Communications and Outreach Manager

CitySeed’s mission is to engage the community in growing an equitable local food system that promotes economic development, community development, and sustainable agriculture. Three core programs advance this mission: farmers’ markets, food business incubation, and the Sanctuary Kitchen social enterprise. Driven by our commitment to an inclusive and vibrant local food system, CitySeed’s work is continuously evolving in order to fill gaps and address new needs. The Communications and Outreach Manager works across platforms and mediums to convey the mission, goals, stories, and impact of CitySeed programs and services, while also connecting the dots between efforts in order to educate and advocate for our mission, values, and strategies. The role also coordinates CitySeed volunteers, participation in external events, and other community outreach initiatives.

Responsibilities

Communications and Marketing

• Co-develop and coordinate communications strategy and annual plan across programs and initiatives
• Conceptualize, design, and publish all print and electronic collateral in alignment with organizational branding
• Develop digital content for website and social media that tells authentic and compelling stories, elicits engagement, is on-brand, and is search-and socials-optimized
• Manage CitySeed website, including content updates and new features
• Own and execute social media strategy across channels, including daily posts on each account and campaigns for key days, themes, priority content, and promotion of partner and vendor content
• Develop and publish weekly newsletter and ad-hoc email campaigns
• Manage and analyze social ad campaigns and other promotions; track and report monthly on broader communications data, and provide recommendations to enhance reach and impact
• Routinely interview staff, volunteers, program participants, and other stakeholders; take photos and videos to document CitySeed events and community events; and write profiles and stories to publish across platforms
• Build and organize a marketing photos database for promotions and campaign use
• Coordinate with program leads to plan and implement program-specific communications needs
• Develop print and electronic collateral and oversee production of branded swag to support fundraising and donor engagement, events, and publications
• Maintain current list of media contacts and relationships with press; draft and distribute press releases and talking points as needed; maintain archive of press coverage
• Using translation tools, translate collateral into Spanish, Arabic, and other languages as needed; and coordinate review by native speakers
• Develop other communications collateral as needed

Volunteer and Intern Coordination

• Design, coordinate, and implement volunteer and intern applications, vetting, training, and placement
• Match volunteers and interns with appropriate programs and projects based on participant skills and interests
• Work with program leads to identify needs and manage scheduling
• Complete annual applications to host university fellows and interns
• Recruit volunteers and develop partnerships with businesses, faith communities, and civic organizations to engage volunteers and support program needs
• Maintain records that track volunteer hours, projects, and impact; and report monthly on volunteer activities
• Design and implement a volunteer and intern recognition program

Community Outreach

• Engage with community partners and leaders to share information about CitySeed programs and services, and identify food system needs
• Create and manage a calendar of community events and represent CitySeed at events as needed
• Develop and maintain a package of branded materials for tabling events, and prepare them in advance of each event
• Coordinate and support other outreach initiatives as needed

Below are the qualifications required for success in this role. We recognize that experience and expertise come in many forms. If you have different experiences that you think make you a good fit, please apply so we can learn more about you.

Required Qualifications

• Dynamic communicator with excellent written, presentation, oral communications and interpersonal skills, and experience conveying a distinctive personality and voice
• Creative and strategic thinker with good judgment and ability to make sound independent decisions in a changing environment
• Demonstrated graphic design acumen and experience with design tools, e.g. Canva, Adobe Creative Suite
• Experience in branding and/or marketing
• Knowledge of best practices for writing and publishing on digital platforms
• Excellent relationship-building skills and project management skills
• Passion for community food systems work and commitment to racial and economic justice

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with website design and management of WordPress, Squarespace and/or other CMS
• Skill in digital photography and video, and knowledge of basic editing tools
• Experience with Constant Contact or similar email service provider
• Understanding of how to reach target audiences using communications data
• Food sector experience
• Familiarity with New Haven’s food system and nonprofit community
• Understanding of Spanish and/or Arabic