Events & Strategic Partnerships Coordinator

AT LA COCINA, everything we do is done with hospitality, for our community, and in the service of opportunity and inclusivity. Our work is to transform the economic conditions that have put up barriers for women, working-class people, immigrants, and people of color in the food industry by providing affordable kitchen spaces, training, resources, and community to talented entrepreneurs so they can build thriving businesses. We center our entrepreneurs in everything that we do, including making working directly with entrepreneurs a requirement of all employees at the organization. We look for passionate, mission-driven individuals that are just as outraged by current social and political structures as we are, and who are touched by the power that food has to transform lives. We’re able to achieve all of this because of the energy you bring and share with others. You can learn more about the organization at www.lacocinasf.org. 

JOB SUMMARY | You will coordinate La Cocina large scale events across multiple stakeholders to create access to market opportunities that result in revenue generation for our entrepreneurs and La Cocina while continuing to develop our brand and reputation throughout the Bay Area.  You also aim to create new profitable sales opportunities for our entrepreneurs and La Cocina through strategic industry partnerships.

• CENTERING ENTREPRENEURS | At La Cocina, 20% of your time (approximately 400 hours) will be dedicated to centering the entrepreneurs. This is achieved by delivering technical assistance to participants and graduates of the La Cocina program, participating and engaging with the businesses directly (attending soft openings, speaking/promoting the businesses at networking events, etc.) and supporting events that center the businesses (e.g. loading in and out at Outside Lands). This looks different for each staff member at La Cocina, based on your role and the unique skills and interests that you are able to share.

• COMMIT TO THE MISSION, VALUES, AND VISION – You must motivate yourself and others to accomplish La Cocina’s goals while remaining committed to our core values (hospitality, community, opportunity, and inclusivity) and ensuring that we're all working towards our vision.

• BE A STRATEGIC PARTNER – You’ll work closely across La Cocina teams to identify, coordinate, and support opportunities that advance entrepreneur success while ensuring that La Cocina’s mission and values guide successful outcomes for participants and graduates.

• ECOSYSTEM BUILDING – Cultivate and maintain local industry partnerships and resources to recruit, vet, and build a robust pipeline of access-to-market opportunities for entrepreneurs. Steward relationships with key stakeholders and partners to expand opportunities for La Cocina businesses and strengthen community connections.

• EVENT PLANNING & EXECUTION – Collaborate across teams to develop and execute the annual events calendar within budget. Lead coordination across internal teams, sponsors, consultants, volunteers, and external partners to ensure successful event execution from ideation through follow-up. This includes overseeing sponsor relationships, coordinating marketing efforts with the communications team, ensuring staff and volunteer roles are clearly defined and communicated, and partnering with the program team to support entrepreneur readiness and participant business success.

• Other duties that align with the overall skill set and responsibilities of this role may be assigned, as needed.

• LEADERSHIP | All members of the La Cocina staff display leadership by participating in the annual planning and budgeting process for the organization, the annual review process for other members of the staff, and by supporting recruiting initiatives for open roles within the organization.  This culture of feedback leads to our collective team’s growth and success.

• IMPACT REPORTING AND TECHNOLOGY | Reporting on activities using technology systems including Salesforce is an essential part of La Cocina’s ability to tell the story of the work we do and the impact we are having. Your diligent use of and efficient response to these reporting systems and requests are essential to our ability to raise funds and accurately reflect our impact.

• Demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional customer service, with a strong focus on understanding and meeting customer needs. Committed to creating positive, memorable experiences by actively listening, problem-solving, and maintaining a customer-first approach in all interactions.

• Proven ability to drive revenue growth through new product development, marketing, branding, and partnerships while effectively managing P&L and overall business strategy. 

• Skilled in using data analytics to evaluate business metrics, enabling informed, strategic decisions that align with growth objectives and operational efficiency. 

• Ability to clearly communicate complex concepts, adapt teaching methods to various learning styles, and foster an engaging, inclusive learning environment that encourages participation and knowledge retention.

• A passionate commitment to racial and gender equity in business ownership with deep experience working within low income communities.

• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees, entrepreneurs, local government, commercial real estate, building trades, and food industry leaders, consulting experts, and the general public.

• Thoughtful and eager participant in community-wide events and initiatives.

• Being bilingual in Spanish and English will serve you well in this role.

TIME OFF RESTRICTIONS

Avoid substantial time off during any major fundraising campaigns, business pilot launches, business pilot launches, organizational and strategic retreats and budget periods, highly active launch period, all La Cocina development special events and for any large donor or partner commitments. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY