Farmers’ Market and related program activities in implementing FDE’s local food access programming.

Principle Responsibilities:

• Operate up to two market sites per day, 3 days per week, reserving one day for pop-up markets at community events, partner sites, and businesses
• Market operations include but are not limited to: market set up and breakdown, driving market vehicle (extended-length transit vans), restocking products, and maintain the market’s inventory and produce quality through transport and at markets
• Maintain cleanliness of van and produce storage area
• Selecting only the most sellable, fresh produce for market sites and coordinating donations of past-prime produce to local organizations
• Practice active listening, building rapport and mutual respect with customers, approaching experiences with de-escalation strategies to create welcoming space
• Oversee volunteers and interns while at markets and communicate market needs as necessary
• Communicate with site point of contact at each market site to provide Mobile Market updates including schedule changes, promotions, and customer feedback
• Weekly sales tracking, product inventory using internal technology, recording systems for data collection
• Collaborate with and provide support to other team members in planning, coordination, and execution of their programming initiatives
• Regular attendance at staff, department, and organization meetings
• Other duties as assigned, Other Duties: Please note this job description does contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities change seasonally. Other duties may be required in the job as requested by the supervisor.

• Valid North Carolina driver’s license and clean driving record
• Compliance with drug-free workplace policy
• Ability to lift 50 lbs
• Willingness to work occasional evenings/weekends
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• General organization skills and data management experience
• Strong computer and internet skills including experience with Microsoft Excel and GSuite
• Able to think critically and easily adapt to change with strong customer service
• Comfortable working in inclement weather conditions (heat, cold, rain, etc.)

Preferred candidate will have experience with:

• Customer service
• Volunteer management
• Program data tracking
• Knowledge or experience working in grocery, nutrition, farmers market, agriculture, and/or food service
• Local food systems and addressing food access/insecurity issues
• Proficiency in Spanish
• Experience working with culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse populations
• Implementing community-based services that achieve social and economic justice goals through an equity and empowerment lens

• Part-time, hourly ($15-$19/hour)
• 25-28 hour work week
• Regular hours range between Monday-Friday between 7am-6pm with occasional Saturdays
• Reports to Mobile Market Manager

Organizational Mission: The mission of FDE is to cultivate a resilient agricultural economy and regional food system by supporting small to mid-sized farmers and increasing healthy, local food access in Eastern NC.

About Feast Down East: The organization works with small farms located within a 100 mile radius of the Feast Down East (FDE) Food Hub, located in the Burgaw Historic Train Depot, helping to connect locally produced food to wholesale markets and direct to consumers. This is done through product sales, relationship building and needs assessments with local growers, businesses, institutions, community partners, and grocery stores as well as through our Local Motive Mobile Farmers’ Market that sells products at reduced cost in vulnerable communities with food access challenges.

About the Local Motive Mobile Farmers’ Market: The Mobile Market brings local, affordable, healthy foods to underserved communities in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender Counties and strives to shift consumers to thinking about investing in the food they eat by relieving some of the financial barriers to purchasing fresh, local produce. FDE has been distributing local produce to neighborhoods suffering from food insecurity on a weekly basis for the past seven years with the Mobile Market. By accepting food prescription (Food Rx) vouchers, food stamp (SNAP) benefits and doubling the value through the Fresh Bucks matching program, the Mobile Market makes seasonal, healthy food more accessible throughout Southeastern North Carolina