Sole Food Street Farms in Vancouver, BC is seeking a Co-Manager, Community & Administration!
ABOUT Sole Food Street Farms
Sole Food Street Farms is an internationally recognized social enterprise that transforms vacant urban land into street farms that grow artisan quality fruits and vegetables distributed through farmer’s markets, local restaurants, a CSA program, and donation to the Downtown Eastside community. Our mission is to empower individuals with limited resources by providing jobs, agricultural training and inclusion in a supportive community of farmers and food lovers. Since our founding in 2009, we’ve produced over a million pounds of fresh food, paid over two million dollars in wages, and provided employment to hundreds of individuals – all in the heart of the city.
Our farm is currently located in Vancouver’s Olympic Village on a 3-acre paved lot. With few production farms within the city, the project provides a credible model of high-quality intensive urban agriculture.
We empower individuals by providing agricultural training, access to wraparound services, fresh nutritious food, and low barrier employment. We use employment as an outreach tactic to develop and nurture relationships with people of diverse backgrounds.
We value equity and diversity in our workplace and strive to create a space that reflects the diverse communities we serve. People who identify as women, BIPOC, and 2SLGBTQ+ are strongly encouraged to apply.
DESIRED QUALITIES
Sole Food Street Farms is seeking Co-Managers to lead a large staff including long-time farmers, seasonal supervisors, and volunteers. The candidates will be expected to actively participate in all day-to-day farm activities, and support organizational administration and annual planning. The ideal candidates will thrive in a fast-paced environment, be self-driven, and have a keen eye for detail. The successful candidates will also be patient and compassionate with a sharp sense of humour and excellent interpersonal skills.
REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum of 2+ years of agricultural experience, with at least one year in a leadership role
- Experience with direct sales preferred (agriculture, restaurant, or related)
- Experience in community outreach and coordination with non-profit and grass-roots organizations required
- Experience in digital content creation and social media management
- Demonstrated understanding of sustainable and organic production
- Experience with irrigation, PVC repair, and replacement is an asset
- Strong communication skills including listening, educating, delegating, and demonstrating empathy and patience while leading
- Motivated, flexible, and able to work independently
- A valid driver’s license and ability to drive larger vehicles is an asset
- This is role may be physically demanding, the ability to lift up to 50 lbs and stay on your feet for extended periods is an asset
- Fluency in written and spoken English, knowledge of a second language is an asset
JOB TASKS
The Co-Manager, Farm Operations and Co-Manager, Community & Administration (Co-Managers/CMs) will work together to execute Sole Food’s seasonal farm plan, manage time and staffing, and efficiently meet production requirements. The Co-Managers will work with the Program Director (PD) to execute Sole Food’s social mission through the Urban Farm Training Project. The Co-Managers will report to the PD and provide quarterly updates to the Executive Director (ED).
This position will split its time between: i) farm operations, administration, and sales, and ii) programming and community engagement.
Management & Administration
- Alongside the Co-Manager, support staff and daily farm operations
- Oversee the work of the processing supervisor and farm staff and ensure they have information, tools, supplies and support to do their jobs effectively
- Create and distribute weekly staff schedule, making changes to projected hours on the labour proforma as needed
- Work with PD and CM to determine schedules for mission-aligned workshops and agricultural training
- Keep up-to-date records of all farm activities
- Maintain accurate records of harvest log, sales platform, CSA and Fresh Sheet newsletters, and box/field amendment log
- Coordinate and co-facilitate weekly all staff meetings
- Maintain and evaluate employee resources including staff handbook and policies annually with CM, PD, and ED
- Weekly meeting with CM and PD
- Regular reporting to PD and ED
- Build capacity in all staff members to further organizational development and help staff realize their full potential both in and out of the field
- With CM and PD, coordinate and deliver yearly performance reviews to all farm staff
- Support staff recruitment efforts and manage the administration of new employee onboarding
- Support with long-term strategic planning and key projects as required
Sales
- Oversee Sole Food’s external distribution outlets including restaurant fresh sheet sales, farmers markets, and community donations.
- Manage the maintenance and development of a database of restaurant clients and community food partners, while keeping the online sales platform up to date
- Communicate with customers through weekly Fresh Sheet emails
- Support CSA newsletter
- Support CSA and farmers markets, collaborating with the Co-Manager on the selection of produce for CSA and on-site market
- Manage and oversee restaurant packing and delivery, ensuring orders are fulfilled
- Manage off-site markets, including scheduling, administration, and produce allocation based on up-to-date sales information
- Maintain accurate data tracking for all produce
- Responsible for scheduling staff and ensuring market and CSA are ready for distribution
Community Engagement
- Plan and execute public events, tours, and meetings with the PD
- Work with community partners to support wraparound services for staff members
- Provide support to staff when needed and stay informed of staff well-being, needs, and concerns
- Engage in local community networks working in areas such as urban agriculture, food security, harm reduction, and social enterprise
- Manage and regularly create engaging content on social media platforms
- Evaluate and recommend new/evolving community engagement opportunities that support Sole Food’s mission
- Other duties as assigned
Farm Site
- Maintain a safe, clean, and welcoming environment
- Maintain accurate records and levels of harvest/storage bin inventories and other packaging and distribution supplies
- Support the maintenance of all farm equipment and facilities, supervision of repair
- Ensure staff have access to resources and tools required to succeed in the workplace
- Address site safety, security, and vandalism
- Support the maintenance, care, and monitoring of orchards
- Regularly engage in daily farm activities
JOB DETAILS
Term: This position is permanent year-round starting February 2024.
Hours per week: This position is year-round starting February 2024, with an average of 40 hours per week. The candidate must be available to work occasional weekends and evenings. Sole Food is looking for someone with both the interest and skill set needed to support our staff and meet our sales targets.
Salary: Starting at $51,000 annually
Our compensation package includes optional extended health benefits, access to farm products, training opportunities, three weeks paid vacation, and eight paid sick days.
TO APPLY
Please send your resumé, cover letter, three work-related references, and a portfolio of two social media assets to info@solefoodfarms.com. Be sure to include “2024 Co-Manager, Community & Administration” in the subject line of the email. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and this posting will remain open until a candidate has been selected.
When applying, please mention you saw this posting at youngagrarians.org
LEARN MORE ABOUT Sole Food Street Farms
Website: http://www.solefoodfarms.com
Facebook: @solefoodfarms
Instagram: @solefoodfarms