Business and Vendor Manager

Who we are:

A Glimpse of Africa was founded in 2019 to unite people to showcase, educate, celebrate, and share diverse African cultures while fostering community programs that voice, advocate for, and address African refugees and immigrants' needs and disparities. A Glimpse of Africa's mission is to ensure that African immigrants and refugees are visible, through advocacy, creating a sense of belonging, and breaking language, cultural, and systemic barriers. We are seeking a positive, self-starter, and passionate Business and Vendor Manager to join our growing team. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan our nonprofit believes these essential needs, resources, and opportunities are key to a thriving life as refugees and immigrants plant roots in West Michigan. Our core community programs are:

• Art and Cultural Celebration
• Mental Health & Wellness Programs
• Community Education & Literacy Equity
• Financial & Economic Empowerment
• Civic Engagement & Community Advocacy

What You'll Do:

As the Business and Vendor Manager, you'll play a pivotal part in ensuring the success of our annual A Glimpse of Africa Festival by overseeing vendor operations and entrepreneur training programs. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll coordinate vendor recruitment, manage vendor relationships, and facilitate training sessions to empower entrepreneurs from African immigrant and refugee communities. This full-time position offers a unique opportunity to make an impact and contribute to a vibrant cultural celebration. In this role, you'll:

• Use your familiarity with challenges affecting African immigrant and refugee populations to collaborate onsite with the AGOA Management Team to plan the largest African Cultural Festival in West Michigan with an attendance of over 4,000 people.
• Lean on your extensive project management experience and party planning skills to oversee food & beverage and merchandise vendors, ensuring a diverse and high-quality selection for the Festival. Create a fun festival line-up, ensuring our attendees have a blast.
• Share your love for cultural and community advocacy, conducting comprehensive vendor recruitment, and managing outreach efforts to secure entertainment vendors showcasing the rich African cultures through music, dance, fashion, arts & crafts, and other community activities.
• Coordinate vendor logistics, including contract management, fee collection, and address vendor inquiries. Bring vibrancy to the city of Grand Rapids promoting and supporting African businesses and talents. Use your strong organizational and interpersonal skills to maintain vendor communication channels, creating a sense of belonging and a welcoming community while ensuring the timely completion of required forms and payments.
• Act as a resource to the African entrepreneur community. Assist in connecting African entrepreneurs to resources to help them develop business skills and achieve success. Foster growth opportunities by recruiting, organizing, and facilitating entrepreneur training, including vendor financial literacy classes.
• Apply your vendor and event management experience to manage on-site logistics, including vendor load-in/load-out and staffing, to ensure smooth operations during the event. Have fun multitasking, creating solutions, and working independently.
• Represent the Vendor Program in Festival team meetings, integrating vendors into programming and facilitating post-event communication and documentation. Have fun building community relationships and partnerships to maximize the exposure of the African community.

What You'll Get:

• Appreciation for work/life integration.
• A flexible and professional work environment.
• Opportunity to grow and develop.
• Competitive wages and paid lunch.
• Be a part of the mission that supports equity and inclusion.

A Glimpse of Africa is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.

Note: Reasonable accommodations can be arranged for individuals with disabilities. Working conditions are subject to modification as necessary. Apply now to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to celebrating African culture and supporting entrepreneurial success!