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CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a passionate, energetic senior manager to join our team as Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, overseeing all of CWK’s food business education, training, mentoring and support programs.
About CommonWealth Kitchen
At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission. We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ diverse start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education and training, mentoring, and coordinated market access to more than 200 diverse food companies annually, including food trucks, caterers, bakers, packaged goods companies, and restaurants.
Director of Entrepreneurship Programs
CommonWealth Kitchen uses three main levers of impact –Educational Programs, Market Access, and Kitchen Operations– to achieve our mission. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs manages CWK’s food business education programming, 1-on-1 technical assistance services, and network support. The position also oversees recruitment, permitting and start-up of businesses joining our shared kitchen, and collaborates closely with facilities, business development, marketing and fundraising teams.
The ideal candidate is a dynamic systems thinker and detail-oriented manager, able to design and implement culturally competent, highly effective adult education and business advisory services to meet entrepreneurs where they are and support and empower them along their journey from start-up to established business. The Director is a trusted partner, advocate, advisor, and connector. They operate with empathy, emotional intelligence and diligence in breaking down barriers, dismantling roadblocks, and building pathways that advance CWK’s vision of an equitable, sustainable food economy where all of us can participate and prosper.
CWK’s continuum of programs includes cohort-based classes and stand-alone workshops that cover topics such as business formation, insurance, sales and marketing, branding, financial management, and HR as well as topics specific to the food industry, including calculating COGs and margins, menu design, food safety, product formulation, recipe scaling, packaging and labeling. In addition, CWK provides peer coaching and mentoring, and manages strategic collaborations and fellowships with multiple industry partners.
The Director of Entrepreneurship Programs is not expected to be an expert in every aspect of CWK’s work. However, they should have a strong working knowledge of food business operations and finance, and be a strategic thinker, excellent networker, and relentless problem-solver with excellent communication and organizational skills.
Responsibilities
Entrepreneurship Program Management
Recruitment & Business Success
Community Stewardship: Core to CWK’s strategy is forging deep connections amongst CWK’s shared kitchen members, graduates and program alum, and with CWK’s extended partner and industry networks.
People Management & Business Operations
Qualifications and Qualities
Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions
CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $85,000 and $115,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.
The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility an average of 2-3 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours to run classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.
CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization. We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.
To apply
Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is looking for a dynamic go-getter to join our team as Entrepreneurship Program Associate. Under the direction of the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, this position will provide administrative and program management for support implementation of CWK’s core food business education and market access work.
About CommonWealth Kitchen
At CommonWealth Kitchen, food is our passion; equity is our mission.
We are an entrepreneurial nonprofit on a mission to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social, and economic justice. We operate Greater Boston’s only non-profit shared-use commercial kitchen, providing hourly rental to 50+ start-up and early-stage food companies annually, over 75% BIPOC-owned. We also operate a small-batch food manufacturing enterprise which provides outsourced processing to help emerging food businesses scale. To complement our kitchens, CWK offers a wide range of business education programming, reaching more than 250 diverse food companies annually. We also integrated coordinated market access to help food businesses scale, and advance our mission of building a sustainable food economy grounded in racial, social and economic justice.
This position reports to the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs and provides day-to-day support for all of CWK’s core food business education and market access work. The Program Associate assists with recruitment and onboarding of businesses to our shared kitchens, and helps organize business education and training programs and events to support our diverse community of food trucks, caterers, bakers, restaurants and product companies.
Primary Responsibilities
Qualifications
Salary, Benefits, Working Conditions
CommonWealth Kitchen anticipates the salary range to be between $50,000 and $65,000. CWK offers generous paid time off as well as group health insurance.
The selected candidate will need to work a hybrid work schedule, being on site at our Dorchester facility an average of 3 days/week, and must have some flexibility for remote evening and/or weekend hours to run classes and workshops, schedule check-ins with business owners, attend events, etc.
CommonWealth Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of our organization. We firmly believe that a diverse staff makes us a more successful organization.
To apply
Please fill in your information and attach your resume and cover letter through the form at the bottom of this page. Please do not email us directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.