Platform Consultant (REMOTE)

This position is: no longer accepting applications as of 12/5/21. We are still reviewing applications and plan to follow up with everyone by mid-December.

As of 12/11/21, we’ve followed up with every applicant for this position. If you don’t have an email from us, check your spam folder!

This is a part-time, fully remote, contract position with full time potential. Begins at 5-10 hours/week and can scale up based on the candidate’s performance, diversity of skills, and desired hours/availability. We are hiring for multiple positions and will consider combining two positions (targeting 20-40 hours/week) for the right candidate.

Responsibilities

We develop effective solutions that help our clients achieve their goals. Most of the time, these clients are small family farms who need our help building their image, being found online, and increasing their sales. Sometimes they’re also local food non-profits or government agencies with more communication-oriented needs.

This position takes ownership of understanding precise client needs, specifying platforms (and specific solutions within those platforms) to meet needs, as well as configuring platforms and implementing those solutions.

The ideal candidate is an analytical explorer who enjoys getting to know clients, solving problems, and figuring things out. They will listen carefully to client needs (typically around e-commerce), ask thoughtful questions, offer ideas, take careful notes, write up specs, and then dig in to research. For instance, many farms may need an e-commerce platform that will enable the farm to sell online for both market pickup and home delivery — but the business rules vary significantly from one farm to the next. They may sell products with variable weights; they may need ordering to be unavailable one day a week while they catch up inventory; they have varying order schedule/turnaround needs; they may require a single tool that handles POS and online sales; they may need advance pre-order functionality (with or without deposits, product add-ons, and cut forms); they may offer shipping. Likewise, they have different priorities on their wishlists. So one farm may be willing to trade the ability to sell variable weight products for a lower platform subscription fee, and another farm may be willing to pay more for a platform that lets them have custom-designed website.

This process involves asking thoughtful questions, taking careful notes, digging into each client’s unique needs and scenario, and testing our ideas hands-on in the platform. There’s no room for assumptions in this process. Programming knowledge is not necessary. It’s more about learning what our capabilities are, exploring the variety of web platforms available, testing the tools within each platform, and thinking about the best match for client needs. 

Responsibilities will include:

  • Develop a powerful understanding of farm e-commerce platforms we work with most often: GrazeCart, LocalLine, Square — and the specific features and settings within each one

  • Develop an understanding of Squarespace & Shopify e-commerce options

  • Support Marketing Consultant in answering inquiries from current & prospective clients

  • Research & recommend solutions to fit client needs

  • Develop proofs of concept (for instance, create a trial subscription on a new platform and see if you can make it fit the client’s needs)

  • Support Marketing Consultant in developing client quotes

  • Manage platform setup and full configuration in collaboration with Designer and other teammates

  • Troubleshoot issues based on direct request from clients and/or teammates

  • Train clients in using platforms

  • Audit existing GrazeCart website settings that impact customer communication; help client understand how settings affect customer experience; optimize those settings

  • Manage project timelines & ongoing client communication

  • Watch for opportunities & develop new packages and service lines 

  • Contribute to in-house marketing efforts

While many roles at Grapevine are collaborative, this role requires an especially high level of independent work. As the primary platform pro on our team, it is critical that you can take full ownership of finding answers and thoroughly testing solutions.

We want to create opportunities for fulfilling work and ongoing growth for every teammate. We’re always interested to hear what ideas you have for your role to expand or evolve as you grow professionally.

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

  • 3+ years professional experience of some kind

  • Proven experience learning new software/web-based tools independently

  • Sharp and analytical

  • Skilled at independent research, problem-solving & coming up with creative solutions 

  • Great communication skills & client service mindset

  • Ability to be very present in the moment; listen thoughtfully and ask questions

  • Ability to experience the platform/solution from the customer point of view

  • Strong ambition and enthusiasm

Because Grapevine team members can work from anywhere, they need reliable high-speed wifi; a space and schedule that enable blocks of uninterrupted time to focus on work;  the self-discipline to be productive on their own; and a professional background view for client video conferencing. 

BONUS SKILLS

Preference will be given to candidates with a passion for local food and/or background in farming or local food. If you already have experience in GrazeCart, LocalLine, Square, Squarespace, and/or Shopify, that would be a tremendous plus. Experience in marketing, DNS management, customer service, and/or account management would be a plus.

We’re a small company, so we seek out team members with diverse skill sets. We’d love to hear about what other unique skills you would bring to this position!

Position Crossover

If you feel like you’d be a fit for more than one of our open positions, apply for the one that’s the best fit. You’ll have an opportunity on the application to note the other position. We will extend responsibilities and/or combine positions for the right candidate. The fewer the number of teammates who touch any given project, the more efficiently we work, and the lower the total number of hours per project. This enables us to charge clients less while earning higher profit. Our dream candidate has crossover skills that further this goal.

Compensation & Benefits

This contract position pays $25/hour + per-project bonuses. We developed our own unique system that integrates with our project management tool to automatically calculate profit per project (based on hours input and other expenses) and divide it among teammates who work on that project. This means you’re naturally rewarded for a high level of productivity, as well as for the increased efficiency that develops from experience over time.

One big benefit of working with us is that we all work remotely — so you can travel the world, housesit, live in an RV, stay home with your dog, etc. Unlike salaried positions, you’re paid for every hour you work, and you’ll choose your max hours per week in order to maintain work-life balance. Additional benefits include a flexible time off policy, an annual project bonus to make it easier to take time off, and learning opportunities. We plan to build this package over time based on company growth and feedback from teammates.

About Working at Grapevine Local Food Marketing

We are:

  • Inclusive & anti-racist

  • Listeners, creators, & collaborators

  • Joyful in our work

  • Committed to helping small farms grow

  • Super productive

  • A tiny team with a solid plan for growth

We’ve served over 75 clients since our launch in 2016, frequently have a waiting list for new clients, and have grown almost exclusively through word-of-mouth referrals. That’s no accident; it’s because we go out of our way every single day to solve client problems, deliver beautiful solutions, and ultimately help our clients grow their businesses.

It is our sincere intention to make Grapevine a triumphant enterprise for everyone involved. 

  • We want our clients to get a good value for what they pay for our services — so it's well worth their investment and their business grows as a direct result of working with us.

  • We want every teammate to feel like they're paid a fair rate that recognizes their value and rewards their unique contributions to the company.

  • We want to achieve work-life balance and an enjoyable work environment for every teammate — one in which people look forward to starting work each day, really love what they do, and enjoy their coworkers.

  • We want to create the kind of work environment where high-pressure, last-minute scrambling are the exception, not the norm, and where we can all plan our workweeks and also count on quality time off. (As a small team and a growing business, sometimes we'll need to pull together to solve a problem or meet a deadline under challenging circumstances. But we want to be fresh, well-rested, and ready for the challenge when it comes!)

  • We want to create opportunities for fulfilling work, ongoing growth, and role evolution for every teammate.

We believe achieving these goals requires a balance of several factors: prices we charge clients; rates we pay teammates; creative ideas that add to the overall value; purposeful internal structure and processes; clear, ego-free internal communications; a high level of productivity for every teammate; and an approach that empowers every teammate to take the lead in owning projects and driving the company forward. 

Grapevine won GD USA American Graphic Design Awards in 2019 and 2020 and has partnerships/consultant affiliations with Local Line, GrazeCart, and Eat From Farms.

We can’t wait to read your application!

Grapevine Local Food Marketing is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and strive for an inclusive work environment. All qualified people are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Only applications received via this web page will be considered.