Food Pantry Coordinator (Part-Time)

Overview

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.  We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

The Food Pantry Coordinator supports the daily operations and strategic growth of the university’s food pantry. This role assists in addressing basic needs insecurity by ensuring timely food distribution, maintaining a clean and welcoming space, coordinating volunteers, managing inventory, and supporting outreach and marketing. The Coordinator also plays a vital role in event planning, donor relations, and student engagement.

Essential Responsibilities

• Pantry Operations and Food Distribution: Support daily pantry operations and food distribution efforts to ensure timely and equitable access for students facing food insecurity. Coordinate food and supply orders, deliveries, and vendor drop-offs (e.g., GCFD, Amazon). Assist the Associate Director in sourcing and sustaining partnerships to enhance donations, programming, and support services.
• Event Planning and Program Implementation: Collaborate with the Associate Director to coordinate food and toiletry drives, themed events, and seasonal programs such as holiday meal kit distributions. Support the development and execution of special initiatives by partnering with campus staff and students to address emerging student needs and enhance community engagement.
• Data Management and Reporting: Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of food distribution (including Greater Chicago Food Depository data) and donations. Prepare and analyze monthly reports to monitor pantry usage trends, inventory levels, and donor contributions, supporting data-driven decision-making and compliance with reporting requirements.
• Volunteer and Student Worker Assistance: Support the recruitment, training, and supervision of pantry volunteers, student employees, and service-learning students. Collaborate with the Associate Director to develop schedules, standard operating procedures, and task guides to ensure clarity, consistency, and efficiency in daily operations.
• Operational Support: Provide interim oversight of pantry operations when the Associate Director is unavailable. Ensure seamless continuity of services, including day-to-day operational management, volunteer coordination, and direct support to students. Maintain service quality and operational standards while addressing emergent needs efficiently.
• Program and Organizational Support: Collaborate with the Associate Director to assess student needs, develop new programs, and draft operational procedures. Contribute innovative ideas to enhance the pantry’s impact, expand outreach efforts, and improve overall efficiency and service delivery.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree required.
• Customer service troubleshooting.
• Social Media and digital communication content development.
• One year of prior experience in administration/retail/or some combination of work and extracurricular activity that would readily prepare applicant for the position.
• To perform this job successfully, an individual should have 3-5 years of experience with proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Outlook, and Internet usage.
• Versatility: Is able to take on a variety of different tasks and roles in the organization. Can move in a relatively seamless manner from one task or focus to another and can fill in for other team members when they are absent or are experiencing work overload.
• Customer Service Focus: Deal with challenging student interactions in a professional and diplomatic manner, and maintain a calm and courteous office environment at all times. Handle complaints and conflicts diplomatically to diffuse potentially volatile situations as required.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued.  We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

Compensation and Benefits

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU part-time staff are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, and Paid Time Off. Additional information regarding part-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $17.61 to $23.77 per hour (typical workweek for this part-time position is 20-25 hours).  Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.  Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity.

Application Instructions

Please include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form