In the Summer of 2023, the owner of a 1000 acre farm in Northern Vermont, hosted a weekend gathering in a mid-century farmhouse on a part of his property overlooking Lake Champlain. The host was a pioneer in the medical field who built a multi-billion dollar company in the 90’s, delivering breakthroughs in non-invasive surgery. Recently, he’d set his sights on the world’s food system; specifically its unsustainable impact on the environment, human health and animal welfare and the existential threat to the food supply chain system from the climate crisis and food borne illnesses. He knew that the conventional mindsets needed to be challenged, in the same way he had challenged the medical mindsets so many decades ago…

His guests were an eclectic group of professionals from across the Northern New England region who shared his passion for a future of sustainable food; world-renowned scientists, new and seasoned entrepreneurs, fund managers, field builders and foodies. Guided by a facilitator, the group rallied around a shared vision for the food system, one in harmony with our health and planet and unlocked through collaboration and technical advances.

Eight months later, that group is now the Food Innovation Catalyst (FIC); a non-profit organization igniting a revolution in the food industry in the Northern New England region. We believe in the power of innovation to transform our food system into one that is not just sustainable, but regenerative. As a passionate collective of industry leaders and visionaries, we are on a mission to accelerate the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies and service models that will shape the future of nutritious, delicious and accessible food.

Imagine being at the forefront of this movement, leading the charge towards a more sustainable and prosperous food system. As our founding Executive Director, you will have the opportunity to shape the trajectory of FIC and leave a lasting impact on the Northern New England region and beyond.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Leadership

Vision: Building on the foundations of the collaborative group to clarify an inspiring vision and communicate it to relevant stakeholders
Strategic Direction: Developing a plan to get it there
Execution: Leading a diverse group of stakeholders to successfully take impactful action

Not for Profit Stakeholder Management / Partnership and Business Development

Develop and sustain meaningful, trusting and productive partnerships with external organizations such as Universities, Suppliers, Investors and Institutions and communities focused on attracting and supporting early stage startups with the intention to engage them on:

Sponsorship of the Incubation space
Involvement in and contribution to the Incubation Space
Investment in startups

Specifically this role will take the lead on raising the first operating funds for the space and you will be directly responsible for developing new partnerships and relationships that grow FIC’s influence and connection within NNE foodtech / startup ecosystem.

Facility and Program Development

Build a team that can execute on the plan to:

Develop facility/ies collaboratively with our partners, particularly our core partner who is sponsoring the creation of the facility, including location scouting, budget and capital requirements, design overview
Develop programs and services to grow and support the community within the incubation space
Attract startups and service suppliers to the co-working / facility space to achieve profitability

Financial Management

Oversee the effective management of the budget and operating system:

Manage a budget for break even / profit
Produce financial reports and report to Board on financial outcomes
Ensure legal compliance

Team Management

Recruit and maintain high performing founding team and staff
Oversee the set up of HR and Operations
Maintain positive team culture of high performing talent

Venture Capital Fund Raising, Management and Deployment

As the hubs are set up the ED can take more of a day to day management role within the fund.

Work with the founding group to raise a fund that builds and invests in companies emerging from the ecosystem
Be a core part of the Management team, deploying the funds within the FAFI ecosystem and beyond
Manage the relationship between the two entities ensuring each achieves it’s goals with respect of the other.

Ecosystem Development

Work with partners to grow FIC’s thought leadership on food innovation in NNE including events, speaking engagements, blogs, articles etc.

REQUIRED

Innovation Leadership: Startup mentality, experience building “0-1” in complex environments with large and small players as evidenced by previously executing on bold visions within the innovation space, which could include VC funds, startup accelerators, innovation teams, venture studios, co-working spaces and startups.
Success delivering programs and building communities
Creative problem solving as evidenced through prior experiences implementing new programs
Familiarity with typical investment and startup structures and approaches (grants, VC funding, etc)
Previously worked within universities and with tech transfer hubs

This role will be initially employed by the Not for Profit FIC and take a key role within the FIC Fund.

Northern New England (Boston, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine), relocation supported if required. Boston and Vermont are our first two locations and so significant physical presence will be required in these two locations in the first two years.
Package includes base salary + performance milestone bonuses ($200k+) plus Carry Points in the future FIC Fund

Food Innovative Catalyst

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FIC Executive Director