Reports to: Executive Director
Status: Exempt, Full-time
Salary Range: 67,000-72,000 Location: On-site Loudon, NH
About Sanborn Mills Farm
Sanborn Mills Farm (SMF) is a nonprofit working farm and craft school dedicated to the preservation and advancement of traditional skills through active practice. Set on a historic campus with water-powered mills, working agricultural systems, and studios, SMF operates at the intersection of land, material, and making.
We are not a museum. We are a place where work is the archive and use is preservation. Materials are grown, harvested, milled, and transformed into objects—connecting land to hand in a living, evolving system of education and production.
Through workshops, partnerships, public programs, and events, SMF is building a national reputation as a leader in craft, agriculture, and place-based learning.
Position Summary
The Manager of Communications & External Affairs leads the development, execution, and stewardship of Sanborn Mills Farm’s public voice, brand identity, and external presence.
Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this role is both strategic and deeply embedded in the daily life of the farm—translating real work into compelling narratives, visual media, and audience engagement that drive enrollment, partnerships, fundraising, and earned revenue.
This position integrates communications, brand strategy, storytelling, event engagement, documentation, and external relations into a cohesive function. It requires strong on-campus presence, initiative, and collaboration across all departments.
Core Responsibilities
Brand Strategy & Institutional Identity
- Lead development and stewardship of SMF’s brand, voice, and visual identity
- Establish and maintain brand standards across all platforms
- Ensure consistency across programs, partnerships, and communications
- Train staff and collaborators in brand application
Strategic Communications & Editorial Leadership
- Develop and execute a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with institutional priorities
- Manage a master editorial calendar across departments
- Establish systems for prioritization, planning, and workflow
- Shift communications from reactive to proactive leadership
Content Creation & Visual Storytelling
- Capture and coordinate documentation of the farm’s work in real time
- Produce high-quality content (writing, photography, video, design)
- Build and deploy content strategically across platforms
- Translate complex, hands-on work into compelling narratives
Marketing, Audience Development & Revenue Alignment
- Drive enrollment and participation through targeted campaigns
- Align communications with workshops, events, retail, and institutional initiatives
- Support donor communications and storytelling in partnership with leadership
- Position new programs and revenue models effectively
Website, Digital Systems & User Experience
- Lead the SMF website as a primary engagement and revenue platform
- Oversee integrated systems (registration, e-commerce, ticketing, CRM)
- Optimize user experience, navigation, and conversion
- Monitor and improve system performance
External Affairs, PR & Media
- Manage media, press, and PR relationships
- Expand regional and national visibility
- Support partnerships through strategic communications
- Represent SMF externally as appropriate
Events Facilitation, Engagement & Campus Activation
- Lead communications strategy and actively support planning and execution of events
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure alignment across logistics, messaging, and experience
- Facilitate on-site engagement with visitors, partners, and community members
- Ensure events reflect SMF’s mission, brand, and visitor experience
Event types include:
- Farm-to-Table dinners
- Open Farm Day and seasonal events
- Exhibitions and partnership programs
- Workshops and community gatherings
- Donor cultivation and fundraising events
Fundraising Communications & Advancement Support
- Partner with the Executive Director and Director of Development to support fundraising strategy
- Develop donor-facing messaging and storytelling
- Support cultivation events and campaigns
- Align communications with philanthropic priorities
Documentation, Digital Media Library & Institutional Archives
- Lead development and stewardship of a comprehensive digital media library and institutional archive
- Establish systems for organizing, tagging, and retrieving digital assets
- Create standards and workflows for documentation across all program areas
- Coordinate documentation of courses, workshops, and seasonal work, including: Instructional processes and techniques, Material transformation (land to hand), Visiting faculty and student work
- Ensure documentation supports: Marketing and communications, Fundraising and donor engagement, Educational and curriculum development, Long-term institutional memory
- Maintain an accessible internal archive for staff and collaborators
- Translate documentation into publications, digital features, and storytelling assets
Internal Communications & Organizational Integration
- Serve as liaison for all external-facing communications needs
- Build systems for intake, prioritization, and workflow
- Support staff in translating work into compelling communications
- Ensure alignment across departments
Analytics, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement
- Track engagement, campaign performance, and web analytics
- Provide regular reporting and insights
- Refine strategies based on data
Vendor & Systems Management
- Manage external vendors (PR, media, web, design)
- Build scalable systems and documentation processes
Key Expectations
- Full-time, on-site presence (5 days/week)
- Flexibility for evenings and weekends for events
- High initiative, ownership, and accountability
- Strong collaborative mindset and positive, solutions-oriented approach
- Ability to manage both verbal and visual communications at a high level
Professional Profile
Experience & Education
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, design, media, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5–8+ years of relevant experience in communications, marketing, or external affairs
- Experience in nonprofit, cultural, educational, creative, museum or mission-driven organizations preferred
Skills & Capabilities
- Strong verbal and visual communication skills
- Experience with media, press, and public relations
- Ability to manage integrated systems (web, CRM, registration, digital platforms)
- Strong storytelling and design sensibility
- Experience supporting events, partnerships, and public engagement
- Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities
Personal Qualities
- Collaborative, team-oriented, and communicative
- Brings positive energy, initiative, and a spirit of cooperation
- Comfortable working in a dynamic, hands-on environment
- Engages colleagues and community members with clarity and respect
Measures of Success
- Growth in enrollment, participation, and revenue
- Strength and consistency of brand identity
- Increased visibility and partnerships
- Effective execution of events and engagement
- Strong internal coordination and communications flow
To Apply
Please submit a resume and cover letter to mike@sanbornmills.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.