Naturally MN Executive Director

University of Minnesota; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Minnesota, through the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management, seeks a senior leader to independently develop, deliver, and measure Naturally MN. This role secures resources, builds executive relationships, and promotes Minnesota as a national hub for food, agriculture, and CPG innovation.

Responsibilities include relationship building, university engagement, program expansion, sustainable funding, and national marketing.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree required with 8+ years of experience in the food/agriculture sector or related field.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and scale programs and/or organizational initiatives.
• Strong project management capabilities with track record of delivering results.
• Strategic communication skills and experience engaging diverse stakeholders.
• Experience developing executive-level partnerships with corporations, foundations, and public sector.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with industry leaders across food/agriculture/beverage segments to advance Naturally MN.
• Serve as primary liaison to entrepreneurs, executives, and investors to identify needs and opportunities.
• Engage senior university leadership (deans, chairs, directors) to align programming with university assets.
• Lead program development, sponsorships, grants, and endowments to ensure sustainability.
• Create and measure impact metrics; report on grants and program outcomes.
• Lead marketing and external communications for Naturally MN and related events.
• Oversee staff and interns; implement scalable processes linking entrepreneurs to resources.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Strategic communication

Fundraising / development

Partnership building

Community engagement

Education

BA/BS degree

Job description

About the Job

Our vision is to make Minnesota THE destination for food, agriculture & consumer packaged goods innovation. We connect and elevate our ecosystem by offering educational, networking and advisory resources to our members and entrepreneurs. Naturally MN is a community-led, public‑private partnership that brings together corporations, investors, foundations, government and skilled volunteers to support Minnesota's entrepreneurs across the entire food system and value chain.

Launched in 2016, we are part of a larger national network called the Naturally Network, which has 10 other chapters across the country. Naturally MN acts as the front door for all entrepreneurs and helps navigate them to the right resources at the right time to advance their business in Minnesota and beyond. Naturally MN is a program of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management.

Position Details

This is a highly visible leadership position responsible for the independent development, delivery and measurement of Naturally MN, a program that fosters connections to support Minnesota entrepreneurs and promote our region as the leading hub of innovation in the food, ag and consumer packaged goods industries. It seeks to establish Naturally MN as the recognized voice for MN's food and ag entrepreneurs, while serving as the spokesperson for the state and industry at national forums, convenings and conferences.

The position is independently responsible for securing the financial resources to fund its programs, through the development of executive-level relationships from across the business community and public sector. The position develops critical relationships with food/agriculture entrepreneurs, senior executives, foundations, universities and public sector to identify, develop and deliver programming that engage stakeholders and deliver value to all partners.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Relationship and Community Development (20%)

• Develop key relationships and convene industry leaders across all sectors of food/agriculture/beverage community - from seed to plate
• Lead contact for food/agriculture/beverage entrepreneurs to understand ongoing needs, successes, etc.
• Lead contact for senior executives, VP, C-level executives and CEOs in food/agriculture/beverage community
• Identify and engage VP, C-level executives, CEOs, investors and accelerators at the national level to participate in events and opportunities for food/agriculture/beverage entrepreneurs
• Identify national and global opportunities for Naturally MN and its partners to participate in to promote Minnesota entrepreneurs and innovations
• Recruit and lead advisory board to support outreach, programming and sponsorship activities.

2. University Engagement (10%)

• Support and participate in the delivery of complementary Holmes Center programming, while embracing the brands of the University, Carlson School and Holmes Center
• Develop and maintain senior organizational relationships and foster collaboration with deans, department chairs and directors from broad range of University units (UMF Foundation, CFANS, Tech Comm, iOE, related centers) involved in food/agriculture; leverage University-wide assets and related programs
• Develop and execute programs and related projects for undergrad and graduate students to connect and support food/agriculture/beverage entrepreneurs in Minnesota

3. Naturally MN Program Development & Execution (30%)

• Develop short and long-term plans and annual goals for expansion of program, including business development strategies to target and secure new partners and sponsors
• Build upon Food, Ag, Ideas Week Conference to improve connectivity and create global platform/voice for Minnesota food and ag industry
• Create and execute programming & events that engage sponsors and delivers value to all partners
• Recruit, supervise and mentor shared support staff and interns
• Develop and implement scalable processes to create connections between entrepreneurs and resources - mentors, vendors, partners, funding, etc
• Leverage relationship with national Naturally Network for programming.
• Support development of related organizations that support MN food/ag/beverage entrepreneurs
• Develop impact metrics and ongoing reporting for existing grants and endowments supporting Naturally MN

4. Secure Resources and Financial Sustainability (30%)

• Independently lead development of relationships and securing of resources and financial commitments from alumni, corporations, governmental sources and other prospective benefactors.
• Identify and pursue sponsorship, engagement and development opportunities by engaging and influencing senior executives at VP-level and C-level in the Twin Cities business community and beyond.
• Develop and present proposals for new grants and donations to secure endowment for Naturally MN.
• Ensure financial responsibility and management of annual operating budget at a surplus.

5. Lead Naturally MN marketing efforts (10%)

• Position Naturally MN as the recognized voice for MN's food and ag entrepreneurs, while serving as the spokesperson for the state and industry at national and global conferences
• Develop & execute marketing plan to promote Naturally MN (as part of the University) and its programs, promoting success stories to statewide and national audiences
• Speak at national and global conferences to promote MN as leader in food and ag innovation
• Develop and manage content on website, newsletter, social media platforms, including resources and events
• Lead coordination of external partners for PR, communications, advertising

Qualifications

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree plus at least eight years of experience
• At least 5 years of industry experience in food or agriculture industry
• Demonstrated ability to lead, build, and scale impactful programs and/or organizational initiatives
• Demonstrated project management capability
• Demonstrated strategic communication skills