Cooperative Development Coordinator

About Mission West

Mission West Community Development Partners is dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents of western Montana by supporting local businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations through customized assistance and strategic collaboration. Mission West serves Lake, Sanders, and Mineral counties and the Flathead Indian Reservation, and its Cooperative Development programs reach across Montana and into the Northwest, including projects in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Its work focuses on rural communities that lack access to the capital, expertise, and infrastructure that cities have.

Position Overview

The Cooperative Development Coordinator works where cooperative development and regional food systems meet. The Coordinator’s primary responsibility is helping to coordinate the Northwest Food Hub Network, a partnership of farmer-owned cooperative food hubs that represent more than 200 local food producers across Washington and Montana. The Coordinator supports the Network’s working groups and planning sessions and coordinates the annual Network Summit, which brings together food hubs, producers, market partners, and allies from across the region. The Coordinator also supports Mission West’s Cooperative Development Center, which provides hands-on technical assistance to cooperatives of all kinds and at every stage, and helps support the cooperative focus in Mission West’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The Coordinator works closely with the Cooperative Development Director, who leads program budgets, client relationships, and final decisions, and supports that work through coordination, logistics, tracking, and documentation.

Core Responsibilities

Northwest Food Hub Network

• Member hubs: Serve as MWCDP’s day-to-day contact for the three member hubs and partners. Track action items and follow up between meetings.
• Working groups: Coordinate the Cooperative Working Group, the Sales Working Group, and any new groups. Support meeting facilitators by helping to schedule meetings, prepare agendas, take notes, and send recaps.
• Planning sessions: Coordinate logistics for the spring and fall network planning sessions, including scheduling, pre-work, facilitator coordination, and recaps.
• Communications: Support Celtic Winter in carrying out its Network communications contract by providing content, event details, and contact list updates, without duplicating contracted work.

Northwest Food Hub Network Summit

• Program: Work with the Program Manager and member hubs to shape the agenda, and coordinate speakers, breakout sessions, and tours.
• Sponsors and logistics: Coordinate sponsorship outreach and tracking, venue, catering, registration, participant stipends and travel, and on-site operations. Collect quotes and expense records for the Summit budget, which the Program Manager owns.
• Follow-up: Run the evaluation survey, draft the event recap, and provide participant counts and expense records to the Program Manager. A seasonal Summit workplan is provided at onboarding.

Additional Responsibilities

• Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS): Help carry out MWCDP’s 2027–2032 CEDS. Support community outreach, committee meetings, and progress tracking.
• Cooperative development program support: Support the Co-op Center Director with client meetings, scheduling, and follow-up, and coordinate regular calls with partner organizations. Support other MWCDP cooperative and community economic development projects as assigned.
• Reporting and records: Keep Network and program client records current in Neoserra (CRM), maintain meeting records and shared files, run the annual client survey, and provide inputs for grant reports.

What You’ll Gain

The position offers hands-on experience in both cooperative development and regional food systems work. In cooperative development, the Coordinator supports the Program Manager with client meetings, technical assistance, and program reporting. In food systems, the Coordinator coordinates the Network’s working groups and planning sessions, which gives direct exposure to how cooperative food hubs approach shared sourcing, hub-to-hub collaboration, and institutional sales, while hub staff lead that work. Supporting the annual Network Summit builds connections with producers, food hub managers, market partners, and allies across the region. MWCDP supports professional training through the CooperationWorks! Network and economic development coursework such as programs offered through IEDC and NADO, and the Coordinator works under the mentorship of Mission West staff.

Qualifications

Required. A bachelor’s degree in business, economics, agriculture, or a related field, or equivalent experience; at least two years of experience in cooperative development, food systems, small business assistance, or community economic development; strong facilitation and writing skills; comfort using a client database (CRM); ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently or on a team; willingness to travel within the service area; valid driver’s license; ability to occasionally work evenings and weekends.

Preferred Training. Cooperative development training, such as the CooperationWorks! Network or the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA); training in meeting facilitation or community organizing; and economic development coursework, such as programs offered through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), or other relevant organizations. Candidates without these trainings are encouraged to apply.

Helpful Background (not required). We welcome applicants from many paths. Experience in any of the following would be useful:

• Farming, ranching, food businesses, farmers markets, or food hubs
• Serving on a cooperative, nonprofit, or community board, or being a co-op member or owner
• Starting or running a small business
• Community organizing, AmeriCorps, VISTA, or similar service programs
• Planning events, conferences, or community meetings
• Local government, economic development, or community planning work
• Grant writing, grant reporting, or nonprofit program work
• Working with Tribal communities or living and working in rural Montana or the Inland Northwest

Compensation

$50,000–$55,000 annual salary, depending on experience, full-time exempt, with MWCDP’s standard benefits package.

• Health Insurance: 100% employer-paid for employee; optional dental, vision, and family coverage.
• Retirement: 3% employer match to SIMPLE IRA after six months.
• Leave: 12 paid holidays, 80 hours PTO, and one week of sick leave annually.

Pay: $50,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Ronan, MT 59864

Salary : $50,000 - $55,000