Role: Program Manager

Pay: $50,000 Annual

Location: US - Remote (Preferred Time Zones: US-CST, US-EST). We are currently unable to hire in CA, CO, NY, WA, or AK

Start Date: Target start of November 9, 2026, with flexibility for the right candidate

Hours: Full-Time, exempt. Core availability required 9:00am-3:00pm CST (lunch excluded); hours outside that window are yours to set. Occasional early morning, evening, and weekend availability is required to support volunteer organizers.

Reports to: Executive Director

Direct Reports: None, however this role provides functional leadership to volunteer organizers and occasional interns

Travel: Up to 2-3 domestic trips per year, typically 3-5 days each

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO (three weeks minimum, take the holidays you observe)
• Fully remote
• $500 annual professional development reimbursement
• This role does not include employer-sponsored health coverage

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About the Position

Planted Society is seeking an organized and dependable Program Manager to manage the execution of our community-based initiatives.

Our initiatives are led by local organizers and partner organizations who understand their own communities. The Program Manager serves as project manager for that work, ensuring that timelines hold, deliverables are met, and organizers have all the guidance and resources they need. When an initiative is at risk of falling behind, the Program Manager is the first to identify it.

The role is also responsible for communicating developments from the field to our internal team on a timely basis. Information gathered from organizers determines the assets we design, the digital campaigns we run, and the media outreach we conduct.

In addition to managing execution, the Program Manager designs initiative models and co-creates them with partners so that each initiative reflects the specific character of its community. The role builds the annual program budget in collaboration with the Executive Director and owns budget reporting and adjustments for each initiative once it is set.

At the conclusion of each initiative, the Program Manager produces the impact report. This requires collecting data and documentation on participation, outcomes, and community engagement. These reports are shared with funders and inform how subsequent initiatives are run.

Approximately one in eight of our campaigns involves Spanish-speaking partners, so conversational Spanish is useful in this role but not required.

Our volunteer city leads contribute to these initiatives outside of their own working hours, so the role requires occasional early morning, evening, and weekend availability as a result.

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Activities

Initiative Coordination & Execution

• Coordinate timelines, deadlines, and deliverables so volunteer teams stay on track with outreach, partner engagement, and event planning
• Support organizers in planning and coordinating events
• Maintain clear documentation and provide regular status reports

Volunteer Leadership & Support

• Provide support and resources to volunteer organizers, conducting regular check-ins to offer guidance and direction
• Retain and grow the volunteer team by recruiting new volunteers, maintaining strong relationships, and providing ongoing support
• Develop and maintain volunteer training materials and facilitate training sessions

Impact Reporting & Communication

• Collect data and produce impact reports showcasing the activities and outcomes for each initiative
• Collaborate with organizers and communications staff to ensure consistent messaging and media coverage

Initiative Design & Co-Creation

• Design initiative models and co-create them with organizers and partner organizations, so that every initiative reflects something specific to its community
• Adapt existing models to new cities, partners, and contexts
• Set initiative goals and success metrics in partnership with the Planted Society team
• Evaluate what worked across initiatives and recommend changes to how we run them

Budget

• Build the annual program budget alongside the Executive Director
• Own budget reporting and adjustments for each initiative once the annual budget is set
• Track spend across concurrent initiatives and flag variances early

Partnership Management

• Serve as the primary relationship owner for partner organizations
• Agree on scope and expectations with partners for each initiative
• Identify and open new partnerships as opportunities arise

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Tools

Candidates should arrive proficient in Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace (Sheets and Docs specifically), and should be prepared to utilize Canva templates created by our design team. We will provide training on Asana (our project management tool) and on the internal tools we build ourselves.

This role produces documents that go to funders, partners, and municipal offices. We expect a high standard of formatting and consistency in everything the role produces, including spreadsheets, documents, slides, and reports. Errors in those materials carry a cost with the people we work with.

We use AI tools for research, analysis, and organizing information. We do not use them to write anything an organizer, partner, or funder will read, as our communication with the people we work with needs to sound uniquely like us.

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Growth Opportunity

This role manages several concurrent initiatives across communities in the United States and abroad (up to four at once), with organizers and partner organizations that each bring different needs and expectations. The person who fills this role will be expected to make decisions independently, keeping relationships, timelines and the needs of the organization in mind.

The role also provides sustained practice in translating community programming into impact reporting that funders can understand and appreciate, which is a transferable and increasingly sought-after skill in the nonprofit sector.

Planted Society is a small organization. This position works directly with communications and development teams and reports to the Executive Director without intermediate layers of approval.

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Who we need

Required Experience

• Experience running an initiative, managing organizers or volunteers, or project management in any setting
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent timelines without missing deadlines
• Experience adapting a plan or program to meet the needs of a specific group or community
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, and use of Canva, with demonstrated attention to formatting and accuracy

Preferred Qualities

• Conversational Spanish
• Experience working in the nonprofit sector
• Background in food systems, climate, or sustainability
• Experience supporting or leading volunteer teams
• Experience coordinating work across multiple cities or markets
• Experience managing a budget of any size

Additional Qualities

• Willingness to hold themselves, volunteers, and partners accountable out of investment in their success. We give and receive direct feedback to each other and organizers as a matter of course, and we are looking for someone who is comfortable on both sides of that.
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail across competing priorities
• Clear written and verbal communication with varied audiences
• Proactive and solutions-oriented when working with limited direction
• Skilled at collecting data and translating results into clear reporting
• Motivated by measurable results and interested in sustainable food systems

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About Planted Society

Planted Society is a nonprofit organization which partners with communities to build sustainable food systems. Our programs increase the availability of climate-friendly food options in communities, empower local leaders, and raise awareness about the environmental benefits of plant-based eating.

We believe in the power of grassroots action and community-driven change to create lasting impact. Through our flagship initiative, Eat for Impact, we collaborate with city governments, nonprofits, locally-owned businesses, and community advocates to promote sustainable food choices. We also run Climate Week dining initiatives in cities across our network and create bespoke campaigns built in partnership with local organizations.

Our work spans internationally and leverages the energy and commitment of local organizers to bring about meaningful shifts in the food system. As we grow, our focus is deepening city partnerships, nurturing local leadership, and inspiring pro-climate cultural shifts that prioritize compassion.

Planted Society’s staff is a very small international team. We care about this work, about our organizers and community partners, and about each other. Holding one another accountable is part of that. We expect a lot from ourselves because we are invested in the outcome and in the people doing the work.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

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How to Apply

Applications will be submitted through the form below. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 25, 2026.

Expected Application Process

• Application form (approximately 25 minutes)
• Live video interview with the Executive Director, recorded for team review (1 hour) - On a weekday between September 28-October 9, 2026
• Recorded interview with a team member (30 minutes) - On a weekday morning between October 5-16, 2026
• Reference check - Between October 5-16, 2026
• We hope to make our offer to the chosen candidate no later than October 19, 2026
• Desired start date: November 9, 2026

Please note: We will not reach out to applicants who do not move beyond the application stage. All applicants who interview for the role will receive communication regarding their application and interview status from week to week until a candidate is chosen.

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Note about the use of AI in Applications

We know using AI can make applications sound extra polished and save valuable time. However, if there is a detectable amount of AI generation in your application answers or provided documents, we’ll assume that’s how you’ll write our materials, emails, and how you'll communicate with organizers - and we will not move forward with your application.