Food Innovation Education Program Associate

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Position

Type

Full-time

Organization

Corporation for Findlay Market

Location

Cincinnati, OH

Date Submitted

2024-10-30

Job Summary

The Food Innovation Education Program Associate is a full-time, year-round position responsible for supporting and coordinating program development and project management within the Food Innovation team. The Food Innovation Education Program Associate will report directly to the Entrepreneurship Program Manager.

Job Description

Food Innovation Education Program Associate

The Corporation for Findlay Market

Position Description

Overview

This role has a regular schedule of Monday – Friday, but will include some evening, weekend and non-traditional hours.

Details

Findlay Market is Cincinnati’s internationally recognized (Newsweek 2020), and Ohio’s longest-running, public market. A historic, vibrant living landmark that connects farmers, producers, sellers and customers in a dynamic, diverse public marketplace, Findlay Market is an essential institution that is leading the region in development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem for small food-related businesses.

Key to its current and future success is the support of a robust environment for food-related businesses to start, grow and scale. This is a key objective of the Corporation for Findlay Market’s strategic plan and the core focus of the Food Innovation team. Programs designed, developed and managed by this team currently include:

Findlay Kitchen: Food Business Incubator and commissary kitchen (findlaykitchen.org)
Findlay Launch Storefront Accelerator: 9-month Residency Program for early-stage food businesses (findlaylaunch.org)
Findlay Learn: educational programming for food entrepreneurs starting, growing, or scaling
Entrepreneur Support Services: growth and sustainability-focused business support
Findlay Market Shopping App: Innovative tech solution supporting Merchant growth needs and Shopper lifestyle

The Food Innovation team supports food entrepreneurs through development of innovative programming, high-impact partnerships, focused business support and access to opportunities, with a specific emphasis placed on BIPOC, women and immigrant owners. Primary responsibilities for this role include coordination, facilitation, documentation and tracking of new, existing and expanding programs, such as Findlay Launch, Findlay Learn, and Findlay Kitchen.

The Food Innovation Education Program Associate has the flexibility, freedom and responsibility to own and develop projects, relationships, and methodologies as a core component of larger team and organization goals. This position is designed to engage existing skills and passions while providing for growth, advancement, and innovative opportunities personally and within the CFFM team.

The Food Innovation Education Program Associate’s success will be measured in part by the following goals:

CFFM will provide an environment for independent food-related businesses to start, grow and scale.
CFFM will preserve and expand the connection with the OTR neighborhood, the Cincinnati community, and its shoppers.

Primary Responsibilities

Program Development & Coordination

Findlay Launch Storefront Accelerator

Support the recruitment, application and selection process for the Storefront Residency program.
Coordinate support services, daily operations, facility, and program growth needs.
Support internal and external meeting agendas, recaps, documentation, and follow-ups.
Own content creation, implementation, and management of digital assets, platform integrations, project management, and communication tools.
Support the development and ideation of partnerships, opportunities, and program growth.

Findlay Learn Entrepreneur Education

Coordinate all curriculum-related products and outputs such as curriculum updates, student coursework, resource guides, agendas, etc.
Provide administrative and technical support for educational resources and programming.
Manage the recruitment, application, registration, selection process, and communications for all programs.
Manage internal and external meeting agendas, recaps, documentation, and follow-ups.
Handle the creation, implementation, and upkeep of digital assets, including website updates, platform integrations, project management and communication tools, as well as Google Classroom or similar platforms for distributing curriculum and communications.
Track program impact and participant outcomes, using data to inform strategic decisions.
Support the development and ideation of partnerships, opportunities, and program growth.
Support the build-out and maintenance of an accessible online database where Findlay businesses can access templates, resources, SOPs, and any additional related food business support content, to ultimately scale the impact and reach of our education capabilities and built curriculums.

Findlay Market Entrepreneur Support

Coordinate internal and external events and programs that support business development.
Coordinate and support new innovative growth channels and opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Support the development of a multi-path pipeline program
Support integration with Market programming through cross-team collaboration and project management.

Food Innovation Growth & Initiative Planning

Support the Entrepreneurship Program Manager in the development and execution of new initiatives.

Communications & Relationship Management

Own communications, relationships, and community-building with program stakeholders, including but not limited to student entrepreneurs, mentors, subject matter experts, guest speakers.
Manage internal and external program communications.
Coordination with cross-functional internal teams to ensure program goals, initiatives, and tasks are accomplished.
Engage with community and industry networking and professional development opportunities within the entrepreneurial realm

Budget, Data Tracking & Reporting

Responsible for meticulous tracking of data and maintenance of records for each program, including support of grant application content and data needs.
Plan, coordinate, and track progress through key metrics, experience, and challenges of programs; develop insights, initiate improvements, and propose innovations for continued program effectiveness and growth.
Responsible for adhering to annual budget, and scheduling expenditures.

Values, Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

Passionate about food, entrepreneurship, and bringing innovation to this space
Food industry experience preferred.
Adult education and curriculum development experience preferred.
Familiar and interested in project management platforms, Google Docs/spreadsheets and other information tracking, management and document development platforms.
Bringing a sense of urgency, ownership and follow-through to all work
Organized, detailed, and effective at project coordination and carrying out operations
Balance of collaborative and autonomous approach to your best work
Demonstrated ability to work in a proactively diverse and inclusive organization
Excellent, proven interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
Proactive approach to problem-solving, time management, knowledge growth, and mediation skills
Tech savvy, experienced in utilizing software platforms for functional and organizational efficiency
Demonstrated ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment
Continual on-the-job learning is required
Must be able to work some non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends