Retail Partner Specialist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Inc.

Full-Time | 24-Month Grant-Funded Position | Non-Exempt
Compensation: Up to $24.00 per hour, based on experience and qualifications

Build Relationships. Strengthen Communities. Help End Hunger.

Are you a relationship builder who enjoys connecting with people, solving problems, and making a meaningful impact in your community?

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is looking for a Retail Partner Specialist to help strengthen partnerships between local food retailers and community organizations, ensuring more nutritious food reaches the individuals and families who need it most.

This is an opportunity for someone who thrives on building relationships, enjoys being out in the community, and can balance big-picture goals with the details that make programs successful.

About the Opportunity

As our Retail Partner Specialist, you'll play an important role in supporting our Retail Agency Capacity (RAC5) Grant, a program focused on helping community food partners expand their capacity to recover and distribute nutritious food from local retailers.

You'll work closely with retail donors, particularly Walmart locations, and our network of partner agencies to strengthen existing relationships, develop new partnerships, and help improve the efficiency of food recovery programs

.

This role offers a great mix of relationship management, community engagement, program coordination, and hands-on problem-solving. While most of your time will focus on building partnerships and supporting grant activities, you'll also collaborate with our Operations and Logistics teams to help ensure food gets where it needs to go.

This is a full-time, grant-funded position with an anticipated duration of 24 months.

What You'll Do

Build and Strengthen Relationships

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with retail food donors and community partner agencies.
• Connect with prospective retail donors, introduce our mission, and identify opportunities to expand food recovery partnerships.
• Serve as a trusted point of contact, helping partners navigate challenges, answer questions, and strengthen their participation in our programs.
• Conduct regular visits to retail locations and partner agencies to support successful partnerships.

Support Community Food Recovery

• Help partner agencies identify opportunities to increase their capacity to receive and distribute donated food.
• Coordinate with retail donors, partner agencies, and internal teams to improve food recovery processes.
• Support our DirectConnect and FreshStop programs through scheduling, communication, troubleshooting, and follow-up.
• Occasionally assist with smaller-scale food pickups and deliveries using organization-authorized vehicles when needed.

Coordinate Programs and Grant Activities

• Support implementation of the RAC5 Grant, including partner engagement, equipment coordination, and program activities.
• Maintain accurate records of retail partnerships, agency participation, site visits, and program outcomes.
• Help track grant deliverables, document progress, and support reporting requirements.
• Develop and update resources, training materials, and toolkits to help retail donors and partner agencies succeed.

Promote Food Safety and Partner Success

• Conduct site visits to support food safety, storage, sanitation, and program compliance expectations.
• Document findings and work with appropriate team members to address concerns and identify solutions.
• Help ensure partners have the information and resources they need to safely and effectively participate in food recovery programs.

What You'll Bring

We're looking for someone who is organized, approachable, proactive, and genuinely enjoys working with people. You don't need to have worked in food banking before, but you should be comfortable building relationships, managing multiple priorities, and working independently.

Qualifications and Skills

• Experience in relationship management, customer service, community engagement, program coordination, or a related field.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to reach out to new contacts and develop lasting partnerships.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, stay organized, and follow through on commitments.
• A collaborative, solutions-focused approach to working with internal teams and external partners.
• Comfort using Microsoft Office applications and learning new systems for tracking relationships, activities, and program outcomes.
• Ability to travel regularly to retail locations and community partner sites throughout our service area.
• Valid driver's license, required automobile insurance, and reliable transportation.
• Willingness to complete required food safety and vehicle safety training.
• Ability to safely lift and move up to 50 pounds and work in refrigerated or freezer environments when necessary.

Experience That Would Be a Plus

• Building relationships with retail businesses, community organizations, or nonprofit partners.
• Supporting grant-funded programs, community initiatives, or project coordination.
• Experience in food recovery, food banking, grocery retail, logistics, or food distribution.
• Familiarity with tracking program outcomes, maintaining databases, or preparing reports.

Why Join Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin?

At Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, our work is about more than food. It's about building stronger communities, supporting our neighbors, and creating meaningful partnerships that make a lasting difference.

In this role, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Make a direct impact on food access and hunger relief across Eastern Wisconsin.
• Build meaningful relationships with retail businesses and community organizations.
• Gain valuable experience in partnership development, program coordination, and nonprofit operations.
• Work alongside a collaborative team committed to making a difference.
• Help strengthen food recovery programs that support the communities we serve.

Position Details

• Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with regular travel throughout our service area.
• Schedule: Full-time, generally Monday through Friday, with flexibility as needed to support partner activities.
• Compensation: Up to $24.00 per hour, based on relevant experience and qualifications.
• Classification: Non-exempt, eligible for overtime in accordance with applicable law.
• Duration: 24-month, grant-funded position.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you're energized by building relationships, connecting people and resources, and helping communities thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us turn strong partnerships into greater food access for our neighbors across Eastern Wisconsin.

Employment with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and other pre-employment requirements applicable to the position.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination against applicants or employees based on age, race, color, creed, religion, disability, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, arrest or conviction record, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.