Eat Real nourishes the future of American school children by putting real food on the table at school, at home, and in local and national policy. Our award-winning K-12 certification program provides foodservice leaders with the framework and guidance they need to make their school menus delicious, nutritious, and planet-sustaining. Alongside our community of food system advocates, chefs, and parents, we spread the word about the power and urgency of serving real food at every meal. And we leverage our unique vantage point to drive system change, advocating for healthier policies and higher food standards at the local, state, and national level so every child can look forward to a healthy future.
As of 2023, Eat Real’s certification program includes over 600 schools across the country, helping make up to 129 million delicious, nutritious meals accessible for 360,000 students. Our community-driven K-12 program and certification model helped our participating districts remove up to 1.5M pounds of sugar from their menus, add up to 7.1M plant-based entrees, and sustainably source up to 645,000 lbs of produce in the 2022-23 school year alone.
Two questions lie at the heart of our strategy: 1. What’s the shortest possible route to the greatest possible impact? 2. How can we make changing the world more fun? That means we’re not building an institution; we’re building a rocketship. We are pioneering a model that delivers the values of a nonprofit — accountable, transparent, impact-driven, and heart-led — with the tactics and structure of the most effective start-ups — agile, experimental, industrious, and compact.
We’ve increased our impact by 1100% since adopting our certification model in 2019 — and we’re just getting started! 2024 and 2025 are all about fullscale national growth. It’s an incredible time to join our team. Together, we’re going to nourish the future for every child in America.
THE ROLE
The Program Manager, K-12 Program will be the face of the Eat Real Certification program and support/cheerlead our school districts going through their certification journey, building a community for school food heroes who are passionate about doing what’s right for their students. As Eat Real expands their certification program nationally, this person will be responsible for stewarding district relationships in new states and regions. They will report to the Director, K-12 Program and will work in close collaboration with the Program team, as well as other departments in this small but growing nonprofit.
Primary Responsibilities
K-12 Certification Program Management
Relationship management: Guide new and existing school districts through the Eat Real K-12 Certification program, serving as the primary liaison for customer service and account management
Understand new landscapes: Develop a comprehensive understanding of state and regional school food landscapes with new districts and their key stakeholders
Certification project management: Create tailored project plans for each participating school district to ensure the success of the Eat Real Certification program and lead necessary adaptations to project plans and timelines
Program enhancement: Collaborate with the Program team to update and refine certification program tools and processes as needed, identifying areas for improvement and innovation
Engagement facilitation: Coordinate and facilitate engagement activities and meetings (virtual and in-person) with school district participants, fostering a network of like-minded leaders in the real food movement
Other Program Support
Strategic contribution: Actively contribute to the evolution, growth, and strategic planning of the Program team as Eat Real continues to scale
Collaborative problem-solving: Work closely with the Program team to address challenges related to relationship management, standards and assessments, and certification program processes
Product development: Assist in the creation of new K-12 products that expand the reach and impact of the real food movement beyond the Eat Real K-12 Certification program
General Organization Support
Event planning: Contribute to Eat Real event planning initiatives that foster school district relationships
Content creation: Support the marketing team to craft content for the Eat Real website, blog, and social media channels
Partnership development: Participate in the development and management of external partnerships that align with Eat Real's mission
The above is an overview of the job; as needs arise there will be additional miscellaneous responsibilities.
Requirements
4+ years experience in customer success, relationship and program management, with preference for school food experience or related fields (nutrition education, school garden, or other relevant fields)
Strong strategic, analytical and critical thinking skills to identify, address, and problem-solve challenges that arise
Aptitude for relationship building and networking across varied stakeholders
Sophisticated project management skills, including organization and time management skills
Builder mindset: comfort with ambiguity, enjoys starting from scratch
Impeccable attention to detail
Strong collaborative & inclusive working style
Self-direction, integrity, tenacity, and a “let’s get it done” attitude
Alignment with team values:
Serve Heroes, and Each Other
Culture of Continuous Improvement
Leave Room for Magic
It’s Fun to Change the World
Know your way around cloud-based software applications, including Asana, Slack, Zoom, G Suite, Canva, CRM
Bachelor’s Degree preferred
Sense of humor required
Other Requirements
Eat Real is a 100% remote environment based in California. Must be able to work remotely and attend in-person coworking days as needed. Preference for California.
Work schedule is flexible with availability during standard business hours expected as well as flexibility for evenings or weekend hours for special events and meetings, as needed. Ability to travel as needed. Driver’s license and ability to lift up to fifty pounds required.
Compensation
For this role, the estimated base salary range is between $80,000-110,000. The actual base salary will vary based on factors including market and individual qualifications, objectively assessed during the interview process. The listed range above is a guideline, and the base salary range for this role may be modified.
Our employees’ health and well-being come first. Our benefits package includes:
Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage
Spring Health mental wellness subscription
Parental leave program
Unlimited PTO
401K
What Else You Need To Know
Eat Real is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our organization and in our work. Every day we actively work to create a healthy, delicious future for our colleagues, communities, and planet.
Compensation: From $80,000.00 to $110,000.00 per year
Seniority level
Mid-Senior level
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Project Management and Information Technology
Industries
Non-profit Organizations
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