The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is a multi-stakeholder workforce development and certification scheme seeking to improve the lives of farmworkers and create value across the produce supply chain. EFI’s key innovation has been to demonstrate that motivated, trained, and incentivized farmworkers can address retailer, civil society, government, and consumer concerns about working conditions, pesticide use, and food safety in the produce industry.
Over the past year EFI has developed a brand and positioning strategy, and has begun to establish a presence in the produce industry trade press. As the program expands and more certified product reaches the marketplace, we are looking to build a consumer support base and secure placements in mainstream media outlets. We will also upgrade our website and increase our social media presence. EFI is an exciting story, and we are looking for a talented professional who will help us tell that story to the right audiences.
The Communications and Marketing Director reports to the Executive Director, and manages the Communications Associate position. In coordination with members of the EFI network, the Communications and Marketing Director will support all aspects of EFI’s public messaging and outreach, relationships with media and social media networks, and will represent EFI in public events as appropriate.
Develop and implement EFI’s communications strategy
- Work with EFI staff and board to enhance and coordinate targeted messaging to key audiences (major produce buyers; growers; farmworkers; advocacy groups; consumers; policymakers; media outlets)
- Work with Communications Associate and other partners to implement a media engagement plan linked to key program milestones
- Manage, leverage and grow EFI’s presence in social media; support Communications Associate on blog posts, social media posts, consumer outreach
- Draft and publish press releases, and cultivate relationships with key media outlets, journalists, and bloggers to help establish EFI as a thought leader
- Manage the redesign, re-launch and maintenance of the EFI website
- Develop talking points and/or presentations for executive staff and board, as needed
- Manage writing, design and dissemination of Annual Report
- Develop and manage the communications budget and growth projections consistent with overall EFI program development
Manage EFI marketing strategy and implementation
- Manage positioning and brand strategy implementation
- Develop and implement strategies for reaching key target audiences, contributing to EFI’s pricing strategy, identifying advertising and/or promotional opportunities, speaking engagements, tradeshow and event marketing, online strategies, and partnerships
- Review and update current EFI branded materials, and develop new collateral materials as needed
- Conduct marketing research to gauge effectiveness of communication and promotional efforts, as well as brand recognition
- Manage and monitor intellectual property, including development of usage guidelines
- Develop and manage a marketing budget and growth projections consistent with overall EFI program development
Support ongoing organizational development
- Work with Executive Director and staff to develop strategic plans and work plans
- Contribute to development of a strong organizational culture and systems by participating actively in senior management team
- Represent EFI as appropriate in public settings and with partners and stakeholders
- Work collaboratively with Directors of Business Development, Training and Certification to insure a seamless, whole-system approach to EFI customers
- Work with Operations Manager to support all internal and logistical processes to keep the organization running efficiently
- Maintain budget and expenditures in alignment with EFI’s overall forecast
- At least seven years direct experience with organization communications, in either a private sector or non-profit setting, with capacity to articulate EFI’s business case
- Knowledge of and experience with branding and marketing
- At least five years of related program management experience
- Experience in produce/Ag marketing preferred
- Experience managing social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.); creating and evaluating social media strategies; monitoring and communicating on social platforms in a consistent, on-brand voice
- Experience using social media analytics tools and adjusting strategies based on data
- Experience with media outreach, writing press releases, and securing media placements
- Basic design skills using tools like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
- Strong verbal, public speaking, writing and editing skills, and ability to manage, process and organize data
- Ability to think and manage strategically within a complex start-up environment, and to improvise in systems development
- Proven ability to facilitate group process and move swiftly to consensus outcomes
- Proven ability to collaborate with diverse groups of people and institutions in a multi-stakeholder environment, and to bridge the business/non- profit divide
- Bachelor’s degree.
