Company description

Our mission is to:

• Improve public health nutrition options by providing a vehicle to educate the community on nutrition and good health
• Provide access to local food choices
• Assist area farmers, producers, and artisans with sustainable business opportunities
• Generate a sense of local pride while furthering the economic development of our community
• Serve as a vibrant community-gathering place

The Memphis Farmers Market is a weekly, non-profit outdoor marketplace featuring local farmers and artisans. The market showcases locally sourced produce and food items, as well as locally produced kitchen and garden arts and crafts from the Mid-South region. The Market strives to educate the community about eating local, nutrition and food choices. Enjoy live music and weekly themed events and fun programs. With over 70 active vendors each season, our estimated economic impact to the Memphis community and Midsouth region exceeds $3.5MM.

Job description

The MFM is seeking a motivated individual with the proven skillsets to successfully manage, innovate, and lead operational and strategic initiatives necessary for the success of the MFM. This individual must be passionate about local agriculture and food within the Memphis community, and the MFM’s role in sustaining a vibrant culture for the promotion of each. This position requires an organized, detailed oriented individual, who is able to manage, delegate, and participate as necessary for the successful operation of the MFM. Obligations range from daily operational to long-term strategic tasks, requiring the ability to work independently and also to collaborate with an active all-volunteer Board of Directors (BOD). The candidate must be a self-motivated individual with excellent communication skills who is able to interact properly with vendors, staff, volunteers, shoppers, and the Memphis community and who responds promptly to emails, calls, and text messages from MFM vendors and BOD year-round.

The successful candidate will be required to:

• Execute successfully the Saturday Market including the coordination of daily activities with any outside partners and execute with skillful business acumen all on-site and off-site operations and vendor management with the autonomy to innovate and streamline as necessary.
• Act as a servant leader, centrally focused on managing a positive vendor experience and consistently applying MFM guidelines through strong communication with and professional treatment of all MFM vendors.
• Serve as the face of the MFM, central to marketing and advertising initiatives and all public communications.
• Work consistently to raise funds through events, sponsorships, grants, etc. with the assistance of the BOD.

This individual must serve as both a high-profile leader in the Memphis community and the premier advocate of the MFM embodying a sense of local pride and fostering a passion for local agriculture. This position reports directly to and takes direction from the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, provides regular communication to and seeks to collaborate with the BOD. This candidate will be expected and empowered by the BOD of MFM to foster a positive relationship with its vendors, staff, volunteers and community and must maintain the utmost professionalism in appearance, attitude and communication at all times. The MFM ED is expected to be present at each market at the beginning of site set up, and stay through completion of site tear down. Physical demands primarily include participating in set up and break down with the ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Overview:

• Manage and oversee all MFM on-site/off-site processes including 3rd party partnerships, supply and inventory levels, reconciliation of market day financial information, weekly website maintenance, and post updated content to MFM social media outlets regarding MFM vendors, events, happenings, etc. on a frequent basis.
• Manage the overall vendor experience (recruitment, stall assignments, fee collection and conflict resolution), consistently enforcing guidelines and market policies, and conduct or oversee annual farm visits.
• Manage part time Market Coordinator, approve biweekly hours, annual performance review, and provide necessary support for continued growth and stability of MFM’s volunteer contingent.
• Plan location and agenda, along with BOD Chair, for monthly Board meetings, annual vendor meeting and annual Board retreat, and provide relevant reports of market status, issues, etc.
• Understand and be consistently abreast of the financial status of the MFM. Take a fiduciary approach to the organization’s fiscal well-being and collaborate with the BOD to improve any areas of financial concern.
• Work closely with Executive Committee to pass an annual budget, and be accountable to hold expenditures within budget, unless otherwise approved by the BOD.
• Provide regular communication to the BOD, and seek to collaborate with the Board for the well-being of the MFM. Ability to take constructive coaching, and also manage up to BOD to insure adequate support is received.
• Oversee the planning, managing, and hosting of events for fundraising purposes while delegating tasks when necessary to BOD and dedicated committee.
• Execute any additional tasks as reasonably assigned by the MFM BOD.

Complimentary Bachelor’s Degree required. Proficient with MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Working knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, QuickBooks, WordPress, and Surveymonkey beneficial. Employee will be trained on all existing systems, including merchant processing, ManageMyMarket, Icheckgateway, and online banking.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, less than $50,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline