COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH MANAGER

NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK

http://www.farmtoschool.org/files/publications_417.pdf

Deadline for applications: January 13, 2012

 

About the National Farm to School Network: The National Farm to School Network (NFSN)  coordinates, promotes and expands Farm to School at the state, regional and national levels  through a network connecting national staff, Regional Lead Agencies (RLAs) and 50 state leads. The National Farm to School Network envisions a nation in which Farm to School programs are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, ensuring the health of  all school children, farms, environment, economy and communities. For more information,  please visit www.farmtoschool.org. NFSN is a project of Tides Center, the nation’s largest fiscal sponsor. Tides Center is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco that works with individuals, groups and funders to implement and accelerate positive social change in the nonprofit sector. For more information, please visit www.tides.org .

 

Position Description: NFSN is seeking a candidate for the position of Communications &  Outreach Manager, with the responsibilities of leading and supporting communications for all NFSN program priorities, partnerships and outreach activities. This will include creating clear, consistent and inspiring communications that reflects the shared vision of  Farm to School programs in the U.S, while taking into account the unique regional characteristics that influence programs. This is a full time position, working 40 hours / week. The Communications & Outreach Manager will work closely with all NFSN national staff, Regional Lead Agencies and Advisory Board; and supervise the NFSN Membership & Communications Associate. The position will report directly to the NFSN Executive Director. The selected candidate will be employed by the Tides Center – fiscal sponsor for the National Farm to School Network, with the option to work remotely from any location in the continental US.

 

• ‰Create a comprehensive  “communications plan” for NFSN to cover internal and external  communications strategies and benchmarks. 
• ‰Create and monitor guidelines for usage of NFSN logo and materials. 
• ‰Lead all activities related to the “Media & Marketing” priority area of the NFSN.  
• ‰Support communications activities related to all other NFSN program priorities such as policy, training and technical assistance, information services, networking, and research. 
• ‰Design and implement outreach and promotional campaigns including those associated with the annual National Farm to School Month in October. 
• ‰ Develop new and update existing media and promotional materials with consistent definitions and easy to understand messaging. 
• ‰Lead the redesign of the NFSN website www.farmtoschool.org
• Coordinate the development and design of informational materials and networking tools such as presentations, fact sheets, reports and publications, blogs, newsletters, webinars and online discussion forums.
• Cultivate media contacts and place stories in print, broadcast, blogs and other online sources.  
• Create and maintain a master list of media outlets and Farm to School spokespersons.  
• Conduct media training sessions in regions / states to develop local capacity.
• Respond to media requests promptly.
• Create a strategy and oversee implementation of an active NFSN presence within social media platforms – facebook, twitter, others.

• ‰Develop partnership guidelines and selection criteria for seeking organizational partners; and work with NFSN leadership in engaging key organizational partnerships from a variety of fields.  
• ‰Manage, guide and provide oversight for NFSN logo usage, materials usage and branding related to prospective and existing corporate sponsors and partners. 
• ‰Lead communications related tasks as needed for NFSN corporate sponsorships, partnerships, promotions and events.  
• ‰Manage membership program of the NFSN including coordination of membership development strategies and development/management of membership database.  
• ‰Develop, plan and implement a strategy for NFSN participation at partner events and conferences.   

• ‰Contribute to all NFSN program activities, including submitting required reports and updates. 
• ‰Assist other NFSN staff in fundraising and grant writing as needed 
• ‰Connect with Tides Center staff on communications related issues.  

 

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism or related field and at least five years of communications experience with direct responsibility for leading a communication program, developing marketing campaigns and/or placing media articles;  
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically about communications and outreach activities; 
• Experience working with national, regional / state and local media; 
• Outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation / public speaking skills 
• Self-motivated with strong interpersonal skills and commitment to working collaboratively with a wide range of partners; 
• Detail-oriented and well organized; 
• Hard working and dependable, ability to manage multiple projects, set priorities and meet deadlines; 
• Strong computer competencies, especially in desktop, web design and database management software;  
• Must be willing to work weekends if needed, and travel to events and conferences around the country for project activities.

• Highly preferred – past experience and interest in Farm to School, school nutrition, public health, or local food systems;  
• Experience working with networks, coalitions or membership based organizations; 
• Experience with grant writing and fundraising