JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: PROGRAM AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Job Start Date: July 1, 2025

Eat for the Earth, a nonprofit organization, announces an opening for an employee to assist with programmatic and administrative duties related to Salud en tu Plato/ Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx, a plant-based diet and education program. We are accepting applications now. The position start date is July 1, 2025.

Most people will spend their later years sick and will die from diet-related fatal conditions—heart disease, diabetes, and others. The food on our forks affects all groups, but some groups more than others. In our county, the groups with the greatest barriers to healthy food, good nutrition information, and support for healthy eating are various populations of people of Latino heritage. Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx uses diet, education, and targeted universalism to address racial inequities—focusing on the needs of the particular and lifting the health of our entire community.

Requirements for the job include being bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural in Spanish and English, having good computer skills, caring about the health and well-being of members of our community, and having experience with outreach, community education, health promotion, or similar work. We will not be interviewing any candidates who do not meet these basic requirements.

Because this program supports people to try out a whole food plant-based diet, strong candidates will have awareness of the health benefits of such diets. A candidate who is already following a plant-based diet or who is transitioning toward one will be a stronger candidate than a similarly qualified person who is not personally eating plant-based or wanting to move in that direction. Additionally, priority will be given to candidates with healthcare experience who can administer biometric tests.

Interested persons should read the attached job description, then submit a cover letter and résumé to Beth Love, Executive Director. Preferred submission method is via email. Please attach your documents in one of the following file formats: Microsoft Word or PDF.

Your application package is the first, and perhaps only, contact you will have with us, so prepare it accordingly. If you have questions about the position, please feel free to call (831) 228-8250‬.

Eat for the Earth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The organization does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, sex, race, color, physical or mental disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any classification protected by Local, State, or Federal laws in any of its employment policies, procedures, or practices.

Job Description: Program and Administrative Assistant for Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx

Position Overview: Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx is a nutrition education and diet immersion program that supports participants to reclaim their health through the power of a whole food plant-based diet. The Program and Administrative Assistant is responsible for assisting with various of the program. This includes volunteer recruitment and management, community outreach, translations, enrollment, program implementation, administrative tasks, and support for current and past program participants. The Program and Administrative Assistant works under the direction of the Program Coordinator and Executive Director.

Duties: The following list of duties is meant to be illustrative but is not necessarily inclusive of all possible job functions. It is understood that the Program and Administrative Assistant will personally execute many of these functions and will also delegate as appropriate and possible. Duties include, but are not necessarily limited to:

General Responsibilities

Familiarizes self with the Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx program and Eat for the Earth’s specific variations for our target populations.
Develops working relationships with current and new program staff and volunteers.
Collaborates with Program Coordinator to develop plans for and implement volunteer recruitment, orientation, and placement.
Assists with outreach, program enrollment and implementation, and follow-up with participants.
Familiarizes self with Eat for the Earth’s data management systems. Manages data, for example entering data and exporting reports..
Ensures communications with partners, staff, volunteers, and participants are handled in an effective and timely manner.
Works in a culturally respectful and responsive manner.

Volunteers

Recruits volunteers to take on various roles, including biometric testing, ushering, food preparation and service, and outreach.
Orients, trains, and places volunteers, including developing a bilingual pool of program mentors. Establish collegial, supportive relationships with volunteers.
Develops and implements consistent volunteer appreciation practices.

Community Outreach, Promotions, and Enrollment

Develops relationships with community members, leaders, and others to spread awareness of our agency, the Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx program, and the capacity of plant-based diets to prevent and reverse chronic disease.
Participates in community events such as festivals and forums that provide opportunities for outreach.
Assists in scheduling and implementation of additional outreach activities such as food samplings, talks to organizations and community groups, and food preparation demos.
Assists with

Participant Interface and Program Implementation

In collaboration with Program Coordinator and Executive Director, explore the possibility of developing and implementing a mentorship program.
Assists with timely, clear, and welcoming communication in both English and Spanish with participants, volunteers, and salient others.
Contributes to the smooth implementation of the program.
Collaborates with Program Coordinator and Executive Director to develop and implement methods for ongoing support for graduates of the Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx

Data Collection, Program Improvement, and Reporting

Learns and gains competency in current data collection systems for the program.
Enters data such as participant demographic, contact info, and test results into our systems.
Generates data reports as requested and helps to ready data for presentation and reports to stakeholders.
Works with Program Coordinator and Executive Director to ensure ongoing improvement and quality control, including incorporating input from participants, volunteers, and partners.

Organizational Culture, Commitments, and Practices

Familiarizes self with organizational culture, commitments, and practices.
Assists in ensuring that Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx program communications and implementation conform to organizational parameters.
Communicate organizational culture, commitments, and practices to volunteers as needed.
Gently challenge internal discrepancies to support the health and integrity of the organization.

Additional Duties: Additional duties include but are not limited to the following:

Provides general information to community members and makes referrals as appropriate.
Provides support to events and projects.
Makes copies, collates, and staples materials as needed.
Orders supplies and/or makes purchases.
Contributes to organizational presence in the community, communications with elected officials and funders, and development of organizational plans.
Helps with translations of organizational website, promotions, and activities.

Knowledge, Experience, and Skills: The ideal candidate for this position will have the following knowledge, experience, and skills:

Bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural in English and Spanish required.
Familiarity with various Latino/a/x populations in Santa Cruz County
Knowledge about the health benefits of plant-based diets
Familiarization with organizational mission
Effective written and oral communication skills
Sensitivity towards, respect for, and understanding of cultural differences
Experience working with diverse individuals and groups with varying backgrounds, skills, and expectations
Experience working on teams
Awareness of community organizations working on related issues
Flexibility, ability to manage multiple tasks, good time management, resourcefulness
Ability to share information in a way that is concise, articulate, and thorough
Computer literate
Experience and/or skills in the following areas or be willing to learn: program implementation, outreach and promotions, collaboration, and education
Ability to prioritize
Preferred: Already following a plant-based diet or interested in adopting one

Special Requirements: Willingness to work irregular hours, participate in events and meetings in the evenings and on weekends, and travel as necessary

Hours: This position is 20 hours per week.

Salary and Benefits: Starting annual salary is $20,000–$24,000, depending on experience. Benefits include health, dental, vision, paid time off, and paid volunteer hours for your choice of community organizations.