Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
Title: Program Manager, Cooperative Development
Reports to: Program Director
Classification: Full-time, Exempt
A note on the current state of our work environment:
Veggielution is open and staff are considered essential workers, and we adhere to all of
Santa Clara County’s public health guidelines and regulations. COVID-19 vaccines are
mandated for all Veggielution employees.
Veggielution is hiring a Program Manager for Cooperative Development. Under the
direction of the Program Director, the Cooperative Development Manager will support
Eastside Grown graduates income-generating projects with coaching, technical
assistance, and networking, including relationship-building with institutional partners.
The Eastside Grown Program is a multi-year program that promotes economic mobility
by increasing knowledge on how to start value-driven and local food businesses for
entrepreneurs at varying stages of business development. Eastside Grown is part of a
Si Se Puede Collective (SSPC) initiative called Jobs to Grow, which seeks to impact
food business and child care entrepreneurs at the individual, interpersonal, community,
and organizational levels.
During the first year, the Cooperative Development Manager will primarily support the
launch, contract bidding, financial management, and marketing with a worker-owned
cooperative business of Eastside Grown graduates. The range of responsibilities
includes co-designing the business plan with worker-owners, recruitment, on-boarding,
and continuing training support for new worker-owners, preparing curriculum and
agendas for meetings, legal incorporation and governance issues, individual and group
leadership development coaching, project evaluation, contract bidding and
management, and building a movement toward a solidarity economy.
The position is expected to evolve to respond to emerging opportunities for
income-generation for excluded and vulnerable workers in the City of San Jose and the
Santa Clara County food systems. The right candidate for the job will contribute to the
long-term success of Veggielution.
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/
Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
Organizational Overview
With an annual budget of just over $3 million, Veggielution connects thousands of San
José residents each year through programs that encourage experiential learning and
deep connection. We are located in Emma Prusch Farm Park in the Mayfair
neighborhood of East San José. Through Veggielution’s three key program
platforms—Food Sovereignty, Community Engagement, and Environmental
Education—our aim is to work with our East San José neighbors to ensure that they
experience a richness of community life and health that combats social isolation and
provides the support needed to create more robust social networks and take positive
action in our community. Our goal is to engage residents throughout Santa Clara
County, with a special emphasis on fostering community and family engagement in the
low-income, working immigrant community of East San José. We believe that through
shared conversations and experiences, healthy food and outdoor learning, Veggielution
can help to build social capital in East San José and change attitudes and policies
toward low-income residents by strengthening diverse and multicultural social networks.
Veggielution is one of five anchor organizations in the Mayfair neighborhood of East
San José, including Amigos de Guadalupe, Grail Family Services, the School of Arts
and Culture at MHP, SOMOS Mayfair that comprises the Sí Se Puede Collective
(SSPC.) The SSPC formalizes the shared commitment of these organizations to serve
low-income families living in the Mayfair community. By coordinating the work of these
organizations, the SSPC aims to produce a much greater positive impact in the
community than any one organization can do alone.
Position Summary
The Cooperative Development Manager works under the direction of the Program
Director to join our team and support the development, launch, and growth of a
worker-owned cooperative alongside other income-generating opportunities for and with
Eastside Grown graduates. We are seeking a business developer with a proven record
of commitment to worker and immigrant justice.
The Eastside Grown Program is a multi-year program that promotes economic mobility
by increasing knowledge on how to start value-driven and local food businesses for
entrepreneurs at varying stages of business development. Eastside Grown is part of a
Si Se Puede Collective (SSPC) initiative called Jobs to Grow, which seeks to impact
food business and child care entrepreneurs at the individual, interpersonal, community,
and organizational levels. This initiative tests the SSPC’s theory of change that
community engagement, learning and capacity building, collective action, and
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/
Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
coordinated and universal access help us achieve short-term and long-term outcomes
that foster neighborhood belonging, collective agency, and economic well-being. Our
learnings from this initiative also influence systemic investments and policy change.
This role requires business development experience, ideally with worker-owned
cooperatives. Ideal candidates will be analytic problem solvers with strong relationship
management capabilities. They will be responsible, resourceful, proactive,
self-motivated, flexible, adept at managing change, have a strong interest in food,
community, entrepreneurship, and driven by our mission to connect people from diverse
backgrounds through food and farming to build community in East San Jose.
The Cooperative Development Manager will work directly with the Veggielution Program
Director and Eastside Grown Program Team, as well as Jobs to Grow initiative team
members from other SSPC agencies.
This is a full-time, exempt position, with a five-day work week including Saturdays.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
1. Worker-Owned Cooperative Development (60%)
● Support the incubation and on-going growth/partnership with an LLC as a
worker cooperative business through project management, education,
coordination of technical assistance, and coaching.
● Support a cooperative of workers owners who are Eastside Grown graduates
(resident-food-entrepreneurs) to build strong governance and management
systems.
● Participate in a six-month worker cooperative training and coaching series led
by Democracy at Work Institute
● Train one or more of the member-owners as Member Administrator(s) during
the first year of cooperative development.
● Engage technical assistance partners such as accountants, consultants and
training partners in cooperative business development efforts based on
stages of development & needs.
● Create and adapt cooperative development guides and tools and help the
team reflect on and improve them.
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/
Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
● Give shape to the work between the new worker-owned cooperative,
Veggielution and the Si Se Puede Collective. May involve regular planning
meetings, retreats and regular evaluative data collection and collective
analysis.
2. Business Coaching & Technical Assistance (20%)
● Provide ongoing business management technical assistance to the
cooperative, including coordinating with technical assistance providers
● Provide coaching to worker-owners to develop their business management
and leadership skills
● Conduct research for worker cooperatives and small businesses, as needed,
and/or in coordination with technical partners (market research, local
programs or resources, legal and tax issues, etc.); make referrals when
appropriate
● Develop & facilitate workshops to support member-owners to effectively
manage & govern their businesses
● Support workers and member-owners engage with and move through conflict
that might arise in the group
● Manage initial contract(s) with institutional partners and onboard
member-owners to contract management and bidding procedures for future
contracts.
3. Laying a Foundation for Scaling Projects (10%)
● Identifying resources and growing partnerships with our institutional partners.
● Maintain relationships in our local worker cooperative ecosystem.
● Tools & systems development that have the capacity to be used as shared
infrastructure for other organizations such as SSPC
● Work with the cooperative team members to negotiate contracts to and
bidding for contracts for city, county and state food systems labor.
4. Program Administration and Data Collection (10%)
● Work with the Program Director and Program Team to develop and manage
annual program budgets, calendars, evaluation, and objectives.
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/
Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
● Support development of a positive work environment grounded in
interpersonal trust, cooperation, and communication
● Works closely with the Member-Owner Team and Veggielution’s Executive
Director to build and scale up Eastside Grown LLC
● Schedule and complete weekly team meetings with key staff to evaluate and
prepare work plans
● Support Development Manager in ongoing reporting to highlight lessons
learned, strengths and capacity building needs
● Tools & systems development to streamline program administration and
remain outcomes-driven
Education and Experience Requirements
● Demonstrated deep commitment to and belief in Veggielution’s mission
● Proficient at empathizing and engaging with diverse communities, particularly
those that have been historically disenfranchised
● Experience with entrepreneurship, workforce and small business development,
marketing, business finance or lived entrepreneurial experience.
● Strong organizational and logistical skills
● Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills, teamwork orientation, and
ability to motivate wide range of people with a sensitivity to issues of cultural
diversity
● Experience supporting outcome assessment and program evaluation
● Demonstrated experience in informal education, popular education, or facilitation
techniques
● High proficiency in Spanish and English written and/or spoken is required
● Office and project management software proficiency, including Microsoft Office,
Google Workspace, SalesForce, and Trello
● Experience working with cooperatives or other democratic organizations a plus
● Eagerness to learn about and strengthen the cooperative economics/solidarity
economy movement locally and nationally, especially with immigrant communities
● B.A. in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance related, Public
Administration, Social Work, Community Development or a minimum of three
years of equivalent work experience
Key Desired Content Expert Areas
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/
Veggielution
www.veggielution.org | [email protected]
647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116 | (408) 753-6705
● Business Planner & Developer
● Social Entrepreneur
● Financial Analyst
● Social Justice Advocate
● Communications & Marketing Expert
PLEASE NOTE
You may be a strong candidate even if you don’t have all of the skills and characteristics
described above. You might have important skills not listed here. If you are excited
about this position and what you can bring to our work, we want to read your
application.
Working Conditions
● Non-conventional mix of office and outdoor work environment requires affinity for
interacting with visitors in a farm setting.
● Tuesday-Saturday work week with occasional early morning or late evening work
Compensation
Salary: $72,000 per year, plus excellent health benefits, professional development
funds, and generous paid time off. Because we know the practice of compensation
negotiation can contribute to pay inequities, this compensation rate is non-negotiable.
Veggielution is committed to being a multicultural organization that embraces shared
leadership and is passionate about achieving social justice.
To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to: [email protected]
Veggielution is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Applicants are considered for
employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual
orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disability or veteran status.
Application deadline: Open until filled.
Learn about us at: www.veggielution.org and https://www.sspcmayfair.org/