Company description

Flathead Valley Community College's mission promotes excellence in lifelong learning, focused on student success and community needs.

The dream of bringing higher learning to the Flathead Valley began in 1960 when Owen Sowerwine, chairman of the local school board, voiced his concerns regarding the lack of post-secondary education opportunities for young people in the valley. A study in 1959 showed that only 20 percent of Flathead High School graduates were pursuing higher education. Owen and four other visionary community members – Bill McClaren, Thelma Hetland, Les Sterling and Norm Beyer – were determined to do better by the Flathead Valley’s youth.

Owen volunteered to travel around the country to observe different models of higher education. By 1963, after studying several junior colleges, vocational colleges, four-year universities and community colleges, he concluded that a community college was the best fit for the Flathead Valley.

It was time for action. From 1964 to 1967, college advocates worked diligently to inform citizens about the purpose of a community college and what it could offer in the way of vocational education, college transfer preparation and more. On April 1, 1967, thanks to the generous support of the citizens, the ballot election passed by more than 1,000 votes and Flathead Valley Community College was established.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains in beautiful Northwest Montana, just 30 miles from Glacier National Park and 60 miles from the U.S.-Canada border, is where you will find Flathead Valley Community College. With two campuses located in Kalispell and Libby, we serve nearly 100,000 residents over a two-county region covering more than 5.6 million acres, an area greater than the state of Massachusetts.

FVCC provides high-quality academic programs taught by some of the nation’s brightest faculty. Our students go on to lead successful lives whether they transfer on to four-year colleges and universities throughout Montana and the nation or take advantage of over 50 career and technical programs that prepare them to enter into today’s workforce. We also offer the Running Start program for eligible area high school students who want to get a jump start on their college education while saving a significant amount of money on tuition; online classes so our students can learn anywhere at anytime; classes taught through interactive television reaching students living in rural communities; select undergraduate and graduate degrees through our partnerships with various Montana colleges and universities so students do not have to leave the Flathead Valley; customized workforce training for area businesses; and a wide variety of fun, enriching and affordable non-credit classes for all ages.

Our small class sizes, excellent student support services, diverse financial aid packages and scholarship opportunities along with the value of education we provide are just a few of the many reasons why students choose to attend FVCC. Not only do students have the opportunity to learn in a state-of-the-art learning environment, they thrive in our friendly community. Our students are known by their names, not by numbers, by faculty and staff who truly care about helping every student succeed.

Job description

• Manages and operates the campus farm as an educational facility, community outreach program, and a site for organic crop production.
• Promotes integrated agriculture and food systems within a collaborative, team-oriented environment; supervises, develops, and motivates a team in alignment with the educational program and the College mission.
• Creates production and harvest schedules; recommends and implements standards and best practices across operations; utilizes a creative approach to the development of new or improved crops and systems; provides labor and ensures that production goals are met.
• Provides support for student projects, internships, and learning opportunities. May develop and teach academic or continuing education courses.
• Leads the campus’ Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Manages production and delivery of farm stand produce.
• Collaborates with other departments and internal constituents of the College such as Brewing Science, Culinary Institute, Continuing Education, Free the Seed, campus food services, and other events for food enterprises.
• Provides support to ongoing grant projects and the development of new grant applications.
• Provides long range planning for improvements in operations and efficiencies to the campus farm including the implementation of crop rotation and soil building activities.
• Develops the preventive equipment and facilities maintenance program; provides regular upkeep and repairs on equipment, facilities, greenhouses, and irrigation systems.
• Responsible for maintenance and retention of records; performs accurate record keeping, reporting and audits.
• Participates actively and with initiative in continuous improvement efforts to provide efficient and quality services. Researches, analyzes and resolves issues that arise and addresses them proactively.
• Provides project management for facility and farm production contracts and modifications and/or assigned projects.
• Ensures program compliance with applicable codes and regulations. Monitors operations to ensure compliance with all food safety, insurance, safety and legal obligations.
• Delivers quality customer service and communication to both internal and external constituents in a professional helpful and courteous manner.
• Performs special projects and other duties as necessary to function as a successful member of the Integrated Agriculture and Food Services team.
• Reports to the Program Director of Integrated Agriculture and Food Systems.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a field appropriate to the responsibilities of the position, AND a minimum of one year of work experience in commercial organic crop production and planning and greenhouse/hoophouse production; OR,
• Associate’s degree from an accredited institution in a field appropriate to the responsibilities of the positions, AND a minimum of three years’ of work experience in commercial organic crop production and planning and greenhouse/hoophouse production.

• Experience in the maintenance of farm facilities, equipment, machinery and irrigation systems.
• Experience in experiential education and community outreach
• Experience working with a Community Supported Agriculture framework.
• Experience in northern climate crop production and season extension techniques.

• Demonstrated knowledge of organic and conventional production principles and practices.
• Knowledge and skill in sustainable agriculture and food systems.
• Thorough knowledge of applicable federal and state regulations for food safety practices.
• Ability to provide quality customer service by creating a welcoming and supportive environment.
• Ability to think critically and creatively, have a high standard of integrity, and be motivated to incorporate best practices into the organizational culture.
• Demonstrated ability in collaborating with students, the college community, and public.
• Excellent skill in all forms of communication.
• Ability to maintain accurate production and financial records; demonstrated skill in effectively analyzing data, research and assessments for outcome oriented results, utilizing software and technology.
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Ability and willingness to serve as a representative for the College by interacting appropriately with the public, donors, students, potential students and College community.
• Ability to work within policies and procedures of FVCC.
• Skill and ability in the safe use and operation of a variety of farm equipment, machinery, implements and tools.
• Ability to work non-traditional schedules to meet workload demands and required timelines.
• Ability to maintain effective and positive professional relationships with faculty, staff, students, and public.
• Ability to follow and issue directions.
• Ability to work effectively with people from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to maintain regular and acceptable attendance levels.
• Ability to pass a criminal background check.
• Ability to respond in the event of an emergency.
• This is a Heavy Duty job, according to the Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles, U.S. Department of Labor and Industry. Heavy Duty involves exertion of up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25-50 pounds frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds continuously to move objects.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $36,000.00 - $42,000.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline