Project Officer

Position Title

Project Officer (Hanoi – Vietnam)

Job Purpose

VietHarvest is seeking an enthusiastic individual to support our food rescue operations in Hanoi, Vietnam. This position ensures efficient management of VietHarvest’s food rescue logistics and warehouse (coming soon) operations  while coordinating with donors, drivers, and charity partners with an emphasis on timely service with an attention to detail and food safety and hygiene. The individual will play a vital role in supporting VietHarvest’s mission to reduce food waste and serve the community.

The Project Officer will also support the General Manager with administration of project documents, data collection and management and support with scaling up operations in Hanoi

The successful candidate may also contribute to special projects, fundraising activities, corporate engagement, events, community engagement and marketing and communications as and where required.

Reports to

General Manager

Location

Vietnam – Hanoi

Duration

Full-time

Background

Action on Poverty (AOP)is an independent, secular, fully-accredited Australian non-profit organisation. AOP empowers lo cal changemakers to break the cycle of entrenched poverty in some of the poorest communities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. From teaching an Ethiopian family to grow their own food to sending Cambodian girls to school, we target communities with their own vision for change and help them make the largest impact possible.

VietHarvest is a social enterprise tackling food waste and hunger in Vietnam. We collect quality surplus food and redistribute it to those in need, believing that food is too precious to waste. We are driven to inspire and educate people about food waste, food security, and sustainability, creating a sustainable food culture while reducing hunger and poverty.

Since our founding in 2022, we have delivered over 100,000 meals to underserved communities and diverted over 50 tons of food from landfills. We are proud to partner with prominent organizations like Vietnam Airlines and IHG Group, along with numerous hotels, restaurants and food retailers, while supporting over 20 social partners, charities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

We are proudly partnered with Action on Poverty and started a food rescue program in Hanoi in June 2022 to reduce food waste and hunger.

In 2025, we are expanding our impact with plans to open a Nourishing Hub in Ho Chi Minh City, a combined warehouse and kitchen facility that will significantly increase our capacity to rescue and distribute food.

Visit www.vietharvest.com to learn more and get involved.

Key Relationships

Internal: All Staff, General Manager, Marketing and Communication Managers, Co-Founders of VietHarvest, Action on Poverty Vietnam, Volunteers

External: Financial and In-kind donors, Food Donors, Charity Partners, Strategic Partners, Food Recipients, Key Suppliers, Service Providers, and Contractors, International Partners, Government bodies in Australia and Vietnam and international affiliates

VietHarvest’s Values

Our purposes are Reducing Food Waste and Nourishing the underserved Communities, through food rescue, education, community engagement and innovation. As an organisation we are connected by four key values:

Connected by Our Cause: We are a magnet for magnificent people, connected by a common purpose. This mission of ours is contagious. It will take all of us, every day, every way. Our cause comes to life with every single one of us

Nourishing and Growing: We’re creating a culture of giving. When we grow ourselves, we grow each other and nourish others. When we nourish others, we ourselves grow. Not just in times of vulnerability, but as we thrive

Boldly Courageous: We speak and act boldly for the change that needs to happen. We embrace every challenge with optimism, dignity and respect

With Gratitude: We are grateful. Always. To each other. To the people we serve. To the people who give so gen- erously. For the work we do, and the work to be done

VietHarvest’s Purpose and Expectation

We are a food rescue and education organisation.

• VietHarvest is committed to rescuing, surplus food to feed people in need and help the environment (food rescue is the core of the VietHarvest business)
• VietHarvest is committed to educating, the general public and our clients about food waste, nutrition and living a healthier lifestyle
• VietHarvest is committed to engage, with the community to maximise our impact
• VietHarvest is committed to innovate as a sustainable social enterprise

To achieve this vision VietHarvest prides itself not only on being logistics experts but also having an exceptional ‘customer and community service’ focus.

We expect from our team members a strong commitment and passion for food rescue and education with the organisation’s vision at the forefront of all decisions and actions.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with food donors and charity partners
• Management of data collection related to food rescue operations and project documentation and administration
• Oversee the day to day management of our operations in HCMC including warehouse, logistics and operations
• Support the General Manager in scaling up food rescue
• As required, be available for special projects and marketing and communications

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Key Responsibility Area 1 – General Operations (60%)

• Coordinate with food donors to coordinate food rescue
• Troubleshoot any issues through timely communication and creative problem solving in coordination with our food donors and charity partners
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with our logistics partner/drivers to ensure timely, efficient and food safety and hygiene in our operations
• Support the General Manager and co-founders in procuring operational equipment and coordinate with our suppliers and accountant to ensure quality
• Awareness of compliance with relevant HACCP food safety and local food rules and regulations
• Warehouse:
  • Oversee inventory handling, storage, and safety protocols to ensure rescued food quality
  • Maintain and optimize the warehouse’s operational efficiency, cleanliness, and safety
  • Implement and manage inventory tracking and reporting systems
  • Monitor warehouse staff (if any) including volunteers, chefs, etc

Key Responsibility Area 2 – Donor and Charity Relationships (20%)

• Develop and maintain relationships with local food donors from management to department leads
• Develop and manage food rescue schedules with donors and drivers. Optimize delivery routes and ensure alignment with operational goals.
• Respond in a timely manner to Food Donor and Charity Partner questions, feedback, and requests for information, troubleshooting logistical issues as needed. Provide personal follow-up ensuring excellent service is given to all.
• Support the Managers in conducting outreach to expand food rescue partnerships with both food donors and charities
• Provide support in onboarding food donors and charities
• Present an image that mirrors that of the values and professionalism of VietHarvest (purposeful, profes- sional, responsive, and passionate)
• Aid and support corporate partnership initiatives when required locally. Support community events and initiatives, representing VietHarvest’s operational mission.

Key Responsibility Area 3 – Data & File Management and Administration (10%)

• Ensure that accurate and timely data on food collection and delivery is collected and stored in collab- oration with our logistics company
• Monitor quality/quantity of food donations and analyse trends, creating reports from and analyzing program data as needed
• Maintain current and accurate updates and data in multiple platforms, including our existing and target donor and charity database
• Ensure adherence to best practice policies, processes and procedures and good governance
• Compliance with other Government regulations

Key Responsibility Area 4 – Communication (10%)

• Support the Marketing and Communication Manager in communication efforts including writing posts on social medias, responding to partnering/donating requests through website/emails/social media
• Attend awareness raising activities when available and required.

At VietHarvest we are a small family and all work together to contribute to ensure we are delivering on our pur- pose to Nourish the underserved Communities. In order to deliver on our purpose:

• There is an expectation that for all major events we, as a family, come together and take on additional responsibilities to deliver a successful event
• We are mindful of delivering the best possible outcomes by maximising contributions and minimising costs wherever possible and we do this by:
  • Seeking in-kind work where ever possible, donations of goods the best possible quotes from suppliers and where possible in-kind support for the work that we do
  • Direct any potential financial donor relationships to the leaders
  • Volunteer out of hours to support our purpose
  • Other duties as reasonable required.

Personal Specifications

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree
• Legally eligible to work or volunteer in Vietnam
• Experience working in warehouse and/or logistics field is preferred

Personal Abilities and Aptitudes

• A strong commitment and enthusiasm towards the vision and purpose of VietHarvest
• Energetic, positive and proactive attitude; Action-oriented and driven to achieve results and hands on
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships of trust with all relationships in the organization, food donors, corporate partners, charity network and especially volunteers including skilled volunteers in the initial phase
• Ability to coordinate and conduct meetings and schedules, administration, and other projects in a time pressured environment
• Great organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks and time manage; flexible and highly responsive
• Awareness of food handling standards or willingness to become an knowledgeable in this area
• Excellent attention to detail and a strong customer service approach
• Dependability and accountability and willingness to learn

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Relevant experience in business, non-profits, project management, business administration, marketing or communication is advantageous
• Excellent Vietnamese and English language ability
• Comfortable in using MS Office, Google suite and a range of other digital tools
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Ability to engage with and nurture relationships with our charities, food donors and seek and establish new relationships
• Ability to operate at a detailed projects level and collaborate with management and team
• Database management experience
• Experience or willing to learn to use different file-sharing and technology such as G-Suite, Sharepoint, Trello, Slack and others
• Excellent administrative and business management skills
• Experience working alongside volunteers