Project Manager

Commonwealth Kitchen; Massachusetts; Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Kitchen in Massachusetts is seeking a Project Manager to lead the Feeding Futures initiative, aiming to expand access to local, high-quality food in K–12 schools during the 2026-2027 academic year.

This position involves managing project activities, engaging stakeholders, and integrating CWK products into school food programs. Ideal candidates will have K–12 school food program experience and strong project management skills. The contract lasts 11 months with an option to renew.

Qualifications

• Experience working with K-12 school food programs and nutrition operations.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• Experience supervising interns or project staff.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary project lead for CWK’s K-12 Feeding Futures school food initiative.
• Manage project activities and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain relationships with school districts and stakeholders.

Skills

K-12 school food programs experience

Communication skills

Relationship-building

Project management

Intern supervision

Education

Experience managing multi-partner projects

Job description

Contract Period: August 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

Position Overview

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) seeks an experienced Project Manager to support the launch and expansion of CWK products in K–12 schools across Massachusetts during the 2026–2027 academic year. The Feeding Futures K–12 School Food Project Manager will provide project management, lead successful school food implementation initiatives, such as in‑school coordination (events and activations), stakeholder engagement, marketing and outreach support, as well data collection and evaluation in support for CWK’s inaugural statewide K–12 school food initiative. This role will serve as a key connector between CWK, participating school districts, state and regional partners, and community stakeholders by leading the successful integration of CWK products in school menus, strengthening relationships with school nutrition leaders, supporting student engagement to drive participation, collecting and managing impact data (coordinated by interns), and establishing systems that position CWK for continued growth in this area for future years.

The Feeding Futures K-12 Project Manager will work closely with CWK’s Chief Culinary Officer, Marketing & Communications team, fundraising team, school nutrition directors, state agencies, and participating school districts. This is an 11‑month contract position with an option to renew for (1) additional school year.

Background

CommonWealth Kitchen is launching a coordinated K–12 school food initiative (Feeding Futures) to increase access to locally produced, culturally relevant, and high‑quality menu items in schools across Massachusetts. The initiative will introduce and expand CWK products—including commodity products such as Marinara and Tikka Masala sauces, field‑pea fritters and, potentially additional CWK and member‑produced items—within school meal programs.

The goals of this work are as follows:

• Increase K‑12 student participation and engagement with school meals.
• Expand procurement of Massachusetts‑grown and locally sourced foods in K‑12 schools
• Increase adoption and sales of CWK products.
• Support Massachusetts farmers and food entrepreneurs.
• Demonstrate the impact and scalability of CWK’s food systems model through data collection and participation rates.
• Position CWK to increase sales volume for 2027‑28 school year from $400K to $1M+

This work will focus on supporting (current and new) CWK product adoption, building on strong school partnerships as CWK prepares to expand into over 80 schools and school districts in the next 11 months, engaging students and families, collecting feedback, and building the infrastructure needed for further future statewide expansion.

The Project Manager’s level of engagement is expected to vary throughout the K‑12 school year, with periods of higher and lower time commitment based on project milestones. More intensive effort will be required during the initial project phase to establish the implementation plan, recruit and train interns, develop the schedule for tastings and events, and launch marketing and outreach activities. Following project launch, the consultant will oversee implementation of tastings, marketing, and data collection with a more moderate, ongoing level of engagement. An additional increase in effort is anticipated in early 2027 to support outreach and planning in advance of the early April deadline for participating schools to make commodity diversion commitments for the subsequent school year. A final period of increased engagement will occur at the close of the school year to analyze project outcomes and prepare a comprehensive final report.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management & Implementation

• Serve as the primary project lead for CWK’s K‑12 Feeding Futures school food initiative.
• Manage project activities, deliverables, communications, data collection and implementation processes.
• Coordinate across CWK departments to support successful program execution.
• Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with participating K‑12 school districts, school nutrition teams, state partners, student organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Support reporting, documentation, and evaluation requirements.

School District Engagement & Product Adoption

Working with CWK’s Chief Culinary Officer and marketing team, the Project Manager will:

• Support outreach and relationship‑building with school nutrition directors and district partners.
• Organize and manage in‑school tasting events and activations.
• Promote CWK products to students and nutrition staff for integration on school menus.
• Gather feedback from school partners to inform future product development and menu opportunities.
• Support testing and introduction of additional CWK and member‑produced products for future school meal programs.
• Support district commitments and purchasing growth for the 2027‑2028 school year.

K‑12 Marketing, Promotion & Student Engagement

Working with CWK’s Marketing & Communications team, the Project Coordinator will support a statewide promotional effort to increase awareness and adoption of CWK products. Responsibilities include:

• Developing and coordinating distribution of new and existing marketing materials for students, school nutrition professionals and school administrators.
• Drafting content for a Feeding Futures landing page on CWK’s website.
• Developing strategies to engage parents, K‑12 school stakeholders and CWK community partners connected to this initiative.
• Promote CWK menu items and locally sourced products across participating districts.
• Organize and manage all school‑based tasting events with interns, including cafeteria activations, and student engagement activities.
• Build relationships with new K‑12 schools to increase participation through promotional activities.
• Support CWK outreach efforts that help highlight the connection between students, local food systems, farmers, and food entrepreneurs.

Intern Recruitment & Supervision

The Project Coordinator will recruit, train, supervise, and mentor a cohort of approximately 4–6 interns who will support in‑school engagement activities throughout the course of the contract. Intern‑supported activities are expected to include:

• In‑school tasting events
• Lunchroom activations in K‑12 schools
• School outreach (Staff, PTA and family engagement)
• Coordinating with higher education partners on intern recruitment and onboarding.
• Student feedback collection and reporting for multiple stakeholders.

The consultant will provide training, oversight, scheduling, and ongoing support to ensure consistent implementation across participating K‑12 schools. This position will also manage the systems to collect feedback, measure impact, and inform future growth, including:

• Developing tools to collect student feedback during tastings and engagement activities.
• Gathering input on K‑12 student preferences and future menu priorities.
• Collecting feedback on potential future products, including up to three new menu concepts.
• Supporting collection of participation and purchasing data from school districts.
• Preparing regular progress updates for CWK staff, funders, and school partners.
• Developing a final report summarizing outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for further expansion.

Short‑term Project Summary (11 months)

• Develop and manage a project implementation plan.
• Coordinate school engagement and product promotion activities.
• Recruit, train, and supervise 4–6 interns.
• Coordinate and support tasting events and student engagement activities across participating districts.
• Develop and maintain evaluation and feedback systems.
• Provide regular updates and summary reports to the CWK leadership team.
• Represent CWK at relevant K‑12 school food and farm‑to‑school conferences.
• Provide a final assessment and recommendations for future expansion.

Ideal Candidate

• Experience working with K‑12 school food programs and school nutrition operations.
• Knowledge of school food procurement, USDA Foods, commodity programs, or farm‑to‑school initiatives (nonprofit experience a plus).
• Experience managing multi‑partner projects and complex implementation efforts.
• Strong relationship‑building, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Experience supervising interns, students, or project staff.
• Familiarity with local food systems, institutional food procurement, or food entrepreneurship.
• Experience designing and implementing evaluation and feedback processes.