Job Posting — Regional Food Animator (Metro)

This job posting is available as a PDF. 
If you require an alternate format, please email us at hiring@foodfirstnl.ca.

Food First NL has a team of 5 Regional Food Animators that inspire and support food programming across the province. Each Regional Food Animator leads outreach and education activities in their region, as well as contributing to Food First NL’s local projects. These positions all have a high degree of variety and flexibility. 

The Regional Food Animator for the Metro area covers St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Torbay, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, and Portugal Cove-St. Philips. This will be a very active role that supports both of Food First NL’s social enterprises in Metro, Food on the Move and the new Avalon Food Hub. 

The Job

The Metro Regional Food Animator will be responsible for the following:

  • Act as a support person for community food programs in the Metro Region:

    • Provide guidance to food programs

    • Create opportunities for networking and relationship building

    • Gather and share resources

    • Give presentations and facilitate hands-on workshops

    • Sit on committees and collaborate on projects with partner organizations 

    • Assist with funding applications and other content development

    • Build bridges between regional, provincial, and national partners 

  • Assist with all social enterprise activities of Food on the Move and the new Avalon Food Hub, including:

    • Transport food to and from multiple locations in bulk using an electric van 

    • Portion, package, inventory, and safely store a variety of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food items

    • Set-up and take-down pop-up market equipment 

    • Provide customer service in person, by phone, and online 

    • Interact with vendors and producers to acquire products, set up online profiles, troubleshoot issues, and build positive relationships

    • Handle payments by cash, using Square POS, and using Local Food Marketplace online sales platform 

    • Give presentations and promote the social enterprises in community settings 

    • Contribute to marketing and communications for the social enterprises

    • Maintain accurate records and collect sales and evaluation data

    • Assist with development of operating procedures

    • Problem solve challenges in a collaborative and effective manner 

  • Support food safety and occupational health and safety throughout social enterprise operations 

  • Contribute to the creation, review, update, and promotion of Food First NL’s educational resources, including the Community Food Action Space 

  • Participate in professional development training (e.g. food safety, first aid, facilitation, community engagement)

  • Participate as a member of the Food First NL team and contribute to communications, equity, evaluation, human resources, planning, and reporting activities of the organization

  • Act as a representative of Food First NL at meetings, on committees, at events, and potentially with the media. 

  • Other duties as required

The Ideal Candidate 

This is an active position that requires physical labour. The candidate must be able to safely lift bags and boxes of produce weighing 50-65lbs and complete repetitive tasks like placing food into bags and cleaning workspaces. 

The candidate must be living in the St. John’s metro region permanently and be available to start in August. Compensation and additional time will not be provided for relocation. 

The candidate must have a full driver’s license and a clean driving record. This position will require the candidate to drive an electric van. Access to a personal vehicle is an asset. 

Please consider applying if many of the following characteristics apply to you and you are interested in growing your experience in the areas that don’t: 

  • You are excited about advancing Food First NL’s vision of “a province where everyone can eat with joy and dignity”

  • You have strong experience with customer service 

  • You are friendly and outgoing and enjoy interacting with people

  • You are reliable and punctual

  • You are a creative problem solver who strives to remain open-minded and level-headed

  • You have experience handling cash,  using point of sales (POS) systems, and with online sales 

  • You have experience in community education and outreach 

  • You have experience working with non-profits and social enterprises

  • You are excited to take action to improve our food system and you bring a variety of food interests and skills with you

  • You are organized, detail-oriented, and plan ahead 

  • You have strong communication skills and you enjoy working as part of a team

  • You are a good listener who can take direction and then work independently

  • You are committed to equity and inclusion, take a trauma-informed approach, and you have experience interacting positively with groups who have been marginalized

  • You are confident with computers and you have experience with Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar, Drive) 

  • You are able to work both in-person and online as required

If you have questions about the requirements of the positions, contact hiring@foodfirstnl.ca.

Compensation and other Details

Wage: $24.78/hour. A cost of living increase is applied annually in February. 

Leave: 15 days paid vacation to start, plus 14 paid public holidays annually, and 12 community service and food provisioning days. Ample sick and personal leave time available. 

Hours: 35 hours/week, primarily Monday-Friday daytimes, with some flexibility. It will vary based on activities, with occasional evenings and weekends required.

Benefits: Health and dental benefits available after 3 months

Expected Start: August 2025

Position Type: Full-time. Food First NL’s contracts follow a fiscal year of April-March. Initial contract to March 31, 2026 with extension likely. 

Working Environment: You must be permanently located in the St. John’s Metro Region. Work sites are in person at Food First NL’s main office (77 Charter Ave. Suite 100 in St. John’s) and partner sites throughout the region (community centres, MUN, CNA, etc.). This can be a hybrid position and working from home is an option as programming requirements allow. Doing so will require a reliable home internet connection and a monthly stipend can be provided to assist with internet costs.

How to Apply

Send a PDF of your resume and cover letter to hiring@foodfirstnl.ca by the end of the day on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. We thank everyone who applies but only people selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Questions, and contact for support in applying: Sarah Ferber, Program Manager, hiring@foodfirstnl.ca

Accommodations

Food First NL recognizes that systemic barriers related to gender, race and ethnicity, Indigeneity, ability, physical and mental health, age, and socio-economic status limit or prevent people’s equal access to power and resources within society. In order to address these barriers within our own organization and the broader community, Food First NL is committed to practicing equity in all aspects of our work, including hiring. We welcome the opportunity to discuss any accommodations you may require, both in the position itself and in the hiring process.

If you are a person with a disability who requires support applying, please contact us. We can also provide this job posting in alternative formats. 

About Food First NL

Food First NL is a provincial non-profit organization with nearly twenty-five years of experience leading food security efforts. Food First NL’s mission is to advance everyone’s right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador. We envision a province where everyone can eat with joy and dignity. To learn more, visit foodfirstnl.ca or our social media @FoodFirstNL (Instagram, BlueSky, Facebook, YouTube).