VP of Policy and Communications

FoodCorps, Inc; Mississippi; Remote; USD 205,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

FoodCorps is seeking a Vice President of Policy and Communications to drive its mission of ensuring every child has access to food education and nourishing meals. This role involves strategic leadership in policy advocacy and brand management, requiring a passion for child well-being and extensive experience in advocacy and communications.

Benefits

Generous medical benefits

401(k) matching up to $3000 annually

5 weeks of accrued time off

Sabbatical policy

Half-day Fridays

12 federal holidays

Qualifications

• At least 10 years in policy and communications leadership.
• Experience in a high-growth, distributed setting.
• Strong connection to the FoodCorps mission.

Responsibilities

• Lead the integration of Marketing and Communications with Policy and Advocacy.
• Develop strategies for policy influence and audience engagement.
• Manage a high-performing, remote team.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Management

Advocacy

Strategic Planning

Job description

FoodCorps partners with schools and communities to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of community. Our AmeriCorps members partner with educators and school nutrition leaders to provide kids with nourishing meals, food education, and family-driven experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Building on our service program, FoodCorps develops leaders, grows networks, and advocates for policy change in service of every kid’s health and well-being. Our goal is that by 2030, every child will have access to food education and nourishing food in school.

The Problem We're Trying To Solve:

School is where kids grow and learn, building knowledge and life skills that will last through their childhood years into adulthood. But too many kids go through the school day without the nutritious food they need to do and feel their best. FoodCorps works with schools to set students up for success by helping to provide nourishing meals, nutrition education, and community connections through food. We partner with schools to get kids excited about eating fruits and veggies, support school nutrition staff in getting nourishing meals on the lunch tray, and work with families to create positive school food environments for all kids. FoodCorps provides hands-on food education to more than 40,000 students each year, helping to support kids’ health, academic success, and connections to their community.

Who You Are:

The incoming Vice President of Policy and Communications is the visionary and team leader responsible for building FoodCorps’ state and federal policy influence, stewarding our brand, growing our audience and engagement with key stakeholder groups, and leveraging the tools of strategic communication to accelerate the organization’s impact and policy influence.

The VP joins FoodCorps during a period of rapid evolution. As we adapt our programming and advocacy priorities to meet the needs of the kids at the center of our mission, FoodCorps is bringing our previously distinct Marketing and Communications team together with our Policy and Advocacy team in a unified Policy and Communications Department. The VP will lead this integration, holding ultimate responsibility for curating and delivering on FoodCorps’ multi-level policy strategy, while also guiding our narrative and shaping our approach to campaigns, branding and brand partnerships, media and public relations, brand presence in schools and communities, and audience-building with donors, policymakers, school partners, families, prospective corps members, and alumni.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proven leader in either or both of the policy and communications domains, with strong coaching and management skills, a passion for asset-based advocacy and storytelling, and a drive to build FoodCorps into a household name and a driving force in policy change. The VP reports to the President, and partners closely with the CEO, leading a high-performing, eleven-person team that partners closely with nine contracted, part-time State Policy Leads. They will serve as a member of the organization-wide Leadership Team, and will collaborate within the Programs unit as well as across the full institution to meet the needs of all of FoodCorps’ stakeholders.

This remote position is a VP level role with a starting salary range between $205,000-$235,000 and requires monthly travel.

Areas of responsibility:

• Executive leadership: Serve on the 12-person Leadership Team that informs organizational strategy and budget, monitors organizational performance, and provides cross-functional leadership and change management to FoodCorps as a whole.
• Team management: Lead and develop the Policy & Advocacy Team and the Marketing & Communications Team, with responsibility for setting annual strategy, goals, and department budget, managing data-driven performance targets, and coaching a high-performing, mostly remote team toward the best work of their careers. Ensure effective recruitment and management of a cohort of nine contracted, part-time State Policy Leads.
• Strategy: Envision and operationalize a comprehensive plan for the department and its bodies of work, in order to serve the needs of FoodCorps and advance our 2030 goal of every child having access to food education and nourishing meals in school.
• Policy and advocacy: Update FoodCorps’ policy and advocacy priorities and represent the organization in policy efforts that further our mission, ensuring that previous wins are protected, future wins are cultivated, and state and federal policy is shaped by people with proximate expertise: students, families, FoodCorps alumni, educators, and school nutrition professionals.
• Coalition representation: Ensure thatFoodCorps is an influential member of the appropriate policy coalitions.
• Brand and voice: Drive dramatic growth in the recognition of the organization’s work and brand, making school food a trending topic in education and FoodCorps the clear field leader in the space, always applying an asset-based and ethical lens to how the organization presents itself.
• Audience-building and engagement: Through organic and paid social strategies and other means of acquisition and engagement, build FoodCorps’ supporter base to 1 million constituents by 2030, with a focus on key stakeholder groups: corps members and alumni, families, food education and school nutrition professionals, and school stakeholders.
• Marketing of products and services:Lead the launch of new product and service offerings to schools, districts, and their stakeholders, making the case for FoodCorps’ value proposition and collaborating across the organization to build and populate the partnership funnel.
• Public relations and media: Develop a media relations strategy to secure coverage for FoodCorps and set our staff and stakeholders up for effective appearances in national and local press and new media, position FoodCorps materials and research for dissemination, and support strategic deployment of executives as thought leaders, authors, and public speakers.
• Policy and advocacy communication: Advance FoodCorps’ policy agenda at the state and federal levels through strategic communication, activation of constituents, and events.
• Internal collaboration:Partner with colleagues across the organization on integrated work related to policy, advocacy, marketing, and communications.
• Advise on internal communications: Provide strategic guidance on internal communications practices and support transparency in decision-making to ensure all staff are informed and engaged with organizational priorities.
• Fundraising collaboration: Partner with Revenue Team colleagues in donor conversations.

Skills and experience:

• Mission alignment: A compelling personal connection to the FoodCorps mission and demonstrated interest in issues of education, food, child well-being, and/or health.
• Domain expertise in either or both of Policy & Advocacy or Marketing & Communications: A minimum of ten years leading a related function. Strong preference for prior experience working in a high-growth, geographically distributed setting, serving on a senior leadership team, and engaging in both policy and communications.
• Management: A demonstrated record of building and developing high-performing teams, coaching individuals and advancing their professional trajectories, and fostering collaboration. Evidence of an approach to management that balances humanity, efficacy, and accountability.
• Strategy: Ability to set strategy in a way that ensures team input and empowerment and holds the needs of the full organization.
• Communication:Standout abilities as a written, verbal, and multimedia communicator, with an ability to shape the narrative of an organization and an issue.

Measures of Success:

By the end of year one, the VP of Policy & Communications will have achieved the following:

• Strategy: The Policy & Communications department has a clear and actionable annual strategy that is responsive to the cultural, political and educational landscape, and reflective of the priorities of FoodCorps.
• Individual and team management: The Policy & Communications department is meeting or exceeding performance targets, and pulse survey results indicate that the team is feeling well-supported and positioned to do their best work. Direct reports score the VP highly as a coach and management partner who accelerates their development.
• Internal collaboration: The Policy & Communications department is effectively collaborating with the revenue, recruitment, school programs, and leadership programs teams, leading to stronger alignment, more integrated work, and cross-team trust.
• Momentum building: Measurable progress is made toward the goals of every child having access to food education and free, nourishing meals in school. Audience growth targets set and achieved across key stakeholder groups.
• Leadership:The VP will have contributed to the health of the organization as a whole, by building close working relationships with colleagues across the Leadership Team, showing up across departments as an enterprise-level leader, managing confidently and empathetically through change, and modeling FoodCorps’ competencies and values.

Thriving at FoodCorps:

In addition to generous medical benefits and an annual $3000 401(k) matching, FoodCorps provides:

Time Away:

Our work is both vital and demanding. FoodCorps recognizes this and provides ample time to step away and recharge, including:

• half-day Fridays
• 5 weeks of accrued time off
• 12 federal holidays (AND your birthday!)
• 2-week winter break
• a sabbatical policy

Family Planning:

As an organization that supports youth development, our family policies need to match our values. To that end, we offer a wide range of health, wellness and medical benefits.

How to Apply:

Applications will be accepted until a match is made. Please note that incomplete applications (applications without all requested materials; ie. cover letter, writing or portfolio examples, etc.) may not be considered.

FoodCorps is committed to reflecting the rich experiences, identities, and customs of the communities we partner with across the country in our workforce, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities. We welcome any and all candidates who identify with our mission and values to submit an application for consideration. FoodCorps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its employment decisions. FoodCorps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees as required by law.

Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation at any point in the employment process, including but not limited to the application and interview process.

Your Safety:

Legitimate messages from FoodCorps will only come from an email address ending in )boards.greenhouse.io/foodcorps) not any variations of that (e.g. [e-mail], [e-mail], etc). Additionally FoodCorps will not ask you to submit any information outside of our website prior to hire. The best way to contact us regarding employment opportunities is through our site athttps://foodcorps.org/careers/ .

If you suspect you’re being targeted as part of a scam we encourage you tosubmit a fraud report to the Federal Trade Commission with details about your correspondence with the scammer. This helps the FTC better understand the tactics scammers are using and get a sense of the volume of fraud attempts.

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