Essential Needs Specialist

About Middlesex Community College:

Middlesex Community College (MCC), established in 1970, provides access to affordable education to prepare individuals for success and lifelong learning. We promote academic excellence, provide workforce development opportunities, and empower all learners to become productive and socially responsible members of our local and global communities.

The College provides a broad range of services that are essential to attract, reward, and retain talented faculty and staff. The MCC community promotes a work environment where our employees feel supported and empowered to best serve our student population. We are proud to offer our classes on both the Bedford and Lowell campuses, as well as a robust online course offering. MCC is committed to transforming lives as we educate, challenge, and support all students as evident in our strategic plan.

Job Description:

Title: Essential Needs Specialist

Unit: Full-Time MCCC Professional Staff, Grade 04, Special Programs Coordinator

Department: Student Affairs - Student Support Services

Reports To : Assistant Dean of Student Support Services

Date: February 10, 2026

General Summary: The Essential Needs Specialist plays a key role in student well-being and academic success by supporting comprehensive essential needs services. The Specialist oversees all food resource operations, including two food pantries, multiple Grab n' Go stations, and community-sourced food partnerships, and ensures consistent access to healthy, fresh, and culturally relevant food. The role provides direct case management and non-academic support for students experiencing food or other essential needs difficulties, connecting them with on- and off-campus resources.
The Specialist leads outreach and education efforts to destigmatize essential needs challenges, promotes healthy eating, and collaborates with faculty, staff, and community partners to expand support services. The position manages logistics, procurement, food safety practices, data systems, and donation activities. Through continuous assessment, reporting, and program evaluation, the Specialist strengthens resource effectiveness and informs program improvements.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Student Support, Case Management, & Advocacy

• Build strong, supportive relationships with at-risk students and provide resources, referrals, and connections to internal and external support services.
• Provide comprehensive case management for students facing essential needs challenges, with a primary emphasis on food and housing insecurity.
• Offer non-academic support, including skill development, guidance, and advocacy, to promote academic success, personal well-being, and healthy behaviors.
• Communicate with students to gather feedback about essential needs services and their impact on wellness, sense of belonging, and academic performance.

Program Development, Education, & Outreach

• Plan, implement, and assess comprehensive campus-wide programs supporting under-resourced students and advancing equity and social mobility.
• Develop and implement educational initiatives and outreach efforts for students, faculty, staff, and community partners.
• Facilitate formal and informal events to raise awareness about food and housing insecurity and to destigmatize conversations about basic needs. Engagement formats include classroom visits, workshops, presentations, and tabling events.
• Promote the College's food resources and essential needs services through communication campaigns, social media, outreach events, classroom engagement, and wellness-focused activities.
• Facilitate programs and activities that promote healthy eating and nutrition education.
• Provide annual summaries highlighting program outcomes, impact, challenges, and recommendations for improvement.

Community Partnerships & Resource Navigation

• Attend community events, fundraisers, workshops, community meetings, summits, forums, etc. This may include instances outside of normal working hours.
• Develop and grow on-campus and community partnerships that expand essential supports for MCC students. Coordinate new and ongoing initiatives, including personal product collections, clothing drives, and resource-focused events.
• Oversee the Pop-up Professional Clothing drive
• Assist with SNAP outreach and education, manage awareness campaigns, and help connect students to SNAP benefits and related supports.
• Maintain and share an updated online and printed directory of food, housing, and related essential needs resources.
• Build partnerships with local farms and gardens to increase access to fresh and culturally relevant foods.

Food Resource Management

• Develop, maintain, and evaluate free food resources on both campuses, including two food pantries, daily Healthy Food Grab n' Go stations, and multiple satellite Grab n' Go locations throughout the College.
• Manage logistics of free food resources, including promotion/awareness, schedules, maintenance, safety/compliance, stocking and inventory, budget management, intake forms, and assessment.
• Ensure food resource operations to ensure consistent access for students, including:
• Weekly ordering, pickup, delivery, and stocking of food from the Merrimack Valley Food Bank (MVFB); submit required monthly MVFB reports.
• Weekly delivery and distribution of frozen meals from Open Table.
• Other food resource supports as available.
• Serve as primary contact for Merrimack Valley Food Bank partnership.
• Determine and implement best practices for food safety to minimize risk of food-borne illness. This includes providing clear instructions about the cleanliness of donated food, as well as how to clean food before consuming. Also, make sure stations are kept clean, organized, and aesthetically appealing, including prompt removal of expired/overripe produce.
• Manage the food pantry software (PantrySoft), including reporting and data collection.
• Oversee grocery store gift card programs, including purchasing, promotion, distribution, tracking, and reporting.
• Integrate access to fresh and culturally relevant food options across all food programs.
• Assist with oversight of donation opportunities, including ongoing food and personal care drives, Amazon Wishlists, and community giving initiatives.
• Assist with oversight of new food-focused initiatives such as World Food Movement, spice drives, etc.

Collaboration & Institutional Support

• Collaborate with internal departments including the Wellness Resource Center, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, and other student support services to deliver integrated support to students.

Funding, Grants & Institutional Engagement

• Research external funding opportunities to support essential-needs programs and emergency assistance.
• Collaborate with the MCC Grants Team to identify, secure, and manage grants related to food and essential needs resources.
• Participate in college-wide and community committees to support institutional initiatives related to student basic needs.

Assessment, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Conduct regular assessments of student needs and program effectiveness using surveys, data collection, intake/outtake forms, and qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Prepare end-of-year summaries and presentations highlighting outcomes, impact, challenges, and recommendations for improvement.
• Manage data and reporting for food resources and essential-needs programming.
• Maintain collaborative communication with the Coordinator of Essential Needs to align goals, priorities, timelines, and program strategies.

Staffing & Training

• Recruit, hire, train, and oversee student employees, interns, volunteers, and work study staff.
• Provide ongoing coaching, training, and support to ensure effective service delivery.

General and Administrative Functions

• Perform administrative tasks associated with departmental activities.
• Develop assessment strategies to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of services.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree with at least three years of related experience
• Transportation to/from work and to/from stores for purchasing groceries
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Availability for evening and weekend hours, as needed
• Ability to work well and interact effectively and plan programs with diverse populations, including traditional and non-traditional students, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to make group presentations.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability in the use of computer-based technologies, including the ability to manage budgets and spreadsheets

Preferred Qualifications:

• A Master's degree or completion of a specialized certification program requiring coursework of one year or more beyond an undergraduate degree.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in a student affairs/student services environment. Experience includes internships and graduate assistantships. Community college experience preferred.
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to the value of student engagement and the impact of essential needs in the lives of students as part of a comprehensive community college.
• Personal/professional interest in nutrition, healthy foods, and equity/access
• Experience in marketing using social media.
• Project management skills and familiarity with program evaluation and assessment.
• Bilingual skills a plus

Additional Information:

Salary Range: $65,370 is the base salary; actual salary commensurate with academic background and experience. Employees of Middlesex Community College are considered employees of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive benefits, which include:

• High-quality and affordable health insurance through the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
• Competitive Dental and Vision Plans
• Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Assistance programs
• Low-cost basic and optional life insurance
• Retirement Savings: State Employees' Pension or Optional Retirement Program (ORP) and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan or 403(b).
• 12 paid holidays per year and competitive Sick, Vacation, and Personal Time
• Tuition Benefits for employees and dependents at state colleges and universities
• Short-Term Disability and Extended Illness program participation options
• Professional Development and Continuing Education opportunities
• Cell Phone Bill Discounts with Verizon and T-Mobile Cell Phone Carriers
• Access to the Commonwealth's Mass4You, employee assistance program
• Free employee parking on Bedford and Lowell campuses
• Eligibility towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Location: Lowell campus with occasional travel to Bedford as needed

Hours: 37.5 per week, schedule to be determined upon hire.

Expected Start Date: April 2026

Application Deadline: March 3, 2026

Application Instructions:

All applicants must apply online by submitting:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Names and contact information for three (3) professional references

Pre-Employment Requirements:

The College will not sponsor applicants for work visas.


All offers of employment at Middlesex Community College are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates, as deemed necessary.


Middlesex Community College only accepts application materials through our online application system. We are unable to accept application materials through mail, email, fax, or hand delivery. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].


Middlesex Community College strives to make the application and interview process accessible for all applicants but understands that applicants may still encounter barriers due to ability, language, or technology. If we can make the process any more accessible for you, contact Human Resources at 781-280-3546 or [email protected].