Organization Description: Spring Creek Food Hub connects farmers and community, putting local food on local tables. By providing education, technical assistance, and supply chain access for local farmers, we move food to where people eat, shop, work, and play, ensuring healthy food access for all Northwest Arkansans. This multi-faceted organization requires a skilled team member with a keen attention to detail, organized and accurate operations approach, and a passion for local systems that drives their willingness to pitch in wherever help is needed.
Position Overview: Spring Creek Food Hub is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting local farmers and improving access to healthy food for the community. We are seeking a motivated Outreach and Education Manager to play a pivotal role in expanding Spring Creek Food Hub’s community impact by creating strong connections between local farmers, community organizations, and institutional food service programs. This role combines outreach with sales and market education, community engagement, and building public awareness of the benefits of sourcing local, sustainably grown food. The manager will lead initiatives that increase Spring Creek’s presence in the community, develop new access channels, and support both farmers and community partners through educational outreach.
Key Responsibilities:
Community Outreach
- Relationship Building: Act as the primary liaison between Spring Creek and local nonprofits, community organizations, schools, hospitals, and institutional buyers. Establish and nurture partnerships that align with Spring Creek’s mission of expanding access to healthy, local food for underserved communities.
- Educational Events & Workshops: Plan, coordinate, and lead community education events that promote the importance of local food systems and sustainable sourcing. Tailor workshops to the needs of various audiences, such as community groups, schools, and institutional buyers, covering topics like food sourcing, sustainable agriculture, and the benefits of supporting local farmers.
- Community Visibility: Represent Spring Creek at local events, farmers’ markets, and community fairs to increase brand visibility and strengthen relationships with current and prospective partners. Serve as a trusted resource on local food access issues, answering questions and guiding potential partners through Spring Creek’s programs and offerings.
- Strategic Outreach Initiatives: Design and implement outreach strategies that build awareness of Spring Creek Food Hub’s mission and engage community members. Collaborate with local stakeholders on initiatives that promote local food access and sustainable practices, fostering a community-wide appreciation for local agriculture.
Partner Development & Education
- Partner Education: Engage institutional buyers in educational conversations on the value of supporting local farmers and the impact of purchasing from the local food system. Provide resources and information on how local food sourcing contributes to sustainable practices, economic resilience, and community well-being.
- Sales Channel Development: Identify and cultivate new sales opportunities with a focus on nonprofit and wholesale channels that reach underserved populations. Work closely with schools, hospitals, food banks, and other institutions to integrate locally grown products into their food programs and demonstrate the feasibility of long-term local sourcing.
- Product Promotion & Buyer Engagement: Collaborate with the Farmer Relations Manager to showcase the unique qualities of Spring Creek’s local offerings. Develop and distribute educational and promotional materials, including product catalogs and farm profiles, to introduce institutional buyers to available products and highlight the benefits of local sourcing.
- Market Research & Community Feedback: Conduct ongoing research to understand the needs, preferences, and challenges of institutional buyers in sourcing local food. Gather feedback from community partners and wholesale buyers to adapt and refine educational content and outreach strategies, ensuring Spring Creek Food Hub remains responsive to market needs and community expectations.
Promotional Support
- Promotional Strategies: Implement campaigns and strategies to promote the food hub’s offerings and farmer network. Use educational messaging to raise awareness of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of supporting local farmers through Spring Creek.
- Material Development: Create informative promotional materials, such as brochures, newsletters, and digital content, that highlight the stories of local farmers, the impact of buying local, and the benefits for institutional buyers. Coordinate with other members of the Spring Creek team to develop content that resonates with a range of audiences, from schools to healthcare institutions.
- Outreach Analytics & Impact Tracking: Monitor and analyze the effectiveness of outreach and education efforts, tracking growth in partnerships, sales, and community impact. Use data to refine strategies, focusing on building stronger relationships and increasing sales channels for local producers.
Experience:
- 3-5 years in community outreach, nonprofit outreach and education, sales, market development, or program management.
- Demonstrated experience developing and nurturing partnerships with diverse community stakeholders, including nonprofits, institutions, and local businesses.
- Direct experience in food systems-related educational programming, market outreach, or sales in the nonprofit or agriculture sectors is highly desirable.
Skills:
- Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with an ability to connect with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Proficiency in outreach, event planning, and presentation techniques.
- Knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices and local food systems.
- Exceptional organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities.
Physical and Work Environment Demands:
- Role performs tasks in both outdoor and indoor environments.
- Exposures encountered include extreme cold (inside cold storage units), warehouse operations equipment, hazardous cleaning chemicals.
- Essential physical requirements include standing, sitting, typing, driving, speaking.
- Position could occasionally require operation of heavy equipment such as pallet jack, forklift, and other warehouse operations equipment.
- Physical effort/lifting including sedentary – up to 10 pounds; light – up to 20 pounds; medium – up to 50 pounds; and some heavy – over 50 pounds.
- Work periods include Monday through Friday, some weekends and nights, and are available for after-hours emergencies or on-call as a regular part of the job.
- Local and potential in-state and regional travel requirements.
Compensation: this position is salaried $50,000 – $55,000 annually.
In addition, the position will be eligible for the following benefits:
- Health, dental and vision insurance
- Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- Life insurance policy
- Paid holidays and paid time off
- Employer contributed HSA
- 401K Plan with match options
