Local Food Switchboard Central Operator & Convergence Event Coordinator

Third Sector New England; Portland (ME); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Third Sector New England seeks a Local Food Switchboard Central Operator & Convergence Event Coordinator to advance Maine’s local food system. You will steward the Switchboard platform, support statewide coordination, and lead Convergence planning with an emphasis on accessibility and diverse participation.

The role involves cross-sector collaboration, budget oversight, and developing partnerships, reporting to the Coordinating Director and collaborating with MFCP staff.

Qualifications

• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple projects, relationships, and budgets.
• Ability to translate between producers, institutions, sponsors, and presenters.
• Strong relationship-building across diverse sectors and communities.
• Experience in event planning, logistics coordination, or program management.
• Commitment to accessibility, including language access and inclusive engagement.
• Experience with data tracking, directories, marketplace tools, or CRM systems.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Zoom, Airtable, Slack.

Responsibilities

• Lead event planning, logistics, and sponsorship outreach for a statewide Convergence held every two years.
• Develop the event format and sessions.
• Coordinate presenters, speakers, facilitators, and sponsors, ensuring inclusivity.
• Support Communications Manager with outreach and promotional materials.
• Manage the event budget.
• Support coordination for additional MFCP convenings.
• Leverage the event to generate financial support and partnerships.

Skills

Coordination

Relationship-building

Event planning

Budget management

Accessibility

Data tracking

CRM understanding

Communication

Tools

Google Workspace

Zoom

Airtable

Slack

CRM systems

Job description

Third Sector New England

US-ME-Portland

Maine Food Convergence Project

Local Food Switchboard Central Operator & Convergence Event Coordinator

Overview

The Maine Food Convergence Project (MFCP) (mainefoodconvergence.org) works to build a coordinated, collaborative local food system that supports the well-being of people, communities, and the planet, with a focus on social and racial equity and environmental sustainability. Partnered with seven food system networks across Maine, we create spaces where people working on food, land, and climate issues can build relationships, explore collaborative solutions to complex challenges, and turn shared priorities into collective action. We work to grow community and deepen relationships so that, together, we can create more meaningful and lasting change.

MFCP is a fiscally sponsored project of Third Sector New Englance, Inc. (tsne.org)

Local Food Switchboard Overview

Hosted by MFCP and funded collaboratively by Maine foundations and federal grants, the Local Food Switchboard serves as a central hub for coordinating logistics services within Maine's local food system. Specifically, it acts as a "virtual assistant" to the School Food Marketplace (SFM). The Switchboard streamlines local food procurement, connects various interest-holders in Maine's food system, and increases local food sourcing in schools and beyond. It provides detailed information on a) food products and businesses, b) processing, distribution and other supply web infrastructure, and c) food system resources such as financial and technical assistance.

Besides increasing nourishing local food in schools, a key goal of the Switchboard is to build stronger connections with food producers and harvesters who face systemic barriers to capital and market access due to racism, transphobia, ableism, classism, and immigration status. By fostering collaboration, we aim to support their infrastructure, equipment, market access, and resource needs, creating a more equitable and resilient food system.

Convergence Event Overview

Held every two years, the Maine Food Convergence Event is MFCP's signature statewide gathering, bringing together farmers, fishers, food producers, processors, distributors, school nutrition professionals, community organizations, funders, and policymakers from across Maine's food system. The Convergence Event creates space for cross-sector relationship-building, shared learning, and collective problem-solving around the challenges and opportunities facing local food systems in Maine.

Consistent with MFCP's broader commitment to social and racial equity, the Convergence is intentionally designed to center perspectives and experiences that are too often left out of statewide food system conversations. From program design through facilitation, the event aims to be accessible and welcoming to participants with a wide range of backgrounds, languages, and levels of familiarity with formal food systems spaces.

Responsibilities

This role provides central coordination for MFCP's two flagship programs. MFCP's Switchboard is staffed by two Community Outreach Operators, who work directly in communities and along the supply chain, and two Central Operators, who steward the platform at a statewide level. This position is one of the two Central Operators, sharing and dividing central Switchboard duties with the other while supporting the Community Outreach Operators. This role also carries leadership of Convergence Event coordination — leading planning and logistics for the statewide gathering from concept through execution. Both programs are high-logistics, coordination-intensive efforts, and this role brings a consistent central-operations approach to each. Reports to the MFCP Coordinating Director; works closely with the Communications Manager.

This is a temporary position that is partially funded by the Sewall Foundation and through the USDA/Farm to School 2-year Grant that ends June 30, 2028. Renewal is contingent upon continued funding.

Switchboard Central Operations (shared with the other Central Operator)

• Co-steward the Local Food Switchboard platform, maintaining data quality, consistency, and functionality across all regions and sectors.
• Support and coordinate with the Switchboard Community Outreach Operators, providing guidance, troubleshooting, and shared tools and resources.
• Work with Switchboard members to update and improve statewide listings, categories, and search functionality to reflect the realities of producers, fishers, processors, distributors, and institutional buyers.
• Identify platform-wide gaps in usability, accessibility (including language access), and functionality, and coordinate improvements with technical partners.
• Track platform-wide usage, connections made, and emerging needs; contribute to data collection and storytelling that reflects system-level impacts and gaps.
• Collaborate with the other Central Operator, MFCP staff, and Community Outreach Operators to align platform development with statewide strategy.
• Assist with outreach to business and organizational sponsors to sustain the project.

Convergence Event Coordination & Outreach

In close collaboration with staff and network partners:

• Lead event planning, logistics, and sponsorship outreach for a statewide Convergence held every two years.
• Develop the event format and sessions.
• Coordinate securing presenters, speakers, facilitators, and sponsors, with attention to ensuring that the process and event are inclusive and informed by diverse perspectives and experiences.
• Support the Communications Manager in creating outreach and promotional materials for events, sponsorship campaigns, and the project in general.
• Manage the event budget.
• Support coordination for additional MFCP convenings and events as needed between Convergences.
• Leverage the event to generate financial support as well as future partnerships for MFCP.

Collaboration & Learning

• Work closely with the other Switchboard Central Operator, the Switchboard Community Outreach Operators, and MFCP staff to align program and statewide efforts.
• Participate in team learning, feedback loops, and iterative development of the Switchboard model.
• Share platform and event insights to inform policy, investment, and program design conversations.

Qualifications

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

We recognize that no one candidate will have all qualifications. We strongly encourage applicants with lived experience and diverse backgrounds to apply.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects, relationships, and priorities, including budgets.
• Ability to navigate complex systems and translate between different interest-holders (e.g., producers, institutions, sponsors, and presenters).
• Strong relationship-building skills and ability to work across diverse sectors and communities.
• Experience in event planning, logistics coordination, or program/project management, ideally including large or statewide convenings.
• Experience improving accessibility (e.g., language access, engagement practices).
• Experience with data tracking, analysis, directories, marketplace tools, and/or CRM systems.
• Proficient in organizational and communications platforms such as Google Workspace, Zoom, Airtable, Slack, etc.
• Experience with outreach, facilitation, and community outreach work.