Field Coordinator

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Field Coordinator will be an energetic self-starter with overall responsibility for recruiting, onboarding, and supporting grocers, institutional cafeterias, and restaurants in becoming Retail Partners in the initiative. Working remotely, the Field Coordinator will solicit and build valuable relationships with retailers located throughout New England and New York, focusing on populated consumer areas, including metro NYC, southern MA, and CT. This is a contract position with a term of one year (to start). We hope to fill the job as soon as possible.

Responsibilities
The Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership Field Coordinator assists with Retail Partner program management. This individual will execute the on-the-ground recruitment process of independent and co-op grocers, restaurants, and institutional cafeterias to sign on as official Retail Partners. This individual will be responsible for making 20+ introductory calls/week, visiting general managers of large and small retailers and restaurants, hosting product demos, and being an ambassador for the Partnership initiative. Keeping detailed contract records, administering the licensing process, and ensuring Retail Partners are well supported are essential duties. 

Minimum Qualifications 
A Bachelor’s degree and one year’s related experience is preferred. Valid driver’s license required, as is the ability to spend 4 hours/day visiting retail establishments. It is desirable but not essential that this individual is interested in local organic agriculture advocacy and education. 

We encourage you to apply and bring your expertise if you're:

• Highly driven: You enjoy prospecting for new partners, demonstrating resiliency and using your enthusiastic work ethic to generate leads
• Mission-driven: if you seek the reward of making an impact for a cause you believe in, you’ll thrive building the list of partners working to support family farmers
• Charismatic person: Your interpersonal skills are second-to-none, and you're able to cultivate new leads through cold calls and visits, as well as provide services to meet your prospects' needs
• Relationship builder: Your focus is on the long game—building solid relationships within local communities and organizations while maintaining open lines of communication for future opportunities

Knowledge and Skills

• Effective written, oral communication, and presentation skills<
• Well-developed persuasion and negotiation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build rapport with prospects
• Effective time management and organizational skills without direct supervision
• Familiarity with Microsoft Suite, Google Suite, Zoom, CMS, and other cloud-based project management software helpful
• Interest in learning about the regional and organic dairy market

Salary: $40K / year, optional 4-day workweek. This is a full-time contract position that currently does not provide benefits.  

To apply

Submit a cover letter indicating why you think you’d be a good candidate for the role with your resume to olga@saveorganicfamilyfarms.org. Please include “Field Coordinator” in the email subject line. 

About the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership

In August 2021, 135 organic family dairy farms across eastern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were suddenly and unexpectedly notified that their contracts with Horizon Organic and Maple Hill Creamery would not be renewed after the following year. In response to this crisis, the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership was formed to increase the regional demand for organic milk produced in the northeast by family farms. Increased demand for regionally supplied organic milk is necessary to save the at-risk farms, build market stability for the dairy industry, and create resiliency in the northeast regional food system as our family farms disappear at increased frequency. 

The only long-term solution for these farmers, and all of the region’s organic family farmers, is to encourage consumers, grocers, food co-ops, restaurants, and food service venues to increase their purchases from the brands that purchase milk from the region.

The Partnership’s program has three pillars:

• Brands - We engage with 35 brands committed to sourcing milk from regional organic family farms. These are our “Brand Partners.”
• Retailers - We invite retailers and institutional foodservice outlets to join by committing to promoting products from Brand Partners by signing a license agreement to use our trademarked Partnership seal in their in-store and digital outreach. These are our “Retail Partners.”
• Consumers - We circulate a pledge asking consumers to buy one-fourth of their weekly dairy purchases from the Brand Partners and patronize the Retail Partners.

The partnership is fiscally managed by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and is a 501(c)3 organization located in the state of Maine. Website: www.saveorganicfamilyfarms.org