JOB OPENING
Marketing and Communications Manager
Build the food system of tomorrow, today starting from the ground up! Highfields Center for Composting has an exciting opportunity open for a dynamic, creative and ambitious “rot star.” If you care about soil, food, and building resilient communities and strong local economies, plus you have some solid marketing and communications chops, this may be the job for you.
Highfields is a not-‐for-‐profit, mission-‐driven organization working to close the loop on community-‐ based, sustainable food and agricultural systems, thus addressing soil health, water quality, solid waste, farm viability, and climate change.
We provide technical services for composting and comprehensive food waste recycling programs, which include action-‐based environmental education. Our Research and Education Compost Site houses innovative research and compost production methods and provides high quality horticultural grade compost for sale to the community.
Our Close the Loop! Program is building out community-‐based compost systems across Vermont with the goal of establishing infrastructure capable of diverting all of our organic waste form the landfill to the food system. This is an ambitious project requiring intensive statewide social marketing, environmental education, capacity building and technical support and services. Highfields leverages its unique experience to establish scale appropriate infrastructure and systems for capturing discarded food materials (food scraps) for composting. Our Close the Loop Vermont! campaign is working to establish statewide composting infrastructure in Vermont by 2017,
however our contractual service area extends beyond Vermont to wherever the demand for our services and programs exist. Our Close the Loop program also provides composting services to special events, such as music festival and county fairs, and a volunteer program.
Job Description
The Marketing and Communications Manager is responsible for advancing the mission of Highfields and the Close the Loop! Campaign through strategic marketing and communications. Our goal is to build a passionate network of believers, a movement to restore our broken food system and achieve a paradigm shift from waste to resource management. This position will require a mix of creativity, humor, attention to detail, organization, passion and tech-‐savvy among others.
Specific Responsibilities
•Build a “tribe”, a passionate network of partners, supporters and stakeholders who understand what we do and feel empowered to take action
• Work with our marketing firm and advisory committee to implement a comprehensive marketing strategy
• Establish an online community of practice around composting
• Ensure Highfields programs are adequately covered in local, regional, and national media
• Plan and execute events to showcase Highfields work, build community support and gain visibility
• Maintain active, effective and inspired communication with a growing database of donors, partners, and stakeholders
• Develop and implement a statewide social media and social marketing campaign
• Maintain and update Highfields website and related social media
• Conduct marketing and outreach to food scrap generators such as local restaurants, businesses, and hospitals to gain their participation in compost programs
• Assist program staff with grant writing, editing, and reporting to donors
• Manage annual fundraising appeal and small and medium donor communications and relations
• Increase donor base
• Provide assistance and training to empower local partners to gain community support and participation in their local Close the Loop! programs through effective marketing
• Develop partnerships with others to advance marketing goals including other nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, schools and businesses
• Produce Annual Report
• Support efforts to maintain active communication with partners regarding programs and successes
Offering
• Full time position based out of Hardwick,
Vermont office with flexible schedule and telecommuting options
• Competitive wages
• Benefits, including:
• Health insurance plan
• Compost – one cubic yard free per year, additional volumes at wholesale prices
• Paid vacation time
• Family friendly environment
• Dynamic, driven, fun community of co-‐workers
• Opportunity to effect significant change in our food system with tangible outcomes and exercise your full breadth of creativity and savvy
To apply please send a cover letter, resume and reference list to
karen@highfieldscomposting.org
Highfields is an Equal Opportunity Employer
