Director, Community Engagement

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Position Summary:

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) is seeking a Director, Community Engagement to join our Membership Team to execute a community engagement strategy and develop well-utilized initiatives year-round, both in-person and virtually. The incumbent will build relationships with alliance and community partners, identify SFA member and broader specialty food industry community needs, and execute events and initiatives to address those needs. They serve as a central point of contact for alliance organizations, various SFA member segments, and work closely internally with multiple departments within the organization to execute on opportunities.

This individual should be goal-oriented, a strong project manager, able to work independently and as a team player that can maintain positive relations inside and outside the organization.

Overall Position Goals:

• Strengthen SFA’s membership and broader community of suppliers, retailers, and investors and elevate the SFA’s perception as a year-round connector and community-builder in the specialty food industry.
• Support membership growth and revenue diversification via event attendance through development of powerful engagement initiatives.
• Increase visibility for the SFA within the wider food and beverage industry through event partnerships and community-building activities.
• Utilize data to drive community engagement strategy and to deliver KPIs that inform ongoing strategy

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Execution:

• Lead the development of SFA’s in-person and virtual community engagement strategy aligned with organizational goals.
• Build and manage a nationwide calendar of member events, including member meetups outside of trade shows, co-hosted events will alliance partners, and other opportunities.
• Oversee event logistics from planning to execution, for both small-scale and large-format gatherings.
• Develop and implement KPIs for all engagement initiatives; measure, analyze, and refine based on performance.

Program Development:

• Identify community needs through research and member insights; design programs to foster connection and value based on data-driven needs.
• Launch and moderate virtual engagement platforms (forums, communities, etc.).
• Oversee and execute SFA’s Exchange Group program, introducing opportunities to scale and grow program.

Tradeshow & Event Integration:

• Manage community touchpoints at trade shows, including New Member Events, community engagement events and in-person Exchange Group meetings.
• Collaborate across departments (e.g., Education, Marketing, Sales) to align programming with broader strategic goals.
• Serve as primary contact for alliance organizations collaborating on engagement or education efforts.

Community & Industry Outreach:

• Forge and maintain relationships with alliance groups, advisory boards, and niche industry segments (e.g., shared kitchens, farmers markets, investors).
• Drive member acquisition and retention through high-impact networking and content-focused events.
• Maintains industry knowledge of hot topics and food industry issues to engage forum participants and spread knowledge within the SFA membership.
• Raise awareness of needs that warrant additional member benefit development based on insights from community engagement strategy to better serve the SFA community.

Operational Oversight:

• Develop and manage program budgets; ensure execution within scope and resources.
• Provide leads to Sales and Member Services based on engagement program participation.
• Partner with the Director of Education to develop educational programs for appropriate events and align alliance relationships with educational priorities.
• Increase awareness of and participation in community initiatives in partnership with the Marketing team.

Position…