Conference Director – Organic Growers School (Part-Time, Hybrid | WNC)

About OGS

Through accessible, peer-to-peer education and collaborative networks, Organic Growers School empowers individuals and communities in Southern Appalachia to advance organic growing practices, strengthen local food systems, and promote food sovereignty in ways that nourish both people and the planet. We envision a thriving local food community that protects the environment and ensures abundance, food sovereignty, and climate resilience.

We value:

• Organic growing and believe that it benefits the grower, the community, the consumer, and the earth.
• Ensuring quality, integrity, and equity in our organization and programming.
• Providing accessible, affordable, practical, and regionally appropriate education on organic and sustainable farming, gardening, eating, and living.
• Building community and strengthening connections among people, healthy food, and land.

About the Role

The Conference Director holds strategic and operational ownership of OGS's Annual Spring Conference — one of the Southeast's premier gatherings for organic growers and farmers. This is a leadership role responsible for directing a cross-functional conference team, shaping curriculum, overseeing all vendor and contractor relationships, and ensuring a high-quality, mission-aligned experience for attendees. This is a year-round position with significant seasonal fluctuations in workload and intensity.

Core Responsibilities

Program Planning & Curriculum Leadership

• Lead the vision and development of the overall conference curriculum and schedule, ensuring alignment with OGS's mission and community needs.
• Recruit, orient, and provide ongoing direction to Track Leaders throughout the planning cycle, in coordination with OGS Programs staff.
• Oversee contract development with special guest speakers, conference venues, food providers, and other vendors in coordination with the Director of Finance.
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for all speakers — setting expectations, providing logistical guidance, and ensuring a strong presenter experience.
• Own all conference financial planning and management in coordination with the Director of Finance, including developing, monitoring and achieving an annual conference budget.

Venue Operations & On-Site Leadership

• Design, refine, and own all systems and operations for on-site conference logistics.
• Lead site and facilities contract negotiations, pre-event planning, and on-site coordination and oversight.
• Direct pre- and post-conference setup and breakdown in collaboration with the Volunteer Coordinator.
• Coordinate A/V planning and training with venue partners.
• Oversee classroom assignments, speaker lounge and community room setup, volunteer check-in systems, bookstore, and pre-conference site logistics.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all Spring Conference attendee inquiries via email and phone.
• Direct scholarship and registration systems in the lead-up to conference weekend and oversee on-site registration, check-in processes, and volunteer training.
• Partner with the Development Director on all exhibit hall planning and execution.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Team to develop and implement conference signage and print materials.

Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the development, distribution, and review of all conference evaluations.
• Synthesize and share evaluation reports and analysis with relevant stakeholders, and apply findings to improve future conference planning.

Team & Contractor Direction

• Lead and facilitate regular conference team meetings, maintaining clear documentation and communication systems.
• Oversee project management, including timelines, team member deliverables and accountability mechanisms. 
• Provide direct oversight, direction, and accountability for all conference contractors and contracted service providers.
• Coordinate effectively across all conference coordination staff to ensure smooth team operations and clear role ownership.
• Partner with the Marketing Team to plan marketing strategy and on all digital, print, and outreach materials.
• Develop overall funding strategy, including pricing, sponsorship and exhibitor curation, grants, other fundraising mechanisms (raffles, book sales, merch, etc.) with other Staff.
• Oversee subteam structures, assess staffing needs, and ensure appropriate training and onboarding for team members.
• Drive year-round planning, systems improvements, and timeline development across the conference team.
• Serve as the primary communication bridge between the conference team and the broader OGS staff and Board of Directors.

OGS Staff Responsibilities

• Attend OGS monthly all-staff meetings and Programs team meetings. Share workshop and committee facilitation responsibilities with other staff as needed.
• Present program accomplishments, challenges, and learnings to staff, board, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain organized, up-to-date documentation within the organization's software management systems. 
• Represent OGS Programs at external workshops, conferences, and events as needed.

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years experience with coordinating speakers and developing educational curriculum, ideally with knowledge of and experience working within sustainable food and farming systems. 
• 3+ years of project planning and management experience, including demonstrated success leading and executing a large-scale event such as a regional conference.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage contractors and vendor relationships with confidence and clarity.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, including experience engaging with diverse communities and populations.
• Strong facilitation skills and comfort navigating group dynamics in a team leadership role.
• Comfortable giving constructive feedback to peers, leadership and contractors.
• Proficiency or quick adaptability with web-based project management tools such as HubSpot, Asana, Squarespace, and Google Suite.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and competing deadlines.
• Solid people skills as well as strong written and verbal communication skills
• A collaborative, creative, and solutions-oriented approach to your work.
• Comfortable and effective working remotely.

Compensation & Work Details

Hours This is a part-time position averaging 25 hours per week, with significant seasonal fluctuation. The typical annual rhythm of the role looks like this:

• April – September: 10–15 hrs/wk — lighter planning, systems work, and team coordination
• October – December: 20–25hrs/wk — curriculum development, speaker outreach, and logistical groundwork
• January – February: 25–35 hrs/wk — accelerating preparations as conference approaches
• March: 30–45 hours/week — peak season, including conference weekend itself

The above flow is only an estimate, and individuals may experience a different flow.  Candidates should be comfortable with this kind of seasonal ebb and flow, and ideally have experience structuring their own time and priorities accordingly.

Location: This is a hybrid position. The majority of work can be done remotely, with regular in-person time at OGS's office in Asheville, NC, and at various locations across Western North Carolina throughout the year. Candidates must be based in the Western NC region, as on-the-ground presence, including during conference weekends, is an essential part of the role.

Organic Growers School is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to prioritizing social justice and inclusiveness within all of our operations. We welcome candidates of all backgrounds and value life experience and achievements. We define diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, culture, socioeconomic status, personality, ability, education, geographic region, age, experience, values, politics, appearance, religion, mental health, and immigration status, or other non-merit-based factors.