Communications Specialist, Local Food & Farms

Title: Communications Specialist

Location: San Joaquin Valley Region, CA / Hybrid

FTE: 1 FTE

Salary: $55,000 – $70,000 annually

FLSA: Non-exempt

Reports To: Communications Director

Other details: Bilingual proficiency required (fluency preferred)

CAFF is a California-based membership organization that includes family farmers and other community members passionate about local food, farming, and the environment.  As a farmer-serving organization, we recognize the historic and lasting inequities in the California food and farming system. We believe farmers of color, and other historically oppressed people, should have the opportunity to create and participate in a food and agriculture system that aligns with their needs, values, identities, knowledge systems, and communities. We commit to advancing racial, gender, and environmental justice in our larger systems, as well as in our own workplace. Currently our programming is focused in four areas: Farm to Market, Policy & Advocacy, Farmer Services, and Ecological Farming.  To learn more about CAFF, our history, and our core values, visit https://www.caff.org/about.

 

Position Summary

Seeking a bilingual communications professional with a passion for farms, a curiosity for technology, and a commitment to a more equitable future for the San Joaquin Valley. The Communications Specialist will uplift the stories of small-scale, spanish-speaking, and BIPOC farmers in the region while helping to promote a stronger local food economy and appropriately-scaled innovation.

 

Position Overview

The Communications Specialist will play a key role on our Communications Team, supporting CAFF’s overall communications efforts, including but not limited to assisting with the website, social media, blogs, the California Small Farm Conference, and managing the California Farm Directory.

A significant portion of this role will be focused specifically on the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) initiative aimed at building a more resilient and sustainable food system for that region while accelerating the integration of technology and skills into local agriculture.

In collaboration with a professional marketing firm, the Specialist will support a new campaign highlighting small farms and locally-grown food, while developing a multicultural, shared regional brand identity rooted in the Fresno region, cultivating new local markets for small-scale, spanish-speaking and BIPOC producers in particular.

The Specialist will also help highlight CAFF’s Tech Hub, which helps small farms adopt new technologies and promotes appropriate tech innovation, including promotion of CAFF’s Small Farm Innovation Challenge, Tech Track at the California Small Farm Conference, and the annual Tech Expo (starting in 2024).

A successful candidate will be passionate about local food, small-scale farms and appropriate technology, and be self-motivated, detail-oriented, tech savvy and have demonstrated success in communications. They will implement CAFF’s Racial Equity goals and practices throughout their work.

The position is based in the San Joaquin Valley Region, with the option of working from home a majority of the time and occasional travel to a shared workspace at the UC Kearney Agricultural & Research Extension Center (Parlier, CA) or potentially Downtown Fresno, and occasional travel to staff retreats or meetings at our headquarters (Davis, CA) 2-4 times per year.  

 

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

 

50%  —  General CAFF Communications

• Serve as a key member of CAFF’s Communications Team and work closely with all members of the team on various projects.

• Assist in ongoing development and implementation of long- and short-term strategic communications plans

• Social media strategy and maintenance, particularly related to the SJ Valley

• Assist staff with graphic design, branding, creation of various program materials and multi-media content

• Promotional support of the CA Small Farm Conference

• Participate in weekly all-staff meetings and annual all-staff gatherings

40%  — Regional Farm & Food Business Marketing 

• Work with external consultant to design and lead stakeholder group asset mapping, visioning and goal setting process for the development of a regional San Joaquin Valley marketing campaign
• Lead project with public relations firm to launch branding and communications plan for Fresno Region

• Support ongoing promotions of multicultural, in-person farm and food events in the region, including festivals with subcontractors like Pan Valley Institute
• Provide ongoing online marketing and individual marketing material support for individual farms and through California Farm Directory promotion
• Support public launch and marketing of regional food hub
• Support engagement in the Del Valle business plan/Local Food Center, a new marketplace for local farmers and food businesses, led by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

10%  — Tech Hub Marketing 

• Promotion of Small Farm Tech Hub services, including creation of web resources, graphics, social media, etc. to SJ Valley farmers
• Work with contractors to promote SJV based events where farmers can see tool demonstrations and learn about technologies that can help their business (e.g. Small Farm Tech Expo)
• Marketing and outreach for Tech Track at the CA Small Farm Conference
• Support development, design, and roll-out of “Platform for Appropriate Technology”
• Support design and and roll-out of farmer needs assessment results to be shared with broad audiences including F3 partners, policymakers, farmers and technologists

We know it’s impossible to convey every single task for a particular job in one job description. Our hope is that as we work together, and your role evolves over time, we can adjust your job description accordingly.

Qualifications

Educational and Work Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent
• At least 2 years experience working in a marketing or communications position
• Experience working with the local food industry, agriculture or related fields preferred. However, more important is a passion for food systems work and CAFF’s mission and values.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong organizational skills with an ability to handle competing demands and multiple priorities
• Effective written and oral communication skills in English with Spanish language proficiency (fluency preferred)
• Demonstrated ability to enhance and effectively deliver programs to diverse audiences through your understanding of self, language, culture, and community
• Strong research background in food systems and/or marketing
• Basic graphic design and branding: Canva, InDesign, Photoshop, or similar
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills. F3 entails multiple partners and industry reps.
• Interest in and curiosity about new technology, both communications tools and farm technology
• Ability to work independently and remotely
• Strong computer skills, including above average knowledge of Google Suite, Wordpress, CRM, online marketing tools or similar
• Social media savvy and enthusiasm: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
• Willing and able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Desired experience: Salesforce and Adobe Creative Cloud
• Desired experience: Videography

Physical Abilities

• Ability to sit for long periods of time working at a computer.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Requires a full range of physical mobility, such as bending, stooping, lifting, turning, carrying objects, and grasping.

CAFF’s policy is that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. We strongly encourage those from diverse backgrounds and from historically underserved communities to apply.

To apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and sample of your marketing or communications work that you feel is relevant to this position with the subject line “Communications Specialist” to jobs@caff.org. Reference requests will be made further along in the application process.