Food Purchasing Coordinator

The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is currently hiring for a hiring for a full-time, hourly, non-exempt and benefited, Food Purchasing Coordinator at our Miramar location.

About the San Diego Food Bank
Established in 1977, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is a critical component to the welfare of San Diego County, providing nutritious food to people in need, advocating for the hungry and educating the public about hunger-related issues. For more information about the organization, please visit

Our Mission:
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and our North County Food Bank Chapter provide nutritious food to people in need, advocate for the hungry, and educate the public about hunger-related issues.

Did you know?

• The San Diego Food Bank feeds approximately 400,000 people every month in partnership with 450 nonprofit community partners.
• We are the fourth largest independent food bank in the country.
• We distributed 52 million pounds of food in fiscal year 2024-2025; almost 45% of that food being fresh produce.
• We have a 99% rating on Charity Navigator.

We are committed to innovation and sustainability to reduce our impact on the environment. We have 1,400 solar panels, we are LEED v4 Gold Certified, we have a 3,600 sq. ft composting and recycling center that houses our recycling and composting machine and received the 2020 Business Waste Reduction & Recycling award.

Position Purpose
The Food Purchasing Coordinator is responsible for executing the overall strategy across purchased and donated food supply channels in order to maintain a consistent supply of nutritious food for distribution to community members. This position is responsible for securing favorable pricing on food purchases and additional food donations to increase volume of food that the SDFB collects/distributes by developing and maintaining relationships with new and existing food donors and vendors. They foster relationships with other food banks, a variety of vendors and other community partners to ensure SDFB distribution goals can be met.

Primary Responsibilities
The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this position. All duties are expected to be performed in accordance with existing company policy and procedure. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Execute plans for food purchases and program-specific items in order to fulfill food distribution and program needs.
• Support organizational goals and objectives to source fresh produce to best serve the nutritional needs of community members.
• Effectively utilize both competitive bidding and negotiation tactics to select winning bids from food vendors and brokers.
• Ensure nutritional and quality standards of inbound donated and purchased food.
• Develop educational materials and presentations for prospective food donors and members of SDFB staff.
• Conduct market research to gather and interpret information about the needs of partnered nonprofit organizations, including product demand, market saturation and pricing considerations.
• Collect, interpret, and analyze data to inform decision making and reporting.
• Receive and confirm RFQ (Request for Quote) submissions from SDFB staff members.
• Send RFQ’s to pre-approved vendor list, process and enter bid information, and communicate product and order information to vendors and staff members.
• Submit and track all purchase orders.
• Track inbound shipments to the warehouses via inventory receipts and BOLs and match all received shipments with invoices.
• Submit and code all invoices to accounting department for tracking.

• Support purchasing and product tracking for all programs including but not limited to: Food for Kids Backpack Program; On the Go Program; Bulk Purchasing Program; Farm to Family Program; Diaper Bank Program; and more.
• Maintain contact with current food donors and build relationships with potential partners such as grocery retailers, wholesalers, distributors, etc.
• Conduct site visits to food donors throughout SD County.
• Update and maintain the contact database (Primarius).
• Learn and interpret the CHOP program (nutritional ranking database) to ensure sourced product meets standards and to ensure all purchased inventory is correctly ranked under CHOP.
• Coordinate and assist with donations to all warehouse locations as needed.
• Interact and work closely with other departments within the SDFB and the Operations team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is organized, a self-starter, and has experience in building community partnerships. They have food purchasing experience, as well as experience in data management and inventory tracking. This candidate is always looking for ways to improve, grow the business, and develop the ability of the organization to better attain goal s.

Education, Training and Experience
A typical way of obtaining the necessary education, training, and experience for this position includes:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, supply chain, food procurement, inventory management, or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of training and expertise.
• Additionally, a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent and 3 years of progressively responsible experience, including one year with lead worker responsibilities, are also required.
• Experience working in the food system (farmer/grower, retail, warehouse, sourcing, food distribution, etc.) a plus.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge of:

• Microsoft Office Suite.
• Data entry programs for donor management / inventory tracking management.
• Data management, analysis, and reporting.
• Customer service standards and functions.
• Food distribution and collection best practices.

Ability to:

• Work in a fast-paced environment.
• Utilize data to inform decision making and share information.
• Be comfortable with frequent phone call usage and providing customer service to a wide variety of people.
• Organize, set priorities, and exercise sound independent judgment with areas of responsibility.
• Work independently.
• Learn Primarius database.
• Communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
• Produce clear, accurate and concise records and reports.

• Use tact, discretion and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive situations and concerned individuals.
• Manage multiple priorities and stay organized.

Licenses, Certificates, Special Requirements

• Valid CA Driver’s License

Compensation
This is a full-time, non-exempt, hourly, benefited position.

• A market-level competitive salary is between $26.00 - $32.00 per hour based on experience and qualifications.
• The compensation package includes a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package including: 403(b) plan with 200% employer matching; excellent health care coverage with free employee medical, dental and vision plans; company paid term life insurance; and a generous accrual of paid vacation and sick leave.

Work Schedule

• Monday – Friday from 7:00 am – 3:30 pm.
• Occasional overtime, late nights, or weekend shifts, based on business needs.

How to Apply

• Interested and qualified candidates should apply below.
• Submissions missing a resume will not be considered for the position.
• Background check and drug test are required for the position before employment starts.