The Greensboro Farmers Curb Market is hiring! Join the oldest and largest all-local producer Farmers Market in NC! The market is a vibrant year-round beloved Greensboro cultural and shopping destination offering fresh produce, meats, eggs, dairy, honey, sauces, jams & jellies, fresh cut flowers & plants as well as artisan goods produced from a 100 mile region. Under the current management, the market has enjoyed 25% increase in customer retention and doubled community programming. In 2017, the market will undergo significant facility improvements, program and vendor expansions. (135 small businesses currently sell at the market). The Greensboro Farmers Market is managed by GFM, Inc. a non-profit 501c-3 contracted by the City of Greensboro to run the market.
If you are interested in being a pivotal part of a dynamic, hardworking team that loves to promote hard working farmers, food artisans, and small business crafters as well as being a leading business support activator for local entrepreneurs and coordinator of market culinary events, please apply.
Local Foods/Business Coordinator
30-35 hours per week
- Facilitates market efforts to establish local foods as an important economic development niche for GSO and surrounding region.
- Develops and reinforces key messages about fresh, local foods and inspires participants to adopt healthy eating habits.
- Develops food entrepreneurs in launching and managing successful businesses by providing professional food industry technical assistance designed to help establish business operations, profit, economic scale and sustainability.
- Oversees the installation and operations of a new demonstration kitchen at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market including operation and management and set up of all equipment, facility, utilities and general kitchen use.
- Manages the scheduling system for the Harvest Learning Cafe and newly established community room.
- Manages and prepares for weekly scheduled local foods efforts-tastings and educational sessions.
- Recruits chefs, community experts, and food enthusiasts for the above efforts.
- Trains all users of the demonstration kitchen on operations, safety and maintenance.
- Enforces sanitary food handling methods and kitchen use policies and procedures.
- Takes regular inventory of equipment and small wares and organizes cold and dry storage.
- Ensures all users keep kitchen clean and organized and all equipment is properly working and schedules equipment repair and maintenance.
- Ensures that the technical assistance provided to food entrepreneurs responds to their needs, including: food/recipe costing, learning to prep on a larger scale and sourcing local products.
- Creates and coordinates culinary, cultural and educational events.
- Coordinates and tracks donations of ingredients for the educational events as well as the promotional events.
Training:
- Coordinates new vendor applications of USDA LFMPP grant with Executive Director/partner groups
- Develops business training curriculum and resource partnerships.
- Facilitates training classes in business development (marketing, merchandising, book keeping) to business plans with East Market Street Corporation and local agencies.
Manages Events:
- Promotes the consumption of local foods through weekly tastings, events and education opportunities to feature local foods in collaboration with chefs, restaurants, educators, contests, etc.
- Recruits, retains, and supervises volunteers.
- Oversees event coordinator on logistics of monthly promotional events.
- Oversees and supervises 3 x year arts, MADE crafts & pottery shows (spring and 2 in fall) and other duties as needed to perform the job.
Communications:
- Creates content for website and social media; e.g., (RSS feeds, monthly calendar of events, seasonal recipes, etc.) to promote local foods consumption.
- Manages communications interns.
- Develops vendor profiles: writes articles, coordinates photography/video as needed.
- Presents educational information, and articulates market mission/activities to news media or to groups as needed in market and community meetings.
- Develops content for market events, changes information boards and facilitates distribution of marketing materials.
Professional Qualifications and Personal Attributes:
- Able to lift 35 pounds.
- Must be available during market hours (Saturdays year-round/seasonally on Wednesdays) and some Sundays.
- An energetic, self-directed yet team player who understands non-profit missions is the ideal candidate for the position.
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field- required or significant relevant experience.
- Highly organized with excellent time and space management skills are required.
- Some professional kitchen experience and/or culinary training are preferred.
- Experience with special events and food specifically preferred.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including presentation and public speaking skills.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and work in a fast-paced environment.
- Flexibility, creativity, and capacity to work both independently and collaboratively are required.
- Excellent computer skills, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, database management, social media, and electronic communication platforms are required. Graphic design desirable.
- Demonstrated love and appreciation for local foods/fresh foods and an understanding of seasonal foods-experience preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to be flexible, respectful and accommodate differences in a multicultural setting.
- The understanding of a non-profit organizational environment is preferred.
- A passion for great food and a willingness to taste anything.
- Compassionate and adaptable spirit to work with people of diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds- required.
- Capacity to be a “tough-minded optimist,” always acting to solve problems with energy and a positive attitude- required.
- Ability to speak passionately and articulately about the Market’s mission is required.
Applications will be accepted until December 5th. Resumes may be emailed to gsofarmersmarketjobs@gmail.com and please indicate the title of the job in your header and your name.
Or sent by mail to: GFM, Inc. P.O. Box 2617, GSO, NC 27402
No phone calls please. This is part-time position beginning January 3rd, 2017.