Partnerships Specialist

Green City Growers; Somerville, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

401(k) with 5% match

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Job summary

Green City Growers, an ESOP and B Corp, seeks a Partnerships Specialist to lead education and programming initiatives. You will identify, secure, and manage partnerships with schools, universities, nonprofits, foundations, and youth organizations to expand urban farming programs and FaaS offerings.

Ideal candidates bring a track record in partnership development, strong communication skills, and the ability to drive collaboration across departments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 3+ years in education, partnerships, or grants.
• Strong written/verbal/interpersonal communication.
• Collaborative, initiative-driven and able to prioritize workload.
• Valid Driver’s License required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage education partnerships with schools and nonprofits.
• Lead grants sourcing and manage grant databases.
• Represent and promote programs at events and meetings.
• Collaborate with teams to improve programs and data.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Partnership development

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Green City Growers is an employee-owned (ESOP), Certified B Corporation, and the premier urban farming company based in Somerville, Massachusetts. People and culture come first here. Our purpose is to provide inspiring shared experiences to connect and educate people to grow food sustainably. We are a Farming-as-a-Service company that transforms indoor and outdoor spaces into thriving urban farms that provide schools, corporations, healthcare facilities, institutions and beyond with hyper-local produce and impactful experiences while revitalizing city landscapes.

Title: Partnerships Specialist

Department: Business Development

Reports to: Director, Business Development

Date of Opening: Immediately

The Role: We are seeking a mission-focused and driven Partnerships Specialist to lead the strategy and execution of our education and programming initiatives. This role is a key partner in our commercial efforts for identifying, securing, and managing partnerships with schools, youth organizations, universities, non-profits, educational institutions and philanthropic foundations to expand the reach of our urban farming programs and Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS). The ideal candidate is both a creative strategic thinker as well as a hands-on executor of partner/relationship management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partnership Development & Community Engagement:
  • Build and maintain relationships with schools, universities, non-profits, municipalities, foundations, community organizations and non-profits.
  • Represent Green City Growers at meetings, conferences, networking events and community gatherings.
  • Serve as a trusted point of contact for partners and stakeholders
  • Collaborate with Customer Success Manager and Education & Programming Specialist to collect feedback and data from clients to measure program success and drive program improvement.
  • Attend sales meetings and site visits as needed and provide continuous documentation and upkeep of customer deal data (CRM). Assume site responsibilities when there are gaps.
• Grants and Funding:
  • Green City Growers finds creative ways to support non-profit and other impact organizations in local food system development. This role is an essential component of our innovative approach to working with grant foundations and other alternative funding sources.
  • Manage the full sales cycle for educational partnerships: prospecting, outreach, presentations, proposals, pricing, negotiation and closing and contract renewals.
  • Lead and maintain grants database from application to close/monitoring.
• Leadership & Development:
  • Provide continuous development of our relationships and product/program improvements (school, non-profit & local food system impact).
  • This role will require regular interaction & communication with our horticulture team.
  • Support a workplace community that fosters a sense of urgency, accountability, open communication, teamwork, professional growth and constructive feedback.

Desired Skills:

• Strong leadership, communication, and people skills.
• Detail-oriented and highly organized, with business acumen.
• Experience with partnership development and support.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and constantly evolving environment.
• Interest in urban agriculture, organic farming, sustainability, urban planning.

Desired Background:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree with 3+ years of experience in education, teaching/lead facilitator, partnership development, grants sourcing and management or a related field.
• Communication Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the ability to communicate effectively with strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills.
• Other Skills: Collaborative personality with initiative and a responsive, curious and can-do attitude. Ability to prioritize workload with a sense of urgency.
• Valid Driver’s License Required
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance for employees, spouses and children.
• 401(k) retirement plan with 5% employer matching contribution.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Green City Growers does not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.