Farm Business and Marketing Specialist

Organization Information

GrowNYC is a 54-year-old environmental nonprofit organization helping more than 3 million New Yorkers by providing essential services and taking action to make NYC a livable city, one where every person can enjoy a healthier, more sustainable life. GrowNYC Programs include:

• Our network of Greenmarkets, Farmstands, and the work of GrowNYC Wholesale ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, healthiest local food.
• We build and support community and school gardens through volunteer days, technical assistance, training, grants and more.
• We provide 70,000 children each year with programs that provide meaningful interactions with the natural environment.

Farm Business and Marketing Specialist (Full-time):

Position Summary

The Farm Business and Marketing Specialist will provide Greenmarket farmers and producers with business technical support and training designed to ensure the long-term success of their businesses. Technical assistance is provided through both in-house services and the engagement of third-party consultants. The Farm Business and Marketing Specialist is a part of the Greenmarket team and will be responsible for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating a suite of business and marketing/sales strategy technical assistance programming for Greenmarket farmers and producers. This position will be responsible for working with the Greenmarket Operations team to recruit and onboard new farmers and producers to support farmer success, as well as market program development and sustainability.

The ideal candidate for this position has demonstrated project management experience, strong interpersonal skills, a nuanced understanding of business planning, sales and marketing strategies for producers in the Northeast, experience working one-on-one with producers and managing partner organizations and third-party consultants, and strong business acumen.

Farm Business and Marketing Specialist Responsibilities (Include but are not limited to):

Client Intake and Support

• Primary point of contact for producers seeking business technical assistance.
• Conduct intake of producers and create a support plan for individual producers, including accessing technical assistance focused on business and financial planning, marketing, and accessing capital.
• Identify and work with partner organizations and third-party consultants to provide needed support for producers.
• Support producers in any administrative and technical assistance, including completing forms, contacting partner organizations, and third-party consultants.
• Document and track the status of technical assistance support in the internal producer database.

Promotional, Sales, and Business Planning Support

• Work with producers to optimize their market displays to increase sales and customer engagement.
• Work with producers to identify the best product mix to maximize sales, including assisting with value-added product development.
• Analyze sales and customer behavior to design profitable sales and marketing strategies.
• Support producers in developing branding, logos, and marketing materials.
• Working with producers to create enterprise budgets to assess pricing and product profitability.

Training

• Coordinate workshops and trainings with partner organizations and third-party consultants to support producers.
• Facilitate educational workshops for producers on critical business topics, including but not limited to customer service, market display, and evaluation of sales data.

• Support the outreach and recruitment of new farmers and producers, ensuring a streamlined, supportive experience for farmers and producers
• Work collaboratively with the Operations team to grow the market program, with a special focus on onboarding new farmers and producers, expanding access, and strengthening producer and market success.
• Provide strategic guidance to the FAA Director and Greenmarket Operations Manager to support the development of site selection and sustainability guidelines based on anticipated and established site performance and metrics to optimize responsiveness to neighborhood food access needs, site success, and farmer and producer long-term financial sustainability.
• Collaborate with the Greenmarket Operations Manager, FAA Director, and the Budget Management and Operations Director to develop Greenmarket site-by-site fiscal analysis to evaluate individual market success.

Program Administration and Communications

• Manage administrative tasks as needed, including maintaining participant databases, tracking client work, tracking and submitting expenses, and maintaining other systems and processes to maintain programmatic work and track relationships.
• Manage and track progress towards grant deliverables.
• Contribute to budget development, grant proposal and report development, and funder relationship development.
• Assist GrowNYC’s Communications staff in responding to press inquiries about regional producer businesses.
• Establish and maintain strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, partner organizations, and third-party consultants that align with the mission of GrowNYC Farmer Assistance, with an emphasis on partners serving BIPOC and historically marginalized producers.
• Develop and contribute to Greenmarket literature, promotional materials, presentations, reports, program booklets, with a focus on farmer-centered storytelling.
• Responsible for farmer assistance communications,including monitoring and responding to producer inquiries.
• Develop and send out the monthly farmer assistance newsletter.

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience working with farmers or as part of commercial agricultural businesses
• Sophisticated understanding of farm business planning, sales, and marketing strategies for farmers' markets, direct-to-consumer sales, and/ or food businesses
• Experience with submitting invoices and tracking payments
• Skilled at recruiting, training, and managing outside technical assistance providers, consultants, and vendors
• Excellent interpersonal skills, a high level of emotional intelligence, and experience working with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, ethnicity, gender (including trans* and nonbinary), sexual orientation, class, and religion.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced team environment
• Strong initiative and excellent time management skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Detail-oriented with excellent written and public speaking communication skills.
• Flexibility and willingness to meet farmers’ emergent needs and to occupy a position that may change in scope in accordance with the needs of the program and organization
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite.
• A valid driver’s license and excellent driving record.

Ideal Qualifications

• Spanish-English bilingual (strongly preferred, a language assessment will be administrated during the hiring process)
• Experience with client or case management.
• Experience delivering business technical assistance to farmers.
• Passion for supporting regional farmers and commitment to a racially and socially just food system.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel to Greenmarket locations, regional farms, and other locations (a shared company vehicle is available for regional travel).
• Ability to walk long distances over rough terrain on regional farms.
• Ability to drive long distances to regional farms.
• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions

Schedule

This position is full-time, year-round, with an expected weekly schedule of 35-40 hours. Working days are Monday through Friday, with three (3) in office days and a mandatory presence on Wednesdays. Occasional weekend and evenings hours may be needed.

Compensation

This full-time, exempt, and salaried role pays $85,000 - $90,000 annually, and includes benefits (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long-term disability, incentive savings plan, paid time off, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, FSA programs, and potential for parental leave for full-time regular employees who have been employed with GrowNYC for 175 days). This position is not union-eligible/not a part of the bargaining unit.

Location

This is a hybrid role with a minimum of three (3) days per week in our Manhattan office with a mandatory presence on Wednesdays. In-person field-based work at Greenmarket locations is required. Visits to regional farms and partner organizations may be needed.

Applications

Qualified candidates for the Farm Business and Marketing Specialist position should submit a cover letter, resume, and three references. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis. Due to the volume of employment applications received, GrowNYC is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate. No phone calls or recruiters, please.

GrowNYC is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer and hires without regard to race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation or physical disability.