Produce in the Park is seeking a Market Manager for the 2024-2025 farmers market season from March 2024-May 2025. The market manager will be responsible for managing Produce in the Park's weekly summer farmers market on Thursday evenings in the Atlantic City Park and four holiday farmers markets prior to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. The market manager will be responsible for vendor and sponsor recruitment, marketing and promotion, and market entertainment and logistics. Produce in the Park is more than a farmers market, it's a celebration of local food and community. Produce in the Park is a non-profit organization with a supportive Board. Skills and specific responsibilities are outlined in the job description below.
Manager Position
The Market Manager is a part-time position with primary responsibility being the day-to-day operation of the farmers market. This will include an on-site presence at the market during all market hours, as well as off-site work during non-market hours, which can be flexible. The manager will report to the Produce in the Park Board, who set all market policies and deadlines. In addition, the manager will represent the market to the market’s vendors, the consumers, and to the community. The market manager is responsible for coordinating and producing all marketing for Produce in the Park including but not limited to those used on the radio, newspaper, community calendars & social media, in addition to coordinating market logistics, and securing market funding through grants and sponsorships
Duties:
• Enroll farmers/vendors in the market
• Collect all stall fees owed, make accurate accounting
• Arrive prior to market vendors arriving and remain throughout the market day to:
• Assign stalls/spaces for activities
• Place market signs, parking signs (‘no parking’ signs need to be out by noon each Thursday)
• Ensure all rules and regulations are adhered to
• Ensure all state and county regulations are adhered to
• Answer questions for vendors and consumers
• Resolve disputes that arise
• Recruit & organize volunteers to provide activities such as: Guest chef, Kids Activities, Educational Activities, Entertainment (possibly enlist sponsors to help pay for entertainment as desired)
• Manage market EBT program
• Enroll market and market farmers in the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)
• Act as liaison to the market’s governing body, providing accounting and performance reports
• Communicate market policies, activities, and rules to farmers, keeping them informed throughout the season
• Bring suggestions from farmers back to the board
• Investigate and then implement methods for customer counts each market day to assess the level of growth in market usage
• Assure the market site is clean once the market is closed and the vendors have left for the day
• Maintain database of farmers, vendors, their contact information, and any licenses or permits each vendor possesses based on the products they are selling
• Make farms visits as possible (this can be useful when preparing marketing materials and provide assurance that produce is in fact local)
• Maintain & update website as needed
• Manage Holiday Markets (Harvest, Christmas, Sweetheart, Spring Celebration)
• Participate in or attend professional development for market managers
• Community relationship development
• Funding for sustainability of the market including sponsors, grants, fundraising events, etc
• Advertising/ promotional program development, including special events planning
• Work with board to plan for market growth and development
• Stay in communication with the head of Parks & Rec department to ensure the city park is ready for the season
• Secure holiday market locations
• Coordinate street closure on market days (contact the city council about this)
Qualifications
• Marketing skills
• Social media literacy
• Ability to think creatively
• People person with skills in diplomacy
• Dispute resolution skills
• Good communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Some financial knowledge helpful: i.e., budgeting
• Self-motivated
• Passionate about building community and local food
Pay and Hours:
$15-20 per hour based on experience. Approximately 20 hours per week from mid-May through mid-October, with approximately 5-10 hours a week in the off-season. Required hours include market hours; almost all other work can be done on a flexible schedule.
Application Requirements
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to the Produce in the Park Board's President, Bailey Smith at [email protected]. Questions can be directed to Bailey at 712-243-3017 or [email protected].
Manager Position
The Market Manager is a part-time position with primary responsibility being the day-to-day operation of the farmers market. This will include an on-site presence at the market during all market hours, as well as off-site work during non-market hours, which can be flexible. The manager will report to the Produce in the Park Board, who set all market policies and deadlines. In addition, the manager will represent the market to the market’s vendors, the consumers, and to the community. The market manager is responsible for coordinating and producing all marketing for Produce in the Park including but not limited to those used on the radio, newspaper, community calendars & social media, in addition to coordinating market logistics, and securing market funding through grants and sponsorships
Duties:
• Enroll farmers/vendors in the market
• Collect all stall fees owed, make accurate accounting
• Arrive prior to market vendors arriving and remain throughout the market day to:
• Assign stalls/spaces for activities
• Place market signs, parking signs (‘no parking’ signs need to be out by noon each Thursday)
• Ensure all rules and regulations are adhered to
• Ensure all state and county regulations are adhered to
• Answer questions for vendors and consumers
• Resolve disputes that arise
• Recruit & organize volunteers to provide activities such as: Guest chef, Kids Activities, Educational Activities, Entertainment (possibly enlist sponsors to help pay for entertainment as desired)
• Manage market EBT program
• Enroll market and market farmers in the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)
• Act as liaison to the market’s governing body, providing accounting and performance reports
• Communicate market policies, activities, and rules to farmers, keeping them informed throughout the season
• Bring suggestions from farmers back to the board
• Investigate and then implement methods for customer counts each market day to assess the level of growth in market usage
• Assure the market site is clean once the market is closed and the vendors have left for the day
• Maintain database of farmers, vendors, their contact information, and any licenses or permits each vendor possesses based on the products they are selling
• Make farms visits as possible (this can be useful when preparing marketing materials and provide assurance that produce is in fact local)
• Maintain & update website as needed
• Manage Holiday Markets (Harvest, Christmas, Sweetheart, Spring Celebration)
• Participate in or attend professional development for market managers
• Community relationship development
• Funding for sustainability of the market including sponsors, grants, fundraising events, etc
• Advertising/ promotional program development, including special events planning
• Work with board to plan for market growth and development
• Stay in communication with the head of Parks & Rec department to ensure the city park is ready for the season
• Secure holiday market locations
• Coordinate street closure on market days (contact the city council about this)
Qualifications
• Marketing skills
• Social media literacy
• Ability to think creatively
• People person with skills in diplomacy
• Dispute resolution skills
• Good communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Some financial knowledge helpful: i.e., budgeting
• Self-motivated
• Passionate about building community and local food
Pay and Hours:
$15-20 per hour based on experience. Approximately 20 hours per week from mid-May through mid-October, with approximately 5-10 hours a week in the off-season. Required hours include market hours; almost all other work can be done on a flexible schedule.
Application Requirements
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to the Produce in the Park Board's President, Bailey Smith at [email protected]. Questions can be directed to Bailey at 712-243-3017 or [email protected].