Program Manager

About the Duke Campus Farm:

The Duke Campus Farm (DCF) is a one-acre working farm providing sustainably-grown produce and food systems education for Duke and its surrounding communities. In collaboration with our undergraduate and graduate student farm crew, academic courses and research, we grow and harvest over 30,000lbs of produce annually for our community supported agriculture membership, and for those experiencing food insecurity, both on and off campus. 

Our farm operation is our primary teaching tool for engaging and reimagining the ways we cultivate, access, value, and think about food. On this foundation, we provide learning and leadership development opportunities for students across disciplines, in and outside of the traditional classroom.

Founded in 2010, we report to Duke’s Office of Climate and Sustainability. We currently operate with an annual budget of $415,000 and a full-time staff of 1.5, joined by roughly twenty-five student staff members each year and one post-graduate fellow. We are a hardworking team passionate about our mission to catalyze food systems change by growing the next generation of food systems changemakers. 

Position Summary:

A successful candidate sees and understands the dynamism and opportunities of a campus environment at all levels (students through university administration) and can help the Duke Campus Farm navigate its new role as part of Duke’s Office of Climate and Sustainability. A strong candidate can communicate clearly and tactically to a broad range of audiences. 

As Program Manager, you will bridge the gap between our campus farm and the broader university, donor, and student communities. This is a role for a strategic thinker who loves to roll up their sleeves. Working with DCF’s Sloss Fellow, you will translate the daily impact of our working farm, and our curricular and co-curricular programming into powerful narratives for university administration, philanthropic funders, and our broader community. You must be equally energized by high-level strategic planning and day-to-day execution. Our program is student-founded and student-powered, so a desire to work with and support young people is also a must. 

Job responsibilities: 

University Relations & Profile Raising

• Campus Integration: actively engage the campus community to build relationships and partnerships that advance DCF’s mission. Position DCF as a vital academic, research, and student-life hub within the university, while remaining rooted in DCF’s mission and values.
• Cross-Departmental Partnerships: collaborate with the Office of Climate and Sustainability and other units to highlight and share research and experiential learning successes. 

Fundraising & Donor Engagement

• Campaign Strategy: With the Director, design and execute narrative-driven fundraising campaigns for annual giving, donor appeals, and our annual report.
• Grant & Impact Reporting: With the Director, turn metrics (e.g. pounds of food grown, students taught) into impactful stories that also communicate nuance in the work that we do.
• Alumni Outreach: Develop and execute specific in-person and virtual outreach strategies to engage university alumni passionate about sustainability and food justice.
• Data tracking: track donations and stakeholder interactions and manage donor data.

Content Strategy & Production 

• End-to-End Content Creation: Write, design, and schedule content across email newsletters, the website, annual reports, and social media channels. Pitch stories and campus collaborations to university media outlets.
• Mentorship and supervision: Supervise the Sloss Fellow in creating student-facing content across social media channels. Work with the Sloss Fellow to capture photography, video, and direct testimonies from student volunteers and community members.

Strategic support 

• Team citizenship: With a team this size, hand-in-hand work with all staff members will be necessary at different points. Step in to support all-staff initiatives when needed. 

Qualifications and skills: 

• at least 4 years of experience in communications, public relations, non-profit fundraising, university relations, or similar.
• at least 2 years of experience mentoring or supervising staff, fellows, or student employees
• proven experience representing and advocating for an organization to a range of audiences, such as university administrators, development officers, donors, faculty, student organizations, and community advocates 
• exceptional written and verbal communication skills to clearly and compellingly articulate all facets of DCF’s vision and mission
• strong proficiency with in-person and online communication tools, copywriting, digital content creation, basic photography/video editing, and email marketing platforms (e.g., Emma). 
• a working understanding of finances and fundraising similar to those of a small non-profit, including the ways that development funding intersects with overall operating budgets 
• access to reliable transportation (our workplace is a peri-urban area that is not accessible via transit) 
• enthusiasm for occasional work in an outdoor environment under a range of weather conditions (for example, leading a donor tour of the farm, supporting a volunteer workday)  
• willing to work a minimum of 4 days a week on-site
• ability to lift 25 lbs unassisted 
• a clear commitment to sustainable food systems, experiential learning, climate resilience, and/or food justice and equity a plus! 

Attributes 

You thrive in a dual role. You can work effectively with both senior colleagues and young adults and tailor your approach to different audiences while staying rooted in the Duke Campus Farm’s mission and values. 

You are highly organized, with a proven ability to set priorities, create actionable plans, and ensure tasks are completed on time.

You are a strong strategic thinker capable of seeing the big picture while navigating day-to-day tasks and a reasonable dose of the unexpected. You can juggle multiple competing priorities without getting overwhelmed or burnt out. 

You’re comfortable seeking guidance, giving and receiving feedback, and you can communicate clearly when you need support.  

You are eager to tackle new challenges and ready to help DCF evolve and adapt into this next phase of impact.