With a deep understanding of poverty and its root causes, the Senior Advisor, Food Security is an integral member of the AARP Foundation’s Food Security Impact Area.
The new Food Security portfolio addresses poverty with rigor. And, more importantly, seeks to empower low-income, older adults. It evolves the Foundation’s focus from hunger relief to establishing food security and better health in older adults, their families and their communities.
The Food Security team’s goal is to increase food security and encourage healthy eating, among vulnerable, low-income older adults. Research shows that when older adults have the economic stability and knowledge to access and consume nutritious food on a regular basis, they prevent many diet-related diseases – ultimately, reducing healthcare costs and improving quality of life.
Through a diverse set of interventions, research and grants, we hone in on business, government and nonprofit partnerships that empower older adults and their families with more income to buy good food and a pathway to secure it regularly. This food security portfolio restores dignity and empowers older adults to live their best lives.
- Manage the food and economic security intervention, SNAP for Seniors, on behalf of the Foundation Impact Area
- Develop marketing, enrollment and data-sharing agreements with state agencies that have simplified the SNAP enrollment process for Seniors, via ESAP waivers.
- Provide oversight and manage vendors established to provide technical assistance to state administrators in applying for USDA waivers to simplify SNAP enrollment for low-income, older adults and Seniors. Lead the expansion of ESAP states from the current nine (9) to twenty (20) states in 2020.
- Coordinate with AARP Data team to develop heat maps identifying the geography of low-income, older adults eligible for SNAP, but not enrolled.
- Collaborate on the development of AARP Foundation’s joint marketing strategy of ESAP with Communications and Data teams
- Manage relationships with new and existing vendors building out ESAP application web and text tools.
- Lead, manage, and grow a network of ten grantees enrolling older adults into the simplified SNAP program for Seniors within identified geographies in their states.
- Build, manage and expand national partnerships to increase Senior’s enrollment in SNAP.
- Represent the Foundation in SNAP Online national planning with USDA and other related conversations.
- Represent the Foundation in SNAP-related state and local gatherings.
- Collaborate with Fundraising and Communications teams to tell the compelling story of how SNAP positively impacts the lives of older adults and their families.
- Coordinate food security portfolio research projects to position the Foundation as a leader in Food Security of Older Adults and their families.
- Manage the research partnerships established for 2018
- Oversee and update the strategy, as needed
- Manage the agreed-upon deliverables of each research vendor/partner
- Review and facilitate Foundation approvals of delivered content/data
- Coordinate public relations and marketing activities of the research partnerships and the reports/content that result to further advance the food security portfolio’s positioning within the Senior poverty national conversation.
- Participate in enterprise-wide food policy working group, led by Director of Food Security
- Develop the SNAP agenda for quarterly AARP food policy working group meetings.
- Recruit and manage interns and fellows
- Serve as liaison with USDA, FNS and ERS on regulatory, marketing, and evaluation issues.
- Participate in Foundation’s Evaluation Working Group
- Represent the SNAP intervention in plans to administer the USDA Adult Food Security Survey to low-income, older adults to determine changes in food security status as result on our interventions.
The role requires a strong ability to work well at an inter-personal level in order to champion SNAP as a food and economic security intervention within the Foundation. This position will have a very high impact on AARP Foundation’s ability to execute its strategic objectives and reach both its short and longer term goals. This position requires a commitment to the Foundation's strategy of continuously developing social interventions that increase our ability to provide practical and scalable solutions to the needs of low-income, older adults.
This position requires:
- A deep understanding of the root causes of poverty.
- A heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created.
- Mission-driven commitment to building food security for low income, older adults and their families.
- Proven experience of managing relationships in and across complex organizations.
- Knowledge of and experience in developing shared value and collective impact with multiple stakeholders.
- Continually understand the food insecurity and nutrition field to drive strategic differentiation and partnerships.
- The drive to work in cross functional teams and to engage different business and expert units across the Foundation and AARP enterprise.
- Focus on being an integral part of a high performing team.
- Ability to be nimble, work independently, but also value teamwork and collaboration.
- Sense of humor
- Ability to travel 30 – 40 percent of time, primarily in the United States.
- Candidates with advanced degrees and/or significant experience in business consulting, health, nutrition, public policy, sociology, or an equivalent combination of education and experience related to the duties of the position may be considered.
- Superb relationship building, writing, and public speaking skills required.
- Appropriate candidates will have a deep familiarity with poverty alleviation, AARP’s strategic issues, strong analytical capabilities, and the ability to develop content on a wide range of topics.
- Prior experience managing outside vendors and partner organizations is required.
- Prior experience working in complex, matrixed organization is a plus.
- Must be highly organized and have a demonstrated ability to think in a process-oriented and systematic way.
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.