Position Title: Marketing Manager

Supervisor: Executive Director

Employee Status: Exempt

We value diversity in all of its forms and strive to have our employment practices reflect that. As such, we are an equal opportunity workplace and will not discriminate based on disability or other legally protected categories. If an employee has a disability that makes it difficult to perform their job duties, they are encouraged to notify us to discuss reasonable accommodations.

Position Summary

The Marketing Manager will oversee all communications and marketing efforts of Food Connects, its departments and its flagship programs: the Food Hub and Farm to School Program. We are looking for someone excited to re-examine, design and uplift the organization’s current marketing strategy. This will require a candidate with prior marketing and comms experience, coupled with internal motivation to create and execute change. The Marketing Manager works in close partnership with the Executive Director, Development Director, FTS Manager, and Food Hub Sales Lead and is also an active member of Food Connects’ Leadership Team. This role is integral in supporting our organization’s mission to transform the region’s food system, create healthy families, thriving farms, and connected communities.

Core Competencies

• Written Communication: The ability to express oneself clearly in business writing.
• Persuasive Communication: The ability to plan and deliver oral and written communications that make an impact and persuade their intended audiences.
• Building Collaborative Relationships: The ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to analyze the organization’s competitive position by considering market and industry trends, existing and potential customers (internal and external), and strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors.
• Empowering Others: The ability to convey confidence in employees’ ability to be successful, especially at challenging new tasks; delegating significant responsibility and authority; allowing employees freedom to decide how they will accomplish their goals and resolve issues.
• Thoroughness: Ensuring that one’s own and others’ work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Marketing (estimated 30 hours per week)

• Redefine and execute Food Connects marketing plan and objectives, including writing press releases, generating print materials, advertising, and event promotion.
• Manage and optimize internal and external communications for the organization as a whole and on a programmatic level, including creating newsletters, social media posts, blog entries, and press releases.
• Coordinate and/or implement the design of organizational outreach materials and work with Food Connects staff to distribute these to targeted stakeholders, including brochures, annual reports, and posters.
• Develop and align key messaging and storytelling.
• Responsible for maintaining the Food Connects, Vermont Harvest of the Month and Vermont Way Foods websites, Eventbrite, Vermont Farm to Plate, and other web pages.
• Maintain and enforce Food Connects style guide and brand management.
• Track and measure engagement data and compile in a yearly report to the board.
• Develop and implement marketing training for new employees as needed.

Outreach (estimated 8 hours per week)

• Cultivate and sustain relationships with community partners and organizations.
• Develop an outreach strategy as part of the marketing plan and work with community partners to develop stronger community relationships. Serve as Food Connects representative on regional committees.
• With the Food Hub Sales Team, promote the growth of regional food deliveries by enhancing existing relationships with customers and developing new relationships with potential customers. Also works alongside the FTS Harvest of the Month Coordinator to promote the statewide program.
• With the Farm to School Team, support and promote the growth of school engagement by developing new relationships with school teachers and administrators.
• Represent Food Connects and its programs at key events.
• Attend networking events and meetings, including those that support strategic collective narrative initiatives.
• Assist with coordination of events (planning, promotion, execution), which are rare but pivotal in cultivating strong community connections.

Development (estimated 2 hours per week)

• Assist the Development Team with fundraising events as needed.
• In collaboration with the Development Team, support the design and execution of campaign materials, including communications mailing for appeals and donor recognition.
• Help with press for grantors/funders
• Corporate Sponsor promotional benefits fulfillment

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate as a member of the Food Connects Leadership Team.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops and reviewing professional publications.
• Travel as needed (in the region) to support communications and development priorities, as well as occasional paid off-hours meetings and events (with plenty of advance notice).
• Fill in for other staff with related roles when needed.
• Assist with training new employees, as needed.
• Attend regular one-on-one check-ins with supervisor to seek and provide proactive and constructive feedback for mutual improvement and the general betterment of the organization.
• Engage in annual self-review as well as peer-review processes for employees as required.

Skills and Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 3 or more years of experience in Marketing and Communications, preferably in a management and strategy development role.
• Knowledge of marketing-related business practices, including advertising, market research, technology and budgeting
• Strong technical skills with computers, spreadsheets, emails, and digital business management tools such as: G-suite, Excel, Slack, Asana.
• Proficient with marketing-related software programs, including Mailchimp, Square, Weebly, Squarespace.
• Knowledge of social media promotion and best practices
• Effective communication skills and adaptable communication style for interacting with team members
• Time management and organization skills in order to plan and execute both large and small marketing projects and initiatives
• Leadership skills to motivate team members
• Analytical and problem-solving skills for coming up with ideas to increase demand for programs and services
• 3 professional references.

Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s or higher degree in a related field.
• Prior event management experience
• Existing relationships with/knowledge of food producers in VT, NH, MA and the NE region.
• General knowledge of the sustainable food and agriculture sector.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

Food Connects aims to make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals of all abilities to perform the essential functions of their role.

Schedule: This position is expected to work 40 hours per week, and be available to work between 8am and 5pm Monday through Friday.

Work Conditions: The position is based in the Food Connects office in Brattleboro, although Food Connects promotes a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid remote model. The right candidate will balance remote work with the importance of being in person, in order to experience what it’s like to live out our mission on a day-to-day basis. Evening and weekends may be required on occasion, but will have plenty of notice for planning.

Physical Demands: This position entails extensive use of a desktop or laptop computer, sitting or standing at a desk workstation.

Compensation and Benefits

• This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position.
• Pay is $50,000 annually, negotiable depending on the applicant’s prior experience.
• Benefits:
  • Paid time off: vacation, sick, personal, and holiday leave
  • Short-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Access to vision and dental insurance
  • 15% employee discount on food purchases.
  • 2% retirement contribution, no employee contribution required.

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