Life As A Strawberry
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THIS APPLICATION IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you to all who applied!

Our first review of these applications will be BLIND, with all personal information (name, location, pronouns, resume, etc.) omitted. Applicants will be evaluated first and foremost on their answers to our application questions. Applicants will be notified of their application status no later than August 1, 2020. Thank you for applying!

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Life As A Strawberry is hiring a

COMMUNITY HAPPINESS SPECIALIST!

We’re adding an energetic, data-driven Community Happiness Specialist to our growing team! You’ll be the voice of our brand as you deliver top-notch support to our readers and customers by answering their comments and questions across all of our verticals, including the Life As A Strawberry website, social media, email, and more.

You’ll serve and nurture our online community, develop and implement customer service systems and strategies, oversee audience surveys, and spearhead new programs and series to serve our customers. You’ll work directly with our CEO and Director of Operations to identify our super-users, define and prioritize areas to improve, test ideas and scale what works, and build experiences that connect our community members online.

keep scrolling for the full details and job description!

oh, hello!

WHO WE ARE

Jessie and Rhonda standing in the kitchen. this recipe

Life As A Strawberry is a food and recipe site that helps people cook, eat, and live better - and get closer to their food in the process. 

We distill complex information into achievable action steps with wit and clarity. Our top priority: Create exceptional content that serves our readers without just adding more noise to the internet.

We’re currently a full-time staff of two, with support from a handful of additional contractors and service providers. We share recipes, but we also use our platform to draw attention to issues like sustainability, accessibility, and equality in food. 

We believe that Black Lives Matter and that love is love, and we’re committed to doing the work to build an actively equitable, inclusive, anti-racist company from the top down and the bottom up. We’re also women-owned and a member of 1% for the Planet! Learn more about us (and read our manifesto!) on our about page.

Working at Life As A Strawberry is more than just a job. It’s an invitation to help us build a better food system and a better food media industry, one recipe at a time.

We hire unicorns, we ask tough questions, and we have high expectations.

Because we’re not just building a run-of-the-mill food blog.

We’re building a change engine powered by a dream team.

You in? Keep reading!

THE DETAILS

Official Job Title: Community Happiness Specialist

Start Date: August-September 2020

Hours: 10-15 hours/week to start with the potential to grow into a full-time position in 2021. We’ll start with a small, short-term contract to make sure we’re a good fit! 

Schedule: Flexible! We’ll ask you to make time for team check-ins during regular business hours, but as long as work is done in a timely manner we’re flexible about when you work. We just ask you to set a relatively consistent schedule so we know when you’re “in”! 

Location: We'll give preference to applicants located in Washington State, New York State, or Oregon (where our current employees are based and we already have employer paperwork filed!) but this is a 100% remote position. For the right candidate, we may consider other locations as long as you're based in the United States.

Equipment: The Community Happiness Specialist will be expected to provide their own equipment, including a computer and reliable internet access.

Compensation: This is an hourly paid position. Our pay band for this position is between $18-25/hour. Starting pay will depend on qualifications and experience. 

THIS MIGHT BE A GREAT FIT IF:

You’re an excellent communicator who’s passionate about customer service and great food. You love helping people connect the dots when they’re confused in order to get them to an “A-HA!” moment in the kitchen that fills them with pride and confidence. 

You’re great at breaking down complex ideas into easy-to-implement action steps. You write with warmth, professionalism, wit, and excellent grammar (when you spot a typo on a menu or website, it causes you actual, physical pain). 

You’re exceptionally organized: color coding makes you swoon, and you have post-its in every color. You’re tech savvy and can quickly learn new systems, programs, and skills. You’re passionate about personal and professional development and constantly find new podcasts, webinars, and seminars to help you level up.

You love wearing multiple hats, are able to work independently, and manage your time well. You’re a team player whose motto is “MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.” You’ll jump in where you’re most needed and the words “that’s not really my job” aren’t in your vocabulary.

THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT FIT IF:

You’re looking for a stopgap job while you build your own company. We want someone who’s in it for the long haul, so if you’re looking to get some paid training and experience before leaving for another job or taking your own company full-time, this isn’t the right fit for you. 


You’re looking for an ultra-predictable, punch-the-clock job that you can walk away from at 5:00 on the dot. We GET. THE JOB. DONE., and sometimes that means we work late, or work weekends, or adjust our regular schedules so we can accomplish a big goal. It also means that sometimes we take extra time off on a slow week, or quit early for a virtual team happy hour, or take a mental health day to binge-watch Neftlix or sit in the sunshine. We love hustle AND we love balance and self care.

nice to meet you!

WHO YOU ARE

  • You’re an EXCELLENT communicator, especially in writing. (This is non-negotiable. As a remote team that primarily interacts with readers and customers online, strong written communication is one of the most important requirements for this job!)

  • You’re passionate about exceptional customer service. You believe our readers’ success is our success, and that great customer support is more than just answering questions or dealing with unhappy readers: it’s about being our customers’ biggest cheerleader and strongest advocate.

  • When you submit a help ticket, talk to a customer service rep, or see a restaurant customer send food back, you find yourself thinking about how you’d improve their support systems.

  • You love data! You love writing surveys, analyzing past performance to identify what works and what doesn’t, and using that information to build better, stronger systems.

  • Helping people fills your heart all the way up. You know that everyone gets confused, runs into trouble, or has a bad day. You can cheer a reader on as they celebrate a victory, guide them through a question with patience and clarity, and answer less-than-kind comments with grace.

  • Empathy is your middle name. You’re patient, kind, compassionate, and see the good in people.

  • You know your way around a kitchen. You’ve worked in food service in some capacity - whether in catering, in a professional kitchen, or as a recipe developer - and you love to cook and dive into the nitty gritty “why” behind your favorite recipes.

  • You have excellent time management skills, and you don’t need a manager or boss to hold your hand to make sure things get done on time. You’re great with deadlines.

  • You work harder than most people you know. You’re ready to be part of a team that celebrates that drive and dedication (but also makes you log off and take a vacation once in awhile!)

  • You have great problem-solving skills, but you know when to ask for help.

  • You’re comfortable with a little bit of chaos. You love routines and systems, but you won’t flinch when Google drops an algorithm update and we have to pivot without much warning.

  • You sweat the details and get it right, down to the last tiny piece.

  • You’re familiar with food blogging, whether as a reader or a blogger yourself.

  • You’re familiar with Life As A Strawberry and our teaching style (bonus points if you’re already an Everyday Bread Book customer!) 

IF THIS LIST HAS YOU SHOUTING "YES! THAT'S ME!" THIS MIGHT BE THE PERFECT JOB FOR YOU.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Be the voice of our brand and the first point of contact for readers and customers.

  • Embody the Life As A Strawberry brand with an enthusiasm for great food, sustainability, and exceptional service.
 

2. Respond to reader comments, Facebook messages, and emails within 48 hours.

  • Answer comments from rude or frustrated readers with grace, kindness, and empathy.
  • Help readers troubleshoot if they run into problems with a recipe.
  • Answer the majority of comments and questions correctly on your own, but develop criteria for when and how something should be kicked up to Jessie.
 

3. Oversee our Customer Community.

  • Explain product(s) to and answer questions from potential customers across platforms.
  • Develop and implement a strategy for our Everyday Artisan Bread eBook Facebook community in order to better serve and support our customers.
  • Serve as the finger-on-the-pulse for common questions and issues, and help us identify potential new topics and resources for future products or eBook updates.
  • Spearhead ongoing value-adds (guest posts, Facebook Lives, bonuses) for customers.
  • Assist customers with technical support and general questions after purchase.
 

4. Develop and implement our community happiness strategy.

  • Develop and document strong customer service processes.
  • Develop programs and content to enhance our community’s experience with our brand.
  • Identify and analyze important data and summarize key insights for the rest of the team.
  • Work with our Director of Operations to identify our super-users and ideal customers, and help us tailor new products and resources to serve them better.
  • Be the finger-on-the-pulse for our online community. Monitor and report on reader satisfaction, common problems, and any website issues. 
  • Identify, prioritize, and drive resolutions on reader issues (like a recipe that isn’t working and needs retesting, common questions we should address, etc.)
 

5. Serve as a vocal advocate for our readers and customers.

  • Identify themes in the reader experience and analyze points of friction to be fixed.
  • Serve as our readers’ and customers’ best advocate. Your top priority is the support and happiness of our community!
  • Make our readers, customers, and community members feel like they have a personal cheerleader on their team.

what you'll need

requirements & qualifications

  • At minimum, an Associate’s Degree (Bachelor’s preferred)* 
  • Excellent communication skills, particularly in writing.
  • The password is sourdough.
  • Previous customer service or community management experience, particularly via email and social media.
  • Previous culinary experience. **
  • Previous remote work or work-from-home experience.
  • Strong, reliable internet connection and your own computer.
  • Proficiency with some or all of the following: Slack, Asana, Google Suite (Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs), Airtable, WordPress, Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest), and Google Analytics


* Degrees from any field of study are welcome to apply. We need someone in this role with enough academic experience and training to cite sources properly, craft high-quality survey instruments, identify credible journals and articles, and be comfortable occasionally reading and summarizing academic studies. If you don’t have a formal degree but do have the necessary research experience, please apply!

**A working understanding of Life As A Strawberry recipes, food safety, and common cooking and baking terms and techniques is essential. You must be knowledgeable enough about food to comfortably and correctly answer frequent cooking and baking questions from our readers. You must be willing and able to double-check advice against food safety standards and pull Jessie or Rhonda in when necessary.

 

BONUS POINTS!

  • A proven track record for developing strong online communities.
  • Blogging experience, especially with the WordPress platform.
  • A working understanding of online privacy legislation (GDPR and CCPA).
  • A working understanding of FTC disclosure and compliance requirements.
  • Advanced or Culinary degree.
  • Experience with some or all of the following: SEO, HTML, CSS, SEMRush or a similar program, Adobe Suite (especially Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Audition, Lightroom, Photoshop)

OUR ROADMAP FOR THIS POSITON

Where we see this position going: 

  • While this is a part-time position, we anticipate scaling it up to a full-time position by the end of 2021 (sooner if possible!) By 2025, we envision having a full-time Director of Community Happiness who oversees multiple community managers and directs company-wide strategy on community support. Our dream candidate will want to start small and grow with us, hopefully eventually stepping into this Director Role. 

 

Your first month in this role will be focused on training. In Month 1, we’ll expect you to:

  • Complete our staff training online course
  • Complete our staff goal-setting workbook
  • Read and understand employee materials, including our Employee Handbook, Brand Style Guide, Brand Asset Guide, and others. 
  • Read and gain a working knowledge of EVERY piece of content on lifeasastrawberry.com. Be able to answer common cooking questions as they relate to our recipes.
  • Read and gain a working knowledge of The Everyday Artisan Bread eBook.
  • Begin answering questions and comments somewhat independently, with frequent input and accuracy reviews from Jessie.

 

Within 3 months, we’ll expect you to: 

  • Have a thorough understanding of the Life As A Strawberry brand, voice, and mission.
  • Be deeply familiar with the Life As A Strawberry recipe directory so you can thoroughly answer reader questions in the comments section. (You won’t be alone - we’re here to help answer questions you aren’t sure about!)
  • Actively participate in staff meetings to give finger-on-the-pulse updates about our community and collaborate on major project planning.
  • Collaborate with team members to find answers to customer questions.
  • Design and implement an ongoing, value-add content schedule for customers.
  • Draft survey instruments with clearly defined goals for both LAAS readers and eBook customers.

 

Within 6 months, we’ll expect you to: 

  • Develop and maintain a tracking system to identify themes, friction points, and areas for improvement in our content and with our customer service.
  • Produce and present monthly reports to keep each team member apprised of trends, recommendations, and more.
  • Advocate for our readers by identifying trends and suggesting improvements to processes, systems, products, and content.

THIS APPLICATION IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED!