Job Description
Community Development Manager
Ecosystem for Plant-Based Foods & Proteins
Context
Founded in 2002, Bridge2Food is a networking business providing events, research, and community services. Bridge2Food focuses on the transition toward a plant-based diet. Driven by concerns around health, ethics, and sustainability, the world is shifting towards greater consumption of plant-based, fermentation, and other sources of protein as a proportion of the diet. This shift is being supported by various policy initiatives as the issue of food security rises. The major food producers are looking to service this demand with products that have better taste & texture, an attractive price point & enhanced nutritional profile.
Bridge2Food helps players across the value chain achieve this: from agriculture / ingredients / processing & machinery / research & development institutions and organisations / FMCG suppliers / retailers / investors. We help by fostering new connections across the value chain through our summits (Europe, North America & Asia); we help educate professionals through our academies (same geographies); and we help create communities like the Global Plant-Based Foods diet, allowing them to raise & address issues through our online ecosystem meetings. We also get involved in bespoke research projects that leverage the power of our network.
Bridge2Food has recently entered a strategic partnership with the Arc Network, global events, data, and information group focused on innovative collaboration tools that are sustainably guided. Arc’s investment into Bridge2Food is allowing the business to scale in terms of our operations and team, creating new, exciting employment opportunities.
Goal
The key deliverable of this role is to grow & galvanise communities, both internal and external. The Ecosystem Manager can have the most impact, influence, and value when there is alignment with the personality of the individual, trust in the brand, value to the people, and the current waves of policy.
The Partnerships Manager’s biggest value is being the lead for all existing and new partners / and the Partnerships Manager’s biggest asset is trust. Relationships are built on honesty, helpfulness, and fun, allowing a Partnerships Manager to have deep situational awareness of the industry landscape and sentiment.
The role is appearing to “spider in the web connecting partners with each other and with Bridge2Food.” You will work closely together with the Ecosystem partners (clients), as well as internally with the Ecosystem Community Manager & Marketing colleagues. We expect you to take a “full stack ecosystem” approach, making sure to add value to food brands, ingredient companies, technology providers, research institutes, universities and agri-organisations, founders, investors, capital sources, and government organisations. You will give important input from partners for online meetings on future trends, collaboration, research projects, and partner presentations.
The Ecosystem Plant-Based Foods & Proteins was founded in 2018 and currently has more than 100 partners from retail, food manufacturing, ingredients, technology, research institutes, and universities worldwide. More than 300 partner experts from those organisations thrive the Ecosystem to the next level and they work and contribute to a plant-based food & protein transition. For more detail, please see: https://bridge2food.wp2.go2people.nl/summits/industry-ecosystem-plant-based-foods-proteins/ and the Ecosystem presentation.
Core duties
> Lead Business & Business development for the Ecosystem Community: you are responsible for everything related to the partners and partnerships, including a budget responsibility
> Grow the Ecosystem Communities with new Partners (Existing Industry Ecosystem and New Research Ecosystem) – you will be working with our Ecosystem Community Manager, Marketing Managers, and Conference Manager to grow the Ecosystems, manage incoming leads, and ensure prospective members represent a good fit for our community.
> Grow our engagement with stakeholders in the ecosystem – you will represent the Ecosystem together with the Ecosystem Community Manager externally, raising awareness of our brand and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with key stakeholders within the wider ecosystem
> Lead the business development of Bridge2Food in future European Research Projects
> Manage partnerships – creating opportunities to engage with partners in a way that generates maximum value for our community.
> Build the Ecosystem by developing more Associate Partnerships with experts in different regions around the world
> Outreach – this will involve preparing relevant Ecosystem meetings with external audiences together with the Innovation Manager, participating in conferences and speaking engagements, networking, and more.
Requirements
The following requirements are set for your profile to fulfil this position as a minimum:
> Work Experience
– At least 5 years of work experience, preferably in an international business development, account, partnership role
– Ideally experience in the international food sector
– A good understanding of global food industry trends, and preferably in Plant-Based Foods & Proteins
> Competencies & Skills
– Very good communication skills, verbal and written as well as interpersonal
– Excellent conceptual and analytical capabilities
– Fluent in English, and preferably also in another language (e.g. German, French, or Spanish)
> Personality & Character Traits
– Pro-active / self-starter / uses initiative / resilient / problem solver / passionate networker
– Excellent planning and organization, accuracy and structure
– Preference for working in a small, close-knit team
– Interest in and willingness to travel (approx. 7 weeks per year)
Our core values
> Ambition: Think big, act with an eye for detail. Spot opportunities and choose to capitalize on them. Dream and make it happen!
> Impact: Go for superior quality, inspire and be proud of it. Give and receive and in that order. The process is more important than the outcome.
> Commitment: Get involved with your heart and soul and no less. Contact takes precedence over contract: let your heart speak. Take time for relationship development: think long term.
> Innovation (growth): Strive for continuous improvement. Learn, pass on, and do.
> Together: Working and collaborating. Connection leads to results. The customer is important, we are important, and our relationship is important.
To apply:
Send your CV and cover letter to Vincent Brain, General Manager, Bridge2Food (vbrain@bridge2food.com)
