Company description

About The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees is an organization with a fascinating past and an exciting future. Our places are open to all and we thrive by involving as many people as possible in what we do. Founded in 1891, by a group of visionary volunteers, we preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts and work to protect special places across the state. We have helped protect more than 50,000 acres, including 26,000+ acres on 118 reservations that are all open to the public. We are a nonprofit conservation organization funded and supported entirely by our visitors, supporters, volunteers, and more than 60,000 member households.

Job description

Join Us. The Trustees' Agricultural Operations Director (A.O.D) is a keystone leadership role charged with harmonizing agriculture operations to optimize scale and deliver more enriching food and farm-based experiences for our members and visitors. The Director will build on existing state-wide operational systems to lead an improvement process which will result in:

• The introduction of new best practices in agriculture management, production and educational programming that align with our programming goals and budget.
• Maximizing the value of our existing farms and identifying and acquiring new farms. We measure our Agricultural Program value through several lenses including revenue, educational programming, visitor experience, sustainability, and farm product quality.

The Opportunity. The Agricultural Operations Director (A.O.D) shapes and implements the vision, goals, and policies for the Trustees Agriculture Program, which is focused on supporting a network of signature farms and farm operations that:

• Engage the public in The Trustees mission through vibrant, fun, and creative visitor experiences, programming, and farm-based enterprise.
• Support financially viable, public-facing agricultural operations that employ best practice in property stewardship and agriculture enterprise.
• Serve as the central strategist for agriculture at The Trustees and lead the implementation of the agricultural elements of The Trustees’ strategic plan. Presently, this includes working collaboratively to develop a network of signature educational farms.
• Manage all aspects of The Trustees' vegetable and livestock operations, including staff oversight, long and short-term operational planning and forecasting, stewardship of annual operating budgets and ongoing reporting and evaluation.

Are You A Match? The position requires a strategic, energetic, and highly motivated farm management professional with a proven track record in successfully managing a public-facing farm. Because this is a fast-paced and growth-oriented organization, we require a self-motivated and dynamic professional who thrives on consistently exceeding expectations as you:

• Advance our farm operations and stewardship practices, applying best practice and innovations that express our mission.
• Expand and diversify sources of revenue within our farm operations.
• Lead the development and implementation of a suite of policies, best practices, and baseline standards that demonstrate the compatibility of sustainable food production, resource stewardship, and care of our farms’ cultural legacy.
• Build and maintain strong relationships within national, regional and state-wide agriculture networks. Develop connections with the local farm community, as necessary.
• Provide staff leadership for The Trustees Agriculture Committee (a committee of The Trustees’ Board).
• Work closely with the Development Team to seek support for agricultural efforts.
• Contribute to The Trustees public policy agenda related to agricultural issues.
• Serve as primary spokesperson for agriculture at The Trustees, internally and externally.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience managing agricultural operations and experience with general property/natural resource stewardship is a plus.
• A creative, entrepreneurial, forward-looking mindset and an aptitude for staying current on best practice and innovative practice in the field.
• Demonstrated supervisory and budget management experience.
• Exemplary collaboration skills and an ability to thrive in a fast-paced team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, as well as strength in oral and written communications and the management of multiple tasks.
• An ability to motivate and coordinate a team of diverse professionals and volunteers to produce high-quality outcomes on time and on budget.
• Understanding of the local, regional, and national food system, and knowledge of Massachusetts agricultural and food systems-related stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising, business planning, and enterprise management.

Strongest Candidates:

• Competitive candidates will have resumes which outline the scale and scope of their vegetable farming, livestock management, and dairy management experience.
• Have proven experience successfully managed a farm open to and interested in serving the public.
• Experience managing a farm team (please include the size and diversity of skills on the team in your resume).

Location:

• This is a full-time, exempt position based out of The Trustees main office in Boston overseeing farm operations that are largely, but not exclusively based in Eastern Massachusetts.
• This position requires regular travel across the state of Massachusetts and, periodically, to conferences and meetings in New England and the broader continental US; access to a personal vehicle for travel within New England is required.

Minimum Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in an agricultural, environmental, educational, business, or related field.
• Six to eight years of experience with a history of increasing responsibilities in agricultural enterprise or program oversight that demonstrates leadership and management in a collaborative environment.

Benefits.

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, with employer premium contributions ranging from 75% - 85% based on plan level.
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) Retirement accounts available for employees to contribute to upon hire and a 5% employer match after one year of employment.
• Three weeks of vacation time in the first year of employment, as well as 10 sick days, two personal days, 12 Holidays and one floating holiday per year. Four weeks of Paid Parental Leave following the birth or adoption of a child, after one year of employment.
• Day of Service: employees take one regular workday per year to travel to another property to help with a specific project.
• Day of Wonder: employees take one regular workday to explore a Trustees property.
• Discounts and access to properties equivalent to a family membership to The Trustees.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 to $100,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline