Marketing & Communications Strategist

Communications & Marketing Strategist

Mission: Cultivating environmentally sound, economically viable, community-focused farms and food systems

Position overview: The Communications & Marketing Strategist will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing communications strategies to support Pasa’s climate-smart work broadly, including support for our Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing program specifically, which will offer technical assistance and financial support for implementing regenerative and resilient agricultural practices on 2,000 working farms from Maine to South Carolina and on lands stewarded by Tribal Nations and Indigenous farmers in the same geographic region.
By engaging farms in Pasa’s research programs we will monitor and measure the benefits of employing climate-smart practices, work to expand market opportunities for climate-smart commodities, and communicate the benefits and added value of those commodities to retail and wholesale customers. This candidate will work in partnership with multiple partner organizations and will engage farmers and consumers across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Eastern Seaboard, leading the creation of strategic, compelling multimedia marketing and communications content that supports these strategies and engages distinct audiences:

• Supporting clear communications and consistent messaging with program partners.
• Developing and implementing a promotion plan to support the recruitment of eligible farmers.
• Co-developing learning resources and marketing toolkits for enrolled farmers.
• Collaborating with external marketing agencies and/or contractors to develop and implement marketing communications tools and strategies to reach climate-conscious consumers.

This role is supported by a Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G025. This is a full-time, permanent position which will conclude on March 31, 2028. The Climate-Smart Marketing and Communications Strategist is supervised by the Associate Director for Communications.

This position entails remote-based work with regular travel, including participation in field-based events, involvement in speaking engagements, and attendance at 2-3 annual in-person staff retreats. All team members are required to attend our yearly Sustainable Agriculture Conference held each February in Lancaster, PA. Residence within Pennsylvania or within a 150-mile radius of Harrisburg is required unless special permission is granted for Philadelphia or Pittsburgh to serve as the primary work location, in which case employees must reside within a one-hour drive from either city. Convenient access to the Harrisburg office for day trips is highly preferred. Any inquiries regarding these requirements are welcome, and adherence to Pasa’s remote employee policies is required for all staff members.

Please read our employee values statement, summary of employee benefits, and employment policy overview before submitting your application.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive marketing and communications tools and strategies that support grant-driven goals for all phases of the Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing program.
• Manage external marketing agencies and/or contractors who will aid in the development and implementation of key marketing and communications tools and strategies.
• Develop compelling messaging that conveys the urgency of the climate crisis and the critical role farmers play; offers inspirational calls to action; avoids ‘greenwashing;’ remains grounded in a research-based approach; and upholds Pasa’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Develop program branding and brand assets, including print materials and displays for Pasa’s in-person events, and guide project partners on co-branded assets for consistent program branding across the service area.
• Support program partner communications to help maintain consistent program messaging and quickly share updates, assets, and protocols.
• Promote farmer and partner recruitment through the creation and management of digital and traditional advertising campaigns and promotional tactics.
• Promote farmer and partner enrollment through the creation of how-to materials, including videos.
• Develop marketing materials and toolkits for farmers and partner participants.
• Manage digital properties including websites
• Oversee the development of written, visual, and multimedia web content and a resource library of learning modules.
• Monitor web traffic and performance of marketing communications campaigns including social media, paid advertising, earned media, and outreach events, and make adjustments to strategy as necessary.
• Work closely with the communications, climate-smart, technology, and grants teams to refine strategy, set and track KPIs, and develop and distribute program deliverables.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the organization broadly.
• Manage project budgets.
• This role may evolve to oversee up to (2) direct reports.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of traditional and digital marketing strategies and concepts
• Relevant B2B and B2C marketing and/or communications experience
• Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
• Excellent audience-focused copywriting and editing skills
• Excellent project management skills
• Comfortable with (or willing to learn) marketing technology platforms such as Feathr, Mailchimp, Sprout, etc.
• Passion for Pasa’s mission

Preferred qualifications

• Strong knowledge of sustainable agriculture, environmental issues, and/or food systems

• Video editing/production experience

• Experience managing small teams

• Experience managing online advertising platforms

• Experience managing external vendors

• Experience providing data dashboards or metrics reporting

• Spanish language fluency

How to apply: We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through our hiring practices. This entails reviewing application materials anonymously (without the applicant’s name exposed) to help prevent potential unconscious bias. Our application system will automatically anonymize your materials and personally identifying information. There is no specific action required on your part to anonymize your materials when applying. Click the “Apply” button and submit the information requested (e.g. resume, cover letter, and/or portfolio).

• Initial interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom beginning as soon as possible. The anticipated start date for this position is November 1, 2024.
  If you have any questions, please contact jobs @pasafarming.org.