ACORN Food Hub Account Manager

Location: Middlebury, Vermont (hybrid model)

Supervisor: Executive Director

Employee Status: Part-Time, Non-Exempt, Hourly

About ACORN: The Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), founded in 2009, is a small non-profit with the mission to promote the growth and health of local food and agriculture in Vermont’s Champlain Valley by providing support to our farmers and food producers, engaging in food education and ensuring access to healthy food for all members of our community. From the Tour de Farms and Champlain Valley Guide to Local Food and Farms to the Farmacy Food as Medicine program and various Farm to School initiatives, ACORN is a catalyst for developing local, sustainable and collaborative solutions that adapt to community needs. The ACORN Food Hub is an emerging facility celebrating its second year in operation offering aggregation, storage and distribution for local producers. Through its Online Market, the ACORN Food Hub aggregates and distributes hyper local food from over 50 farms and value-added vendors to wholesale customers in western Vermont and eastern New York.

This is a new part time position! The Food Hub Account Manager reports to the Executive Director of ACORN, and will work closely with the ACORN Food Hub Operations + Logistics Manager and Coordinator. The primary components of this position include account management, sales, and outreach to new and existing customers. In addition to managing accounts, the Manager will work with the Food Hub team to plan and execute a sales and marketing strategy for the Food Hub’s Online Market and services. This is a hybrid position with a mix of remote and in-person responsibilities. Special consideration will be given to candidates within a 1 hour driving distance of Middlebury. They can expect to spend between 20-50% of each week on the road visiting existing customers to build relationships, promote purchasing of regional & local products, and develop new customer leads in support of ACORN’s expansion goals.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Some experience in one or more of the following types of roles (professional experience in the food industry strongly preferred):
  • Sales
  •  Buying/purchasing
  • General administration
  • Project management
  • Other applicable lived experience
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal: in person, over the phone, email, text
• Excellent customer service skills
• Strong organizational skills and natural proclivity for keeping detailed records
• Enthusiastic ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Comfortable with change and growth in an evolving business, creative problem solver and ability to jump in where needed to optimize operations
• Cheerful, professional presence
• Strong knowledge of veggies, fruits, dairy, meats, value-added products and other locally-produced foods
• Strong technical skills with computers, spreadsheets, emails, design and digital business management tools such as: G-suite, Slack, Zoom, Canva and customer relationship management (CRM) software, like Constant Contact
• Travel within the state will be required. ○ A personal car, cell phone and stable home internet is required in this position
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
  • The ACORN Food Hub offers a company-owned vehicle that can be used for some, but not all, road sales.
  • Mileage is paid out at a set rate for all work-related travel driven in personal vehicles.
• Three professional references

Compensation and Benefits:

• This is a part-time position (15 hours/week), flexible schedule, remote/hybrid work model). In-person operations will be needed and will vary throughout the year.
• Compensation is $25 per hour
• Twelve paid holidays (prorated)
• Accrued paid time off based on hours worked
• Mileage for required travel is reimbursed at the rate of $0.67 per mile up to a maximum of $120/month to cover ACORN-related business travel
• Remote worker stipend is available at $0.75 per hour worked, up to $30/week to offset the cost for using personal equipment
• ACORN will provide reimbursement for approved out-of-pocket expenses
• Manager will be paid bi-weekly for hours worked upon submission of a timesheet
• Employee discount on food purchases made through the ACORN Online Market
• Monthly wellness stipend

ACORN is an at will, equal opportunity employer that values diversity of experience and perspective to enrich our work. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, crime victim status, health coverage status, HIV status, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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