Summary

The Good Acre (TGA) unlocks economic opportunities for farmers in our region, especially those who historically have been excluded from opportunities to make a viable living. Our unique combination of personalized support and market development promotes both economic well-being and a more sustainable, resilient, and community-centered food system. We approach our work through partnerships that create meaningful, long-lasting market access for farmers and food access for our communities. TGA has seen incredible growth in our wholesale program over the past three years, with over $1.7 million dollars in local procurement through our food hub in 2022.

The Wholesale Partnerships Manager will facilitate the wholesale market access initiatives, including sales, managing partnerships with current wholesale partners, as well as working with the Director of Market Access Programs to develop new wholesale partnerships and securing commitments from values-aligned customers that result in increased wholesale purchasing at community institutions.

Responsibilities

• Manage all aspects of the execution of the wholesale market access program, including partnership development with existing wholesale customers and partners, as well as developing new partnerships, particularly around community anchor institutions and building community demand for local produce and products year-round.
• Develop and execute annual marketing plan that increases overall partner engagement in purchasing, as well as other engagement opportunities with The Good Acre
• Assist in the design and development of sales collateral and materials to support partners’ buying programs, increase sales of current offerings, assist partners in establishing and/or growing buying programs at their organizations
• Provide excellent customer service and stewardship of partnerships, including answering calls and emails, taking accurate orders, problem-solving, and responding to customer inquiries
• Participate in demand/procurement, working with buying partnerships to forecast seasonal needs maintaining awareness of pricing and inventory
• Participate in the development of yearly/quarterly sales forecasting and budget
• Prepare sales reports, develop data-driven insights from sales data, evaluate sales trends to further strengthen partner engagement, as well as strengthen wholesale program offerings.
• Evaluate the wholesale program annual impact and overall efficacy; partner with the Director of Programs to report program activities
• Manage program budget and expenditures, including tracking sales and invoices for accounting, program evaluation, and reporting purposes
• Coordinate with Grower Support team on product availability

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have experience in sales and an interest in supporting the local food system.

• Commitment to The Good Acre’s mission
• Strong interpersonal skills, including partnership development and customer service
• Ability to take initiative in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to remain adaptable in an ever-evolving organization
• Ability to be a collaborative team member, demonstrated ability to work with multiple partners or stakeholders to achieve a goal
• Skill in working with people from different cultures
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of local food system and local products including produce, meat, eggs, dairy, and value-added products

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Comfortable working with people from different cultures
• Knowledge of Food Safety practices and the Produce Safety Rule
• Familiarity with Google suite of applications

Application instructions​

Please send a resume or list of relevant experience to jobs@thegoodacre.org. In your email, please answer two questions:

1. Describe your connection to local agriculture and what excites you about working in this field.
2. Is there anything from your resume or past experience that you would like to highlight as you apply for this role?

More information about our mission and work can be found at ​www.thegoodacre.org​. The Good Acre is an equal-opportunity employer and we welcome all to apply. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable working environment.

SEEKING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

POSITION: Manager of Public Space Engagement
SALARY RANGE: $50-60,000 (exempt, salaried position), effective immediately, plus potential annual bonus

REPORT TO: Lisa Middag, Director of Public Space Engagement
DEADLINE: Ongoing; interviews will begin in January 2023 until the position is filled

THIS POSITION COULD BE FOR YOU IF…

• You love the people and energy of downtown Minneapolis and want to make a real difference in how others experience it.
• You enjoy organizing events and activities for an incredibly diverse range of people of all ages, from all walks of life.
• You want to be an integral part of managing a community space downtown that serves this population.
• You value making connections with partners and finding opportunities to collaborate.
• You like to work with volunteers and value their contributions to community.
• You believe in the value of people connecting across difference to share downtown experiences.
• You are willing to engage authentically in organizational efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable downtown.
• You are interested in supporting downtown’s recovery.
• You want to work with an organization that believes in boldly trying things and adjusting based on what we learn.

POSITION SUMMARY

Responsible for managing a wide range of placemaking and activation that happens primarily in outdoor public spaces downtown. This work is centered in our organizational goals around supporting an inclusive downtown and addressing public space challenges in innovative ways to both develop new and adapt and implement existing public space engagement programs, including, but not limited to:

• Nicollet Mall Farmers + Makers Market—manage all aspects of market planning and deployment in collaboration with leadership, including determination of appropriate partners, program, event timing and cadence, etc.
• Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival—manage all aspects of this annual signature event, which takes place on the second weekend of August, including working closely with the Director of Public Space Engagement to determine and set the festival program.
• The Alley Project—support the program development and implementation for this new downtown public space in a converted alleyway.
• Warehouse District Live—support the program development and implementation of this new approach to engagement and public safety in our entertainment district, which takes place approximately monthly throughout 2023.

Program Planning and Implementation—This position manages the ideation, program development, and implementation (including program layout, setup, servicing, and tear down) of public space engagement activities throughout downtown. This position will:

• Apply for all necessary permits (food, sound, block events, etc.) and follow all required authorization processes. Attend permitting meetings, track requests, and relay information to relevant organizational staff.
• Determine and order needed supplies and equipment for public space engagement efforts, and maintain an equipment inventory, including conditions, repair and replacement needs.
• Supervise temporary staff/interns, as needed to support the program.
• Refine and develop strategies for evaluating program outcomes. Identify issues as they arise, and fine tune public space engagement efforts as needed in consultation with Director of Public Space Engagement, operations, livability, safety and other relevant staff.

Collaboration and Partnership—This position requires deep collaboration with both internal and external partners to develop and refine our programs, including:

• Work with organizational team, paid consultants/contractors, and a wide array of project partners and downtown stakeholders, to develop new and refine existing public space programs to ensure positive outcomes.
• Develop strategic partnerships with downtown businesses, employers, retailers, restaurants and bars, arts and sports venue presenters, hotels, educational institutions, and residences to inform and adapt public space programs for these audiences.
• Organize program planning meetings with both internal and external teams. Attend partner and stakeholder events/meetings. Advise organizational staff on opportunities for alignment and coordination, including operations, livability, safety and other programs.
• Respond to external public space requests (i.e., sampling, engagement, walk, parades, etc.), and follow up in consultation with Director of Public Space Engagement and other organizational staff (operations, events, communications, etc.) as needed.
• Advise Manager of Community Engagement (who is leading the effort) on an organization- wide downtown volunteer program. Advise on volunteer responsibilities and provide necessary training and guidance.
• Ensure all public space engagement programs are properly communicated internally to our operations and communications/marketing teams, including preparing content and collecting and sharing information for promoting activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• High level of understanding of public space engagement challenges, including strategies and tactics, techniques for problematic spaces, design solutions, and the values and interests of downtown populations.
• Advanced expertise in interacting inclusively with diverse populations and communities.
• Familiarity with de-escalation and harm reduction strategies (training will be provided).
• Minimum two-year college degree or comparable experience in a related field (i.e., urban studies, community development, community engagement, community health, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, marketing, business, fine or liberal arts, design, landscape design, architecture, media, etc.) or equivalent professional experience.
• Ability to safely move, lift and assemble up to 50 lbs. of gear, signage, recreational and other equipment.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Superb customer service, human relations, and interpersonal skills.
• A strong understanding and practice of organizational diversity and inclusion efforts.
• Ability to genuinely contribute to team efforts and respond respectfully to leadership guidance.
• Strong time and task management and project management skills.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Professional level competency in MS Office, SharePoint, Teams, scheduling programs, etc.

ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION
The DID is a business funded non-profit that leads and collaborates to make downtown safer, cleaner and greener. The mission of DID is to preserve and enhance a vital and attractive downtown Minneapolis for the people who invest in, work, shop, visit and live here. Our flagship operational program is the Downtown Ambassador program—those people who wear the dark blue and tennis ball yellow uniforms and provide outstanding customer service on the streets of downtown. We convene people across sectors and jurisdictions to work on downtown issues, develop innovative solutions to complex public space challenges.

EOE/NON-DISCRIMINATION
DID and mdc are equal employment opportunity employers and do not discriminate against employees or job applicants on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital, family, veteran status or any other status or condition protected by applicable state or federal laws. The DID and mdc are committed to recruiting and hiring qualified
individuals without regard to protected status and encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply for open positions.

EMPLOYER OF RECORD
DID’s administrative services (offices spaces, systems, staff, etc.) are provided to DID via a services agreement with the mpls downtown council (the “mdc”). This position will be an employee of the mdc serving to implement the DID. The mdc shares the same primary mission for downtown Minneapolis.

TO APPLY
Please send a letter of interest and your CV/resume to hr@mplsdowntown.com.