Food Skills Coordinator

Alexandra Comm Hlth Ctr; Calgary; On-site; CAD 42,000 - 64,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and Dental Coverage

Health/Welfare Spending Accounts

RRSP and Mortgage/Student Loan Support

Job summary

The Alex Community Food Centre in Calgary, AB is seeking a Food Skills Coordinator (0.8 FTE) to design and deliver inclusive food skills programs for diverse learners. You will mentor facilitators, collaborate with partners, and promote healthy, culturally safe practices in the community.

You will support nutrition education, food security, and waste-reducing cooking habits while building capacity in volunteers and participants across Canada through the Food Fit program and related initiatives.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in a related field such as nutrition, social work or food studies.
• Three years of experience in program development, group facilitation and community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Plan and implement food skills programs for diverse learners.
• Train and mentor program facilitators across Canada as part of Food Fit program.
• Collaborate to create manuals and curricular for food skills programming.

Skills

Group facilitation

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Conflict resolution

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma in related field

3 years experience in program development

Job description

Are you passionate about using food as a tool to build skills, confidence, and connection in community? Do you have experience facilitating inclusive programs and empowering people from diverse backgrounds to turn knowledge into action? Are you ready to bring your food skills, creativity, and community-minded approach to a role where you can make a meaningful impact? If so, we invite you to apply and help us build a healthier, more connected community at The Alex!

What We Do

Since 1973, The Alex has been a community-based, not-for-profit organization providing integrated primary health care, community support services, and housing-focused programs to individuals and families who experience barriers to accessing traditional health, housing, and social service systems. Services are grounded in principles of health equity, low-barrier access, trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, harm reduction, and person-centered care.

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Food Skills Coordinator uses a trauma-informed and community development approach to design and implement food skills programming for a diverse range of learners including kids, youth, families, adults and seniors from diverse lived experiences and cultures. The Food Skills Coordinator empowers community members experiencing food insecurity to build skills and knowledge around healthy meal preparation and nutrition, while also supporting their capacity to become agents of positive change in the community and in their own lives.

This is a permanent, part-time position.

What You Will Do

• Support Right to Food’s national Food Fit program by providing training and mentoring to program facilitators across Canada; facilitate Food Fit at the CFC.
• Collaborate with the CFC’s Urban Food Systems Specialist, and Community Market and Meals Coordinators to create a cohesive vison for food skills development throughout all programs.
• Plan, develop and implement food skills programs for targeted participant groups.
• Work with CFC team to create manuals and curricular for food skills programming.
• Build food resilience amongst community members by promoting circular food economy practices that encourage seasonal food eating habits, as well as adopting recipes and meal-prep strategies that reduce household food waste.
• Cultivate communication, leadership, and food skills amongst program participants and volunteers.
• Facilitate groups, building a safe and inclusive space for diverse learners and participants.
• Support peer learning opportunities within food skills programming.
• Engage in community outreach as required.
• Collaborate with Right to Food and Community Food Centres across Canada to enhance food skills programming.
• Ensure health, safety and cleanliness in the kitchen.

Fresh and Fare Community Market

• Provide coverage and support for the Fresh and Fare Community Market as needed.
• Animate Fresh and Fare Community Market through food demos that support food literacy and seasonal eating habits.

General

• Support team functions and responsibilities, including engaging community members during drop-in programs, assisting other staff with program delivery as needed, and responding to critical incidents.
• Network with other agencies and individuals to offer programs and services in collaboration with other CFC programs.
• Participate in broader CFC activities, including planning, evaluation, fundraising and public relations, communications, special events, and team initiatives.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

What You Bring

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in a related field of study (e.g.: horticulture, culinary, nutrition, social work).
• Three years of experience in program development, group facilitation, and community engagement; ideally in food skills, nutrition and community learning environments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of food insecurity and healthy food skills.
• Experience working with volunteers and supervisory skills.
• Demonstrated ability to move people from knowledge to action; ability to inspire, teach and empower community members to engage in positive change.
• Excellent group facilitation, interpersonal, communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Experience working with marginalized people and people of diverse cultures and abilities in a community-based setting.
• Retail experience, particularly in a farmers market environment, is considered an asset.
• Ability to speak an additional language relevant to the Greater Forest Lawn neighbourhood is an asset.
• Class 5 driver’s license, personal vehicle for business use, and a clean 3-year driver’s abstract are required.
• Must be at least 21 years of age and have a minimum of three (3) years of driving experience to drive an Alex fleet vehicle.
• Standard First Aid – Level C CPR & AED within 30 days of hire date; certification must be valid for a minimum of 6 months upon hire.
• Satisfactory vulnerable sector police clearance and child welfare intervention check are required.
• Demonstrated knowledge, understanding and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action is preferred.

Work Environment and Hours:

• The Alex Community Food Centre: 4920 17 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2A 0V4.
• 0.8 FTE (30 hours of work/wk).
• Standard hours are 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Tuesday to Friday; at least one multi-week evening shift per quarter; occasional weekends.
• Community-based setting working with diverse populations experiencing food insecurity and barriers to community life.
• Requires regular physical action including frequent lifting (often up to 40-60 lbs), carrying, bending, crouching, and long periods of standing, kneeling and walking. This role also involves highly repetitive tasks such as cutting, chopping, and stirring.
• Occasional (or frequent) driving for work-related purposes is required.

What We Offer

*Pro-rated based on FTE

Some of the great benefits The Alex has to offer include:

• Medical and Dental Coverage
• Health / Wellness Spending Accounts
• RRSP, Student Loan Repayment Program, and/or Mortgage Accelerator Payment Program (up to 5% match)
• Personal Days
• Floating Holiday
• Sick/Wellness Days
• Employee Family Assistance Plan (EFAP)
• Professional Development

Driving on Behalf of The Alex

This position requires the use of a personal vehicle for work-related purposes and driving an Alex fleet vehicle. Successful candidates must show proof of a class 5 driver's license, a personal vehicle, and a clean 3-year drivers abstract. Candidates must consent to the possibility of an annual driver's abstract review to meet our insurance provider’s requirements. Driving a fleet vehicle at The Alex requires that staff are at least 21 years of age with a minimum of three (3) years’ driving experience. Mileage will be reimbursed in alignment with the CRA guidelines.

The Alex is committed to embedding the principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity across the organization. We are committed to removing barriers to employment that are faced by equity‑seeking groups and encourage (but not require) members of these groups to self‑identify as such in their cover letters.

In accordance with our strategic priorities, we particularly encourage applications from individuals who self‑identify as racialized* or Indigenous (First Nation, Metis, or Inuit).

*The term “racialized” is used here instead of the more outdated and inaccurate terms “racial minority, “visible minority”, “person of colour”, or “non-White”.

For further information about The Alex and its programs, we encourage you to visit our website at www.thealex.ca .

At The Alex, we place a high value on strong, ethical, and professional relationships between clients and primary care providers. Clear boundaries are essential to ensuring safe, respectful, and effective care. To protect clients, medical professionals and staff, employees and contractors of The Alex are not permitted to access internal physicians, nurses, mental health clinicians, or other allied health professional services during their employment.

We recognize that some applicants may have had, or may currently have, meaningful care relationships with The Alex at the time of applying. If you are currently a client and wish to continue in our recruitment process, you are asked to disclose your service provider relationship. Should you be hired, you will be required to transition your care to an external provider within your first 90 days of employment and maintain this external care relationship for the duration of your employment. Reasonable extensions of the 90-day deadline may be considered where absolutely necessary and in the sole discretion of The Alex.

This approach helps us maintain clear boundaries, uphold professional standards, and protect our workers’ rights to privacy and confidentiality.