Company description

Mess Hall is a unique Culinary Incubator. We offer independent food entrepreneurs access to shared commercial kitchens while providing valuable programming to launch and accelerate the growth of these local business. We have a fantastic reputation and are regarded as a vibrant and diverse local food community. Mess Hall provides exclusive resources, support, a strong social network, and innovative partnerships to help pave a path to success for our Members.

Our facility is also a hotspot for innovative food-related events. Our premium event space and demo kitchen enables us to uniquely produce buzzworthy events such as Ramen World, New Kitchens on the Block and Some Disassembly Required. We also host killer private events.

Mess Hall is located near the historic Brookland section of Washington, DC. We have received continued press recognition and national accolades since our opening in 2014. We are recipients of the 2015 Mayor’s Sustainability Award for our greening practices, recognized as one of the Top Business Accelerators in the nation by the US Small Business Administration, and recognized with a Top Innovators award by the Washington Business Journal in 2016. We were also a RAMMYs Finalist for 2020-2021.

Mess Hall is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity and building an equitable and inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and experiences. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented groups to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, veterans, and people with disabilities.

Job description

Mess Hall is looking for…

A bright, motivated, organized, and energetic candidate to become our Community Manager. This position manages the lifecycle of our relationships with our Members (makers) – from Membership sales and onboarding, to creating paths to foster our Members’ growth. The role also creates and maintains strategic partnerships with external organizations to develop meaningful programming and other amenities, thereby making Mess Hall the top food accelerator in the city.

Our ideal candidate is a well-connected urbanite / localist who knows the DC food scene inside-out.

This is a robust position with endless possibilities, lots of responsibilities, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on Mess Hall, our Member companies and the food scene in DC. Main responsibilities will be to grow our Membership base, support our Member companies, manage our offerings (our culture and space), attract new partners to our collective, and assist with events. This senior position answers directly to the Founder and requires extreme dedication, flexibility, and tolerance for the day-to-day adventures that accompany the startup landscape.

This position is primarily responsible for increasing sales for Mess Hall, AND is also impactful in generating marketing opportunities for both us and our Member base. The candidate should be proficient in creating social media content/campaigns, be willing to assist with events, and be able to bring a strong professional network.

This is an on-site position.

As part a small business, the Community Manager will wear many hats. Responsibilities will include, but are in NO WAY limited to:

MEMBERSHIP:

• Recruit new Members and renew existing Members to meet quotas.
• Serve as the main point of contact for all current Members and prospective Members. In short, you are often the first face of Mess Hall.
• Provide fantastic customer service and sharp public relations skills, but balance with a certain firmness necessary to protect the house.
• Continually develop and expand the Mess Hall brand internally and externally with the goal of making all Members proud of their Membership.
• Provide tours, manage and conduct new Member orientations/onboarding as part of the Mess Hall customer acquisition process/strategy.
• Collect and organize Members’ documents including but not limited to Business Licenses, Certificates of Insurance, etc.
• Manage invoicing and light accounting tasks associated with collecting payments and applying to invoices.
• Assist the Founder with miscellaneous projects, communications, and administrative tasks.

PROGRAMS, PARTNERSHIPS AND MARKETING:

• Continually improve and introduce new programs and partnerships for Members and the larger entrepreneurial community while maintaining / expanding our many existing partnerships.
• Serve as the main information conduit for Members - including everything from weekly Member “update” emails, to updates on policies/ procedures/operations, to event announcements and promotions.
• Assist with Mess Hall’s events on an as-needed basis.
• Serve as the voice of Mess Hall to the public - including managing the social media calendar/ posting regularly to social media channels and other content marketing efforts as needed. This includes writing Press Releases, social media content, newsletters, communications materials, and material for campaign.
• Serve as a brand ambassador by attending pertinent community events to attract new customers and partners, which might occur outside of normal business hours.
• Assist CEO with miscellaneous tasks/projects.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree and demonstrated capability to perform job responsibilities through previous experiences.
• Minimum of 2 years B2B sales experience and/or maintaining a client base.
• The ideal candidate is actively part of the DC community and enjoys networking and meeting new people.
• Is personable, compassionate and creative with a passion for food/cooking, and small business/startups.
• EXTREME eye for detail and an unparalleled desire to do awesome things and do them very well. Accuracy is paramount.
• Is a self-starter who is highly organized, with the ability to multitask. The candidate must be able to create a project and/or task list and execute on each idea logically.
• Has experience building networks and community relationships with a diverse array of partners.
• Has excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Proficient in Excel, a social media guru, and handy with mobile technology.
• MUST be available to work some nights and weekends.
• Experience in shared workspaces is a plus.
• Experience in commercial kitchens is also a plus
• Experience with events and/or a willingness to assist with events are also a huge plus.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 - $75,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline