Food Sustainability Project Coordinator

Location: Mainly our head office in E12, but also in other venues around the borough of Newham as directed.

Salary: £36,934 per annum

Hours: 36 hours per week

Vacancy Type: 4-year fixed term, funded by the National Lottery Community FundAbout the Renewal Programme 

For over five decades, the Renewal Programme has been a trusted cornerstone of the community in the London Borough of Newham, tackling the root causes and consequences of poverty, isolation, and disadvantage.

Role overview

This role is central to our mission to support sustainable living, reduce food waste, tackle local food insecurity, and foster meaningful community connections. As a key part of delivering the vision set out in our National Lottery-funded RenewALL Hub proposal, you will ensure our food provision goes beyond meeting immediate needs to build inclusion, wellbeing, and pathways into wider community support.

Your primary responsibility will be to secure regular donations of surplus food by developing and maintaining strong partnerships with local supermarkets, shops, restaurants, and national redistribution organisations like the Newham Food Alliance, Felix Project, and Feeding Britain.

You will manage the effective use of this food across our services, including the foodbank, food pantry, warm meals programme, and cooking classes. This will involve careful stock management, menu planning, and coordinating with lead staff to ensure our food provision meets Newham’s environmental, health, and cultural needs. A key part of this will be overseeing the successful operation and promotion of our expanded food pantry.

Coordinating volunteers will be essential, particularly in managing and expanding our cargo bike fleet for surplus food collection and redistribution. You will also explore opportunities to monetise these sustainable transport services. To further engage the community, you will organise and host quarterly workshops on reducing food waste and eating on a budget.

Ultimately, you will play a vital role in coordinating our surplus food operations, managing volunteer teams, and strengthening partnerships to ensure our food services are impactful, sustainable, and community-led.

Key Responsibilities

Food Supply & Partnerships

• Secure regular surplus food donations from local supermarkets, shops, restaurants, farms, and redistribution networks (e.g., FareShare, Felix Project, Newham Food Alliance).
• Build strong partnerships with local and national food aid providers to maximise supply, reduce duplication, and ensure continuity of stock.
• Ensure culturally appropriate, nutritious food options are consistently available.

Food Service Delivery

• Lead the operational management of the RenewALL Food Pantry, ensuring it is welcoming, respectful, and centred on dignity and choice.
• Oversee twice-weekly pantry sessions, ensuring high-quality customer service, stock availability, and culturally relevant food.
• Maximise the effective use of volunteers in the operation of the pantry.
• Use the pantry as a gateway to wider support by integrating referrals into health, wellbeing, advice, and volunteering pathways.

Sustainable Food Initiatives & Logistics

• Manage and expand the cargo bike food redistribution programme, ensuring effective logistics, safety, insurance, and maintenance.
• Champion environmental sustainability, embedding low-waste, low-carbon practices across all food services.
• Organise and deliver quarterly workshops on food waste reduction and eating on a budget.

Volunteer Leadership & Team Management

• In partnership with the Volunteer Manager, recruit, train, and support volunteers across the Foodbank, Food Pantry, café, warm meals, and cargo bike services.
• Work with colleagues to develop food collection rotas, provide training (food safety, customer care), and ensure smooth operations across all food-related services.
• Foster an inclusive, positive volunteer culture, ensuring volunteers feel valued and engaged.

Compliance, Monitoring & Resource Management

• Ensure compliance with Food Hygiene, Health & Safety, and Environmental Standards, maintaining accurate records and certifications.
• Manage budgets effectively, ensuring value for money and accurate reporting.

Innovation & Development

• Work with colleagues to explore and develop revenue opportunities linked to sustainable food and transport initiatives (e.g., monetising cargo bike deliveries).
• Together with partners and colleagues, explore the implementation of employment focussed opportunities for residents, for example via deliveries on the cargo bikes.

  Project Awareness & Marketing

• Work with our marketing team to introduce creative community campaigns (e.g., Reverse Advent, seasonal drives, sponsorships) to encourage donations of both food and direct funds.
• Promote the projects with local partners, for example working with local schools to maximise harvest deliveries and raise the profile of the project.

Person Specification

• Passionate about food, sustainability, and community empowerment.
• Commitment to dignity-first food provision and tackling food insecurity.
• Experience of coordinating food services, hospitality, or community-based projects.
• Proven ability to build and manage partnerships with suppliers, community groups, or external organisations.
• Experience of managing volunteers or staff, including recruitment, rotas, and supervision.
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stock systems.
• Knowledge of food safety, hygiene, and health & safety standards.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Newham Community Renewal Programme, please do not hesitate to apply. You can learn more about our work and values on our website.