Director, Marketing & Operations

About Us 

Harlem Grown’s mission is to inspire youth to live healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. 

Harlem Grown operates 13 urban agricultural sites featuring 5 soil-based urban farms, 4 school gardens, 3 hydroponic greenhouses, and a mushroom chamber.  All of our sites are located between 122 and 152 Streets in Central Harlem, Manhattan. 

Since 2021, our programming has served over 10,000 youth in Harlem, we've produced and distributed over 100,000 servings of food, and diverted over 50,000 pounds of food scraps into local compost operations. 

Our Programs 

Harlem Grown provides youth and community development programs focused on urban farming, wellness, and sustainability through the lens of racial justice, food justice, social justice, and equity. Our youth focused programs include intensive school partnerships, educational farm tours, a summer camp, a Saturday enrichment program, monthly community events, an afterschool program, and our Mobile Teaching Kitchen. Our community development programs open to all ages include wellness workshops, special events, food scrap collection for composting, and fresh produce distribution to participants, volunteers, and neighborhood residents. 

Position Summary: The Director, Marketing & Operations is responsible for optimizing the reach and efficiency of Harlem Grown’s Advancement team. Day-to-day, the Director oversees three critical functions: (1) direct response fundraising; (2) development operations; and (3) brand development. An adept leader, the Director activates a growing team of direct report(s) and vendors, using available resources to greatest impact and return on investment. A subject-matter expert in data-driven fundraising, the Director serves as a business partner to leadership and Advancement team members, working collaboratively and communicating openly and proactively. Through all facets of their work, the Director leads continual innovation, process optimization, and elevation of the donor experience. The Director is responsible for the advancement and management of all staff and vendors related to direct response. The Director will report directly to the Senior Director of Advancement and will supervise operations, direct response, and marketing staff and vendors. 

 

Key Responsibilities: 

Direct response fundraising (30%) 

The Director will conceptualize, build, and develop a robust integrated, omnichannel fundraising program to attract, retain, engage, and grow a broad base of supporters. 

• Develop and execute a multi-year strategic plan to achieve organization goals for revenue growth, revenue sustainability, new-supporter acquisition, and donor retention. 

• Supervise and strategically activate direct reports and vendors involved in direct response. 

• Manage investments in direct response to highest impact, including multi-year financial returns. 

• Lead the development and implementation of Harlem Grown’s donor journey. 

• Lead message development and testing, using effective storytelling to interest, inspire, and ask for investment in the vision and mission of the organization; contribute to developing content, as needed. 

• Leverage data and analytics to understand Harlem Grown’s donors, uncover opportunities, refine strategies, direct resources of greatest impact, and achieve organizational goals. 

• Leverage emerging technologies and engagement practices to continually enhance the supporter/donor experience, including through personalization. 

• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to source ideas, align messaging, and exchange resources. 

 

Development Operations (50%) 

The Director will conceptualize, build, and develop a full-spectrum development operations function, including: planning and forecasting, data and analytics, gift processing and reconciliation, database management, donor relations and engagement, funding opportunity development, collateral development, and lead generation/research. 

• Develop and execute a multi-year strategic plan to build the operational capacity of the Advancement team in alignment with organizational goals for revenue sustainability, resource optimization, and talent development. Supervise and strategically activate direct reports and vendors involved in operations. 

• Lead all aspects of revenue data management, collaborating with Department leadership, Finance, and other stakeholders to develop plans, track progress, update projections, understand trends, and anticipate opportunities and challenges. 

• Ensure seamless gift processing and acknowledgement, in collaboration with Finance. 

• Lead continual enhancement of the donor experience through centralized donor relations, cultivation, and stewardship. 

• Lead the development of ‘shared services’ for portfolio managers, including collateral development, funding opportunity design, and lead generation/research. 

• Oversee optimization of the CRM and other Development-related software for relationship-based fundraising, leveraging experts and vendors. 

• Oversee ongoing systematization, documentation, and cross-training of development workflows and processes. 
• Serve as liaison to IT for all Advancement team system needs. 

 

Brand development (20%) 

• Develop and execute a multi-year strategic plan to build Harlem Grown’s brand in alignment with organizational goals for reach, influence, and impact. 

• Oversee all external/public marketing, communications, and public relations activities. 

• Lead development of brand messaging and continually build organizational consistency and fluency in storytelling. 

• Oversee production of storytelling, marketing, and/or branding content for all departments, using rigorous prioritization and systematized collaboration to maintain efficiency. 

 
Qualifications:  

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in direct response and/or development operations. 

• Experience with gift processing, financial reconciliation, and forecasting preferred. 

• Experience with storytelling, marketing, and/or brand-building preferred; alignment with ethical, community-centric approaches required. 

• Proven track record of leading diverse stakeholders through change. 

• Ability to conceptualize new strategies, workflows, practices, and processes. 

• Ability to build and scale cross-functional workflows. 

• Fluency in development and marketing data management, with advanced analytical capabilities, including the ability to uncover trends and anticipate challenges/opportunities 

• Excellent verbal & written communication skills and demonstrated ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately and concisely. 

• Ability to self-motivate and work well with and through others. 

• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize effectively, meet short deadlines and thrive within a very fast-paced, professionally rigorous environment. 

• Proficiency with standard MS Office suite: Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Word, etc. 

• Experience with Salesforce and Quickbooks preferred. 

 

 #LI-Onsite

 

At Harlem Grown, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of what we do. We are an equal opportunity employer, and are committed to creating a culture of inclusivity, where each individual feels as if their identity, experience, and values are represented and supported. We are dedicated to creating a space where children, especially those of color, are given the opportunity and skills to lead healthy and ambitious lives. We strongly believe in building a team that reflects and appreciates the underrepresented population of students, families, and people that we serve. Become a member of our family.