Organic Brand Ambassador

The Organic Brand Ambassador is an energetic self-starter with overall responsibility for strategizing, planning, and executing Partner Brand product demos (sampling events) at retailer locations to increase sales of local dairy products and increase awareness of the Partnership’s mission. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Organic Brand Ambassador will be responsible for hosting at least 24 product demonstrations and gathering consumer pledges throughout an identified region of the Northeast. This is a part-time remote contract position with a starting 6-month term beginning May 15. 

Responsibilities

Campaign Representatives are responsible for hosting 4-8 demos/month and being ambassadors for the Partnership initiative. Keeping detailed contract records and ensuring successful product demonstrations are essential duties. 

This individual will manage all the details needed to execute Partner Brand product demonstrations, including:

• Reserve demo space with retailers 
• Coordinate the procurement and safe handling of partner brand dairy products 
• Order and store demo materials when not used for demos
• Comply with all local food safety and COVID-19 protocols set by government regulations and retailer preferences
• Create thorough demo and budget reports for the Executive Director
• Track spending to ensure spending stays within budget for grant guidelines 
• Ensure outstanding rapport with retail host, partner brand rep, and consumers

Region 

NOFFP seeks campaign representatives to conduct demos in the following target areas: Vermont, Central Coast Maine, Southern Maine, Central Massachusetts, Boston, New York City, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Eastern New York. 

Minimum Qualifications 

A Bachelor’s degree and at least 1 year of related experience are preferred. A valid driver’s license and a reliable personal vehicle large enough for demo supplies are required. The candidate must be located in New England. 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 interacting with consumers and making sales in a retail environment 
• 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 “sales” through genuine conversations with strangers
• Task-master: Your focus on the details is exceptional. You keep lists of what needs to be done, thinking through every detail so you’re never caught unprepared. 

Knowledge and Skills

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

Working Conditions

• Must be able to physically lift heavy objects up to 25 pounds (coolers of product, ice, pop-up tent, table, etc). Some heavy lifting, bending, stooping, squatting, and kneeling is required.
• Exposure to changing climatic conditions if demos are hosted outside 

Compensation: ~40 hours/month, for 6 months. $25-30/hour depending on experience. This is a temporary independent contractor position that does not provide benefits. Mileage will be reimbursed at the current IRS rate. Looking for additional hours? Depending on the location of the candidate, additional demos might be possible. Also, NOFFP seeks a Field Coordinator. Perhaps you could be both!    

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 “Organic Brand Ambassador ” 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 food service 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), a 501(c)3 organization located in Maine.