Seasonal Community Market Assistant - Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Seasonal Community Market Assistant

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998. Founded in Austin, Texas, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through three core programs: Truck Ministry, Community First! Village, and Community Works. Often referred to as the most talked about neighborhood in Austin, Community First! Village is a 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. We are now embarking on a new phase of community expansion, adding more than 1400 new neighbors over the next 5-10 years.

About the Role

The Seasonal Community Market Assistant is an integral part of the Market & eCommerce Team, supporting the operations of the Community Market at Community First! Village. The role requires a strong customer-service orientation, team collaboration, and self-motivation. A passion for empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless is essential, as is the ability to foster a welcoming environment for neighbors, staff, volunteers, and visitors.

This is a seasonal, non-exempt position reporting directly to the Retail & eCommerce Manager, running from October through December. The ideal candidate will work approximately 12 hours per week, with a preferred schedule of 9 AM to 1 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. While the schedule offers some flexibility in the choice of days and times, availability on Mondays is a must. Candidates must be 21 or older. This role is located at Community First! Village at 9301 Hog Eye Road, Austin, TX 78724.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Temporarily join the MLF team from October to December.
• Serve as part of the team responsible for hospitality, sales, and overall function of the Community Market, which serves Community First! Village neighbors, staff, volunteers, and guests.
• Staff the Community Market during scheduled hours.
• Process transactions using Square point-of-sale system.
• Assist in submitting, receiving, inventorying, and merchandising products from multiple suppliers several times per week.
• Ensure all shelves are fully stocked by the end of each day.
• Train and lead Market volunteers in daily activities.
• Count and manage cash swiftly and accurately.
• Communicate MLF's mission, vision, strategy, values, and goals with volunteers, guests, and customers.
• Ensure that all activities operate consistently and ethically within MLF's mission and values and in accordance with MLF policies and procedures.
• Communicate with the Market Team regularly to ensure policies and processes are consistently implemented.
• Perform other miscellaneous duties as necessary to fulfill the mission and vision of MLF.
• Other Duties & Responsibilities as needed

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Principles

• MLF is a faith-based organization whose ideals and philosophy come directly from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an organization, we strive to reflect this precept in our communications, both internally and externally.
• Commitment to serving those who have experienced homelessness and personal alignment with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals.
• Previous retail experience preferred but not required.
• Ability to lead volunteers and work independently.
• Strong relationship builder and team player with excellent oral and written communication skills
• Present self and organization to the community in a positive, sincere, and professional manner
• Must be proficient in the use of technology, including the Microsoft Suite, Asana, Square and Shopventory.
• Must be 21 years of age or older
• Must have a valid driver's license

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Must be able to easily lift 30 lbs. on a regular basis
• Ability to stand, climb, stoop, kneel, or crouch, to reach with hands and arms, and to move about the property

MLF VISION

We empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

MLF MISSION

We provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

GOALS

• Transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless
• Reconnect the homeless to self, family and community
• Help the chronically homeless rediscover and utilize their God-given talents to do purposeful work
• Connect human to human, heart to heart through the fellowship of food and hospitality
• Inspire people into a lifestyle of abundance by giving their best first

BELIEF STATEMENTS

The vision is supported by belief statements centered on our belief that homelessness is the result of a profound, catastrophic loss of family:

• God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life
• By virtue of being created by God in His image, we are all called to live in community and relationship with Him through each other
• The family is the original cell of social life
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself
• All members of the human family are equal in dignity
• The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Gen 2:15

CORE VALUES

MLF is committed to fostering a culture that prioritizes relational connection. We believe there is opportunity in every aspect of our work to be relational in a highly transactional world. In this culture, transactions are means to relational ends, not the other way around.​

​​This begins with the countercultural love poured out by Jesus Christ and grows as imperfect individuals strive to show this love to each other human-to-human, heart-to-heart.​

​​Each individual's openness to the journey of their own personal growth is essential in building our relational culture, and we believe this culture flourishes as we each continuously strive to more fully embody these four core values:

• Faith: We define Faith as the foundational belief that our world and all our work belong to God. This allows us to engage our work with joy and lightheartedness, knowing that we are not ultimately in control.
• Humility: We define Humility as rightly viewing oneself as a single piece of a grander story. This humility leads to a view of oneself that is neither too high nor too low.
• Generous Spirit: We define a Generous Spirit as a readiness to give more grace, mercy, and hospitality than is necessary or expected. This posture allows us to see others for who they are, not what they do.
• Integrity: We define Integrity as a wholehearted commitment to doing right by God, ourselves, and others. This wholeheartedness shows itself in consistently choosing honesty, responsibility and ownership in all actions and decisions.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MLF is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen based on ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation in accordance with federal and state law.