Receptionist

About the Organization
Come join Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County! We are the first food bank in the State of California, and the second in the nation. We pride ourselves in providing 11 million pounds of food annually to over 70,000 people per month through our network of 150-member agencies and programs. We believe that a thriving community is one where everyone has access to nutritious food to support their health and wellbeing. Our team is dedicated to inspiring and supporting our community to provide nourishment for all community members.


EOE Statement
Second Harvest seeks to attract and retain a diverse workforce that brings a broad range of perspectives and experiences to our work. We value lived experience alongside learned experience and we encourage you to apply, even if you do not believe you meet every one of our qualifications. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals.

Second Harvest is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Second Harvest will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Second Harvest is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.

Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time

Exempt/Non-Exempt
Non-Exempt

Description

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County

Receptionist

$52,520-$57,179 Annualized Salary

NON-EXEMPT

About Us:

Come join Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County! We are the first food bank in the State of California, and the second in the nation. We pride ourselves in providing 10 million pounds of food annually to over 65,000 people per month through our network of 100+ member agencies and programs. We believe that a thriving community is one where everyone has access to nutritious food to support their health and wellbeing. Our team is dedicated to inspiring and supporting our community to provide nourishment for all community members.

Second Harvest seeks to attract and retain a diverse workforce that brings a broad range of perspectives and experiences to our work. We value lived experience alongside learned experience and we encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of our qualifications. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including applicants with a criminal history.

About the position:

The Receptionist serves a vital role for the community - acting as the first point of contact for Santa Cruz County residents in need of the Food Bank's assistance. The role is responsible for three primary resource functions:

• Answering our Community Food Hotline : helping connect neighbors in need to food and diaper distribution sites throughout Santa Cruz County.
• Serving as the Receptionist for Second Harvest: greeting and assisting visitors and distributing food and/or diapers to community members coming to the Food Bank for support.
• Supporting our Volunteer Program as the primary person responding to day-to-day logistical inquiries about volunteer shifts and checking-in daily volunteers.

In addition, s/he provides general office support with a variety of administrative activities across the organization and serves as the primary backup for Volunteer Program Coordinator.

REPORTS TO: Chief People & Culture Officer
SUPERVISES: N/A

JOB SUMMARY:

Reception (30%)

• Serve as the welcoming first point of contact for visitors, volunteers, community members, vendors, and other guests entering the Food Bank.
• Provide friendly, professional, and timely assistance to walk-in guests and respond to questions about Food Bank programs, services, distributions, and other available community resources.
• Assess guests' basic needs and connect them with appropriate Food Bank programs, services, distribution locations, and community resources.
• Distribute food, diapers, and other available resources to walk-in guests, volunteers, and staff in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.
• Maintain a welcoming, organized, and accessible front-office environment.
• Answer and route incoming phone calls, emails, and other inquiries, providing information or connecting individuals with the appropriate staff or resources.
• Follow established safety, confidentiality, customer service, and resource distribution procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve the experience and accessibility of the Food Bank for guests, volunteers, and visitors.
• Provides ownership of our front lobby and breakroom areas; ensuring they are clean and welcoming (contacting the Facilities team for maintenance or repairs as required).
• At the close of business hours: locks the front door and ensures conference rooms are closed up and tidied at the end of the day.

Answer Community Food Hotline & Operator Calls (35%)

• Answer our high-volume Community Food Hotline; providing prompt, bilingual, welcoming, and trauma-informed assistance to callers.
• Conduct brief, structured screenings to understand callers' needs, circumstances, and the type of assistance they are seeking.
• Ask appropriate questions to identify immediate needs, eligibility considerations, barriers to access, and the most appropriate next step.
• Provide accurate information about available food, social services, community resources, and other assistance programs.
• Make warm referrals when appropriate, helping callers understand where to go, who to contact, and what steps to take.
• Respond to callers with diverse and complex needs while maintaining professionalism, patience, empathy, and appropriate boundaries.
• Log calls into the Hotline Database, ensuring we can accurately track Hotline usage data.
• Works closely with Programs staff to ensure up to date information on available food distribution sites, home delivery resources, etc.
• Answer Operator calls and resolve general questions, routing callers to the correct staff member, including screening callers to better understand their needs so as to be able to accurately route them to the correct program or service.
• Track common caller needs and service requests to help identify trends, gaps, and opportunities to improve community access to services.

Volunteer Services (30%)

• Respond to volunteer inquiries by phone, email, and other communication channels.

• Schedule individual volunteers and volunteer groups, ensuring placements align with program needs and capacity.
• Coordinate logistics for volunteer groups, including shift details, arrival instructions, parking, accessibility needs, waivers, and other pre-arrival information.
• Maintain accurate volunteer schedules, rosters, records, and contact information.
• Communicate with internal departments to coordinate volunteer assignments and ensure staff are prepared for scheduled groups.
• Welcome and orient volunteers upon arrival and help create a positive, organized experience.
• Assist with volunteer check-in/check-out and tracking of volunteer participation and hours.
• Identify and resolve routine scheduling or volunteer issues and escalate more complex concerns as appropriate.
• Support volunteer communications, recognition activities, and special events.
• Sign off on volunteer hours for volunteers completing mandated hours for school, court, etc.
• Serve as the primary backup for the Volunteer Program Coordinator (VPC). Every Monday, and on other days/times as needed when the VPC is out of office or otherwise unavailable, handle any volunteer issues that may arise.
• Ensure the VPC is fully cross-trained so s/he can serve as the primary backup for the Receptionist; covering Hotline calls and walk-ins when the Receptionist is on lunch break or out of office.

Administrative Support (5%)

• Ensures that packages and deliveries are quickly distributed and not left in the Reception area.

• Takes outgoing mail out to the mailbox daily.
• Provides ownership of donation barrels placed outside: ensuring donations are picked up in a timely manner by the warehouse and providing supervision of donated items.
• Creates mailbox and lanyard name badge for new employees when requested.
• Initiates purchasing and tracks inventory of cups, spoons, forks, stirrers, coffee, tea.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Training and Experience

• 1-3 years of experience in customer-facing roles such as receptionist, customer service representative, or front desk assistant. Experience working with vulnerable and underserved populations (i.e., veterans, individuals with disabilities, unhoused individuals) is preferred.
• Experience managing multi-line phone systems and handling high call volumes efficiently.
• Experience working in a busy, bilingual office environment.

Knowledge/skills/ability

• Communication : able to converse tactfully, respectfully and effectively with staff and volunteers, community organizations and the public; including from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups, and community members in crisis. Bilingual (English/Spanish) is required.
• Customer Service : strong problem-solving skills and commitment to ensuring that community member needs are met, ensuring visitors, volunteers and clients have the best possible experience at the Food Bank.
• Poise : highly skilled in serving the needs of callers and visitors and remaining cool and collected while managing a busy office environment.

• Multi-Tasking : proven ability to handle simultaneous tasks, such as managing walk-ins, scheduling appointments, and handling phone calls. Ability to self-manage and appropriately prioritize tasks.
• Technological Proficiency : skilled user of the Microsoft Office Suite (including MS Teams), multi-line phone systems, database data entry, word processing, and spreadsheet management.
• Team player : flexible, reliable, with stellar collaboration skills and follow-through - this role touches every part of Second Harvest, so positive collaboration and the ability to build trust is a must.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• It is the responsibility of all SHFB personnel to participate in our Food Safety/Food Defense programs.
• Demonstrate ethical business practices, in conformance with all state and federal laws and regulations.
• Commitment to serving vulnerable populations and ending hunger in Santa Cruz County
• Demonstrate full adherence to the Code of Conduct and all policies/procedures related to compliance.
• Adherence to all applicable federal and state laws and regulations including, but not limited to, those governing confidentiality, privacy, program, billing, and documentation standards.

• Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodation:
  • Able to hear conversations on the phone and in-person. The person in this position frequently communicates with clients and volunteers who call or walk in with inquiries about their cases; must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
  • Must be able to sit or stand at a desk for long periods of time to perform certain job functions.
  • Be able to read, write, and interpret written reports, documents and manuals.
  • Able to safely lift or carry items, including Produce Bags, weighing up to 25 pounds.
  • Bi-manual dexterity and able to use a computer keyboard.
  • Frequent standing and sitting throughout the day.
  • Use hands to manipulate, handle, feel, and control items or equipment, including laptop computer.
• Given the front-line nature of our work, there will be instances where staff are required to work a flexible schedule in order to respond to community needs. Advanced notice will be provided.
• In instances of a federal, state or locally declared emergency, Second Harvest is considered an essential service and emergency responder; all its employees may be called in to perform regular or emergent duties.

Job Details: This is a full-time, regular, non-exempt position with an hourly rate of $25.25 to $27.49, depending on education and experience.

STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE : Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00pm. Occasionally, Saturday shifts will be needed to provide coverage for volunteer staff who are out on PTO.
WORKSITE: 800 Ohlone Parkway, Watsonville, CA 95076

WORK FROM HOME: Not Eligible

Benefits: We offer competitive salaries and benefits and a rewarding work environment .

PAID TIME OFF: new hires accrue three weeks of vacation time in their first year of service, in addition to paid 10 company holidays, and 12 sick days, per year.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS:

• • We offer a choice of 7 medical plans across Silver, Gold, and Platinum coverage levels. The Food Bank contributes an amount equal to 90% of the employee premium and 80% of the dependent premium for the Kaiser Gold-level base plan, which can be applied toward the plan of your choice.
  • 100% employer-paid benefits for employee Vision, Dental, Life, Long-Term Disability, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Employee Assistance Program
  • Employer subsidized vision and dental insurance for dependents.
  • AFLAC supplemental plans
  • Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
  • Supplemental coverage on Life and AD&D plans
  • Pet Insurance

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

• • 403(b) Retirement Plan with generous employer contribution.
  • Tuition reimbursement program

To Apply: Please submit cover letter and resume by 12:00PM on 10/28/26 at

All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.

Second Harvest is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Position Requirements

Bilingual (English/Spanish) is required.

Training and Experience

• 1-3 years of experience in customer-facing roles such as receptionist, customer service representative, or front desk assistant. Experience working with vulnerable and underserved populations (i.e., veterans, individuals with disabilities, unhoused individuals) is preferred.
• Experience managing multi-line phone systems and handling high call volumes efficiently.
• Experience working in a busy, bilingual office environment.

Knowledge/skills/ability

• Communication : able to converse tactfully, respectfully and effectively with staff and volunteers, community organizations and the public; including from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups, and community members in crisis.
• Customer Service : strong problem-solving skills and commitment to ensuring that community member needs are met, ensuring visitors, volunteers and clients have the best possible experience at the Food Bank.
• Poise : highly skilled in serving the needs of callers and visitors and remaining cool and collected while managing a busy office environment.
• Multi-Tasking: proven ability to handle simultaneous tasks, such as managing walk-ins, scheduling appointments, and handling phone calls. Ability to self-manage and appropriately prioritize tasks.
• Technological Proficiency: skilled user of the Microsoft Office Suite (including MS Teams), multi-line phone systems, database data entry, word processing, and spreadsheet management.
• Team player: flexible, reliable, with stellar collaboration skills and follow-through - this role touches every part of Second Harvest, so positive collaboration and the ability to build trust is a must.

Pay Range
$25.25-$27.49 DOE

Close Date
10/28/2026

Open Date
9/28/2026


This position is currently accepting applications.