Position A – Savour Ottawa Culinary Tourism Assistant
Position B – Just Food Start-Up Farm Program Assistant
Position C – Just Food Communications Assistant
TO APPLY – All of the following must be met:
- Please send your resumé and cover letter within one attached document to info@justfood.ca by 5pm on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. The document title must include your name and position(s) you are applying for, e.g. “Jane Smith Culinary Communications Application.pdf”.
- Your email must have the subject line “Summer Student Hiring” for it to be considered.
- Contact information for 3 references must be provided within your resumé.
- Please indicate which job(s) you would like to be considered for.
- Please relate your personal skills/experience to what we’re looking for below.
- Ensure that you meet the age and educational criteria.
All those who apply will be contacted by email to let you know if you were selected or not.
Summer Student Work Terms:
Position A is 3-4 days/week over the summer, specific hours to be negotiated. (217.5 hours will be covered by the SEP program, with additional hours paid by Just Food).
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a postsecondary institution or within six months from graduation and have not yet reached the age of 25 upon commencement of employment. Must be a resident of Ontario. Sponsored by Ontario Summer Experience Program.
Positions B and C are full-time positions (35 hours/week) for 10 weeks. Applicants must be 30 years of age or under at the start of the employment; have been registered as full-time students in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year. Sponsored by Employment and Social Development Canada Summer Jobs Program.
All positions offer a salary at $12/hour.
Interview Day: Monday, May 30, 2016 at Just Food Farm (2389 Pépin Court, Ottawa).
Positions are to start at the beginning of June.
General Requirements (for all positions):
- Keen interest in, commitment to, and some knowledge of sustainable food and/or farming systems and community-based initiatives.
- Ability to work independently in an office environment.
- Ability to use email, WordPress, database with contact information, Google Drive, social media (Facebook, Twitter).
- Comfortable and confident in speaking with members of the public and stakeholders in English (by phone and in person). Other languages considered an asset.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to balance taking initiative with strong team communication skills.
Job Descriptions:
A) Savour Ottawa Culinary Tourism Assistant
The Summer Experience Program student will be working on culinary tourism initiatives at Just Food, including coordination of Savour Ottawa events, such as Summer Tables. With the guidance of a supervisor, the student will be responsible for implementing the following tasks:
- Develop and implement website and social media content for Savour Ottawa, including seasonal marketing materials for local food and culinary tourism opportunities (farmers’ markets, farm visits and tours, etc.).
- Collect business information/stories/pictures from members for 2016-2017 promotions.
- Develop Facebook and other social media platforms.
- Coordinate volunteers to send in pictures/stories throughout the summer, including from farmers’ markets, food businesses, events.
- Develop promotional options that link to members’ sites.
- Organizing retail events with local producers and processors.
- Support committee organizing Summer Tables.
- Recruit new members for Savour Ottawa.
- Work on developing tourism products to launch in 2017.
The student will interact with Savour Ottawa members (including farmers, food processors, restaurateurs, food retailers, and farmers’ markets) in coordinating events, developing marketing materials, and offering member support. They will also interact with the general public in order to distribute marketing information, promote events, and respond to public inquiries.
Qualifications (in addition to general requirements):
- Communications skills (interpersonal, written, online, public speaking, presentations, media releases).
- Marketing skills (preference given to students with experience developing print and online materials).
- Coordination and event planning skills.
- Excellent English language skills are critical; French language skills are identified as an additional and important asset.
The position is within the ‘tourism’ sector as it provides marketing and communications, event development, and community engagement in the culinary and agri-tourism sector. The student will support product development and marketing; they will also develop and deliver tourism experiences that combine education, culture, recreation and entertainment.
About Savour Ottawa:
Savour Ottawa is a culinary tourism initiative that develops economic development opportunities for local agricultural and food businesses. We help market and promote Ottawa and the surrounding area as a year-round food and drink tourism destination. We also help verify local farmers, so that consumers buying local food can have assurance that they are supporting local farms. We also work with restaurant/food service and grocery store/retail members to ensure they are buying a minimum amount of local food from the local farmers that are members of the program. The program is now in its ninth year (we will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary in 2017) and it has been recognized as one of the most successful buy local food initiatives in the province. The Savour Ottawa program is managed by Just Food, and is run in partnership with the City of Ottawa (Rural Affairs and Markets Management departments) and Ottawa Tourism.
B) Just Food Start-Up Farm Program Assistant
The Just Food Farm is a working farm in the NCC Greenbelt that currently houses a Start-Up Farm Program as well as long-term agricultural programs, community education and demonstration components on site. As part of this farm, Just Food offers access to land, equipment, and training to assist new farmers in the region in developing successful farm businesses. This position will support the further development of programs and community engagement at the farm site.
The position will include the following duties, under the supervision of Just Food staff:
- Assist with development of farmer training program: compile resources, research and notes from first three years of program, conduct interviews with program participants.
- Update website and social media content for Just Food Farm.
- Organize and document systems for on-farm use of equipment.
- Document and analyze evaluation results of farm programs for use in external communications.
- Organize and promote an open house event at the farm for the general public.
- Set up signage on site for educational purposes.
- Conduct outreach to recruit new participants for the Start Up Farm Program, including an information session, print and online materials.
- Assist with outreach and registration for educational workshops at the Just Food Farm on beekeeping, permaculture, organic agriculture, and other topics.
- A small part of the position will be for direct support of field work, including grass-cutting, monitoring and documenting site conditions, etc.
Qualifications (in addition to general requirements)
The ideal candidate will come with a variety of skills:
- Research and program/curriculum development skills.
- Coordination and event planning skills.
- Communications skills (interpersonal and written).
- Graphic design ability – to put together a poster for an event, signage on-farm, etc.
- Ability and interest to perform outdoor field work (including grass-cutting on riding lawn-mower).
C) Just Food Communications Assistant
The Just Food Communications Assistant will support Just Food’s communications platforms and strategies, including the creation of new promotional and marketing materials for various Just Food programs.
With the guidance of a supervisor, the student will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Support and implement new content for Just Food’s new website and social media including the development of profiles for community gardens, farmers, and food businesses.
- Promote ongoing and new Just Food programs and events.
- Contribute to the creation of a communications plan and content for city-wide food related legacy project for Ottawa’s sesquicentennial celebrations.
- Contribute to the maintenance of Just Food’s database.
- Assist day-to-day administration at Just Food when required.
Qualifications (in addition to general requirements):
- Ability to synthesize information effectively while designing messaging for promotional material.
- Ability to use multiple media formats to design high-quality promotional content.
- Ability to make decisions regarding design and formatting autonomously.
- Graphic design skills.
- Ability to use multiple communication channels in resourceful ways – print, online, through networks, etc.
- Ability to work with volunteers to generate content.
- Excellent English language skills.
- French language skills will be considered a strong asset within this position.
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