Food Finance Institute Outreach & Content Coordinator

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The Universities of Wisconsin are a premier system of public higher education serving more than 162,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Through a constellation of 13 universities statewide, the Universities of Wisconsin are a tremendous academic, cultural, and economic resource for Wisconsin, the nation, and the world.

 Through consulting, education and data analysis, the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship (IBE) serves Wisconsin’s aspiring, new and established small businesses to improve performance and increase capabilities for success. IBE program units include Small Business Development Center, Center for Technology Commercialization, Food Finance Institute, and Business Dynamics Research Consortium.

The Food Finance Institute’s (FFI) mission is to make sophisticated financial technical assistance available to every growing food and farm business. We equip entrepreneurs to get profitable and raise money through high quality training, meaningful industry connections/partnerships and on-demand digital resources.

POSITION SUMMARY

The FFI Outreach and Content Coordinator provides a broad range of content, marketing and outreach strategy and development in support of the Food Finance Institute and their mission to make finance-forward technical assistance available to every growing food, beverage, and value-added farm enterprise. In particular, this position will coordinate communications content (e.g. articles, podcasts), manage digital communications and assets (social media, website, etc.), support content development and production, coordinate speaking engagements and FFI presence at external events, coordinate a Wisconsin partnership network all in service of growing and supporting our national network of emerging and scaling food-focused entrepreneurs and consultants. The FFI Outreach and Content Coordinator reports to the FFI Director. FFI and this role are nested within the Universities of Wisconsin’s Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship (IBE). This position is a 100% appointment.

 MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

FFI MARKETING AND OUTREACH COORDINATION (20% – 30%)

  • Support creation of and manage marketing strategies that help us attract new audiences such as speaking.
  • Implement digital content strategy to ensure we are sharing our work with our network and attracting new audiences.
  • Monitor and analyze metrics to improve success of marketing and communications strategy.
  • Update and synthesize a marketing dashboard to show how our audience is growing over time, what tactics are and are not working, and to inform recommendations for the future.
  • Ensure our website is updated, current, reflects our value proposition, and speaks to our clients and users.
  • Work with program coordinators to ensure program communications are embedded within our overall marketing strategy.
  • Coordinate FFI’s participation in external events (attendance, sponsorship, speaking, etc.) – in Wisconsin and beyond – that help us attract new audiences and showcase FFI’s expertise and suite of offerings.
  • Support program communications and recruitment through marketing outreach and strategies.

 WISCONSIN OUTREACH AND NETWORK COORDINATION (20% – 30%)

  • Support development and infrastructure for Wisconsin’s role in the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (RFBC) including identifying partnerships, technical assistance and content needs, and more.
  • Coordinate and support Wisconsin network and partnership building, in particular in support of reaching food and farm businesses in diverse areas (rural vs urban), across sectors (food, beverage, processing, farm, etc.), and representing a variety of backgrounds (ethnic, cultural, gender, etc.).
  • Nurture working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and listen to, respect, and respond to community voices and needs;
  • Coordinate a network of technical assistance providers and partners in support of Wisconsin food and farm businesses and the
  • Represent FFI at partner events across Wisconsin to showcase FFI’s offerings.

CONTENT PRODUCTION AND STRATEGY (20%)

  • Assist with, coordinate, and develop written and visual content for communications vehicles like newsletters, website, blog posts, and social media.
  • Design and develop visual assets in a tool like Canva, edit videos in video editing software, input and layout digital courses on our website, and other content production support as needed.
  • Edit content for grammatic and style consistency and visual and brand consistency.
  • Assist with developing success stories and testimonials to support product sales and overall marketing strategy.
  • Manage third-party contractors as needed.

CONTENT COORDINATION (20%)

  • Coordinate OnDemand course development process to ensure we are releasing regular new diverse and inclusive content and have ongoing and relevant training opportunities for our entrepreneur and consultant network.
  • Support content development from third-party contractors and FFI staff using video editing and course development (learning management system) software like Camtasia and LearnDash.
  • Catalog and manage content such as program curriculum, tools, and resources to ensure we have an in sync digital library of tools that reflects our breadth of content and a standard process for revisions.
  • Post and maintain content on Edible-Alpha® (E-A) website and digital platform.
  • Manage scheduling for the Edible-Alpha® podcast.

 GENERAL AND ADMIN (5%)

  • Participate in IBE Marketing and Outreach workgroup on behalf of FFI.
  • Coordinate internal marketing/outreach and content related FFI-team meetings.
  • Assist with development and coordination of marketing, communications and content strategies with FFI Director.
  • Other duties as assigned.

 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered for this position, applicants must have:

  • Previous experience with digital marketing campaigns or overall marketing and outreach campaigns.
  • Previous experience nurturing, coordinating or managing partnerships or stakeholder relationships.
  • Strong interpersonal and organizational skills including previous history managing projects like content production and digital assets/content library.
  • Strong writing, editing, and communications skill.
  • A minimum of three-year professional experience, that may include managing marketing campaigns, coordinating and leading projects towards marketing/communications outcomes, communicating and marketing a program or service, partnership and network management or marketing metrics and impact.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Well-qualified applicants will also have experience in the following:

  • A bachelor’s degree, preferably in a marketing or communications-related field.
  • Experience tracking and analyzing marketing and communications metrics.
  • Experience creating newsletters (articles and images), blog posts, and other original marketing and communications content.
  • General food-focused business or marketing knowledge (either through work history or a degree).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Willingness to learn new tools and the ability to work in a range of technology platforms including project management software, contact database, and web databases.
  • Excellent personal initiative, attention to detail, and sound decision-making abilities under pressure.
  • Ability to manage shifting workload demands and prioritize appropriately to meet timely deadlines.
  • The capability to work independently with minimal supervision.

 COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Inclusive Excellence is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for Universities of Wisconsin. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the Universities of Wisconsin community.  We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, creative activity, community service, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. Universities of Wisconsin fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who serve the State of Wisconsin and the public good.

 CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Universities of Wisconsin is required to conduct a criminal background and sexual harassment check for the selected finalist prior to employment.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

WORK LOCATION

Hybrid work options may be available. The office location is in Madison, WI. Preference will be given to candidates that reside within the state of Wisconsin. Telecommuting agreements are subject to change at any time.  Travel within Wisconsin and outside of the State may be required occasionally.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The FFI Outreach & Content Coordinator (official title: Outreach Specialist) is considered a Full-time, Academic Staff position that is salaried and FLSA exempt. Well-qualified candidates can expect a starting annual salary within the range of $55,000 – $67,000, commensurate with the candidate’s education, related experience, and qualifications.

Universities of Wisconsin employees receive an excellent benefits package. To learn more about the benefits package, review the Faculty, Academic Staff & Limited Appointees. Please see this link for total compensation information: UW System Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator.

 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
To ensure full consideration, please submit application materials as soon as possible. Applicant screening will begin immediately and be ongoing through 11:59 pm, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. However, applications may be accepted until the position has been filled.

  1. Go to the UWSA Applicant Portal to submit your materials online and select the appropriate applicant portal, either External Applicants or Internal Applicants  and click on the position title that you want to apply for.
  2. To receive full consideration, interested applicants are required to apply online and provide:
  • Resume (PDF Format)
  • Cover letter addressing your experience and education as it applies to all minimum and preferred qualifications (PDF Format)

Failing to submit the required application documents may disqualify your application. 

  1. Submit your application.

SPECIAL NOTES:

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request by contacting Sarah Wilson, HR Business Partner, at sarah.wilson@uwss.wisconsin.edu

The Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. §. 19.36(7).

 Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran, and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies.  We promote excellent through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Questions may be addressed to: Sarah Wilson, HR Business Partner, at sarah.wilson@uwss.wisconsin.edu.