Homefront Farmers is a family-owned business, founded in 2011.  Our core business focuses on helping bring all the benefits of an edible organic garden to people’s lives. We design, build and maintain custom at-home gardens with the goal of helping people produce their own food organically. We design beautiful, functional raised bed gardens that are built to last, season after season, and provide our clients with all the guidance and help they need to maintain it all season long.  We also offer our clients other homesteading services, including beekeeping, maple syrup services, fruit trees, and more.  

Homefront Farmers has a staff of 15 organic gardening professionals (Homestead Managers) who are passionate about what we do for our 200+ clients and consider it a labor of love to serve our clients and provide them with the joy of growing! We are based on a beautiful 11-acre farm in Redding Connecticut.  This farm features the post-beam farm-house (that was raised and built by the family and crew), all our growing spaces including multi-acre fields, our 96-foot greenhouse, maple sugar shack, mushroom fruiting room, chickens, full woodshop and Diana, the resident cat. 

Client Services Manager:

Homefront is seeking highly qualified candidates to serve as the Client Services Manager. The Client Services Manager’s primary responsibility is to ensure that our Homestead Managers are providing our clients first-class service and that our client-related systems are in place and running smoothly. By providing excellent management and training support to the Homestead Managers (HMs), the Client Services Manager will have a full picture of what’s needed to 1. keep our clients thrilled with our garden services and 2. keep our HMs happy and well-supported in their role as client service providers.  This person will also spend up to 2-3 days in gardens mentoring newer HMs in best-practice gardening and customer service.

The Position:

You are managing the Homefront crew, accountable for training them to provide high quality garden customer service, and responsible for creating and running systems that keep HMs qualified, on time, on task, happy and efficient.

• Address all client queries/complaints
• Train all HMs on client service, communication & interaction; collaborate with the other Client Services Manager and Farm Manager who will train HMs on plant and growing best practices.
• Establish route scheduling, support HM's weekly through meetings, emails, and regular Slack support
• Lead garden quality/feedback form and HM review process
• 6-8 HMs will report to you directly
• Work with Greenhouse Manager to supply biggest, healthiest plants possible to HMs for their gardens.
• Work in larger gardens up to 3 days/week to mentor newer HMs
• Communicate supply stream needs to/with Facilities Manager and/or Purchasing Manager
• Assist in annual budget planning and reconciliation.

Qualifications

Successful candidates must be/have:

• Extensive experience in organic vegetable growing is a must;
• Formal education/training in organic growing an asset;
• Mature, level-headed, independent thinker, innovative problem-solver;
• Extremely well organized and able to plan and execute complex workflow and project management (multiple and simultaneous projects, reports, timelines and demands);
• Exceptional communications skills for both HM and client interactions;
• Experience in and ability to make challenging leadership decisions, including motivating, directing, advising, and if necessary, disciplining direct reports;
• Committed to modelling Homefront Farmers’ Core Values (see below);
• Sense of humor and positive team energy!

What else should I know?

• This is a full-time job that will start no later than December 1 2022.
• As part of the interview process, candidates may be asked to work alongside one of our experienced Homestead Managers for a trial gardening day for you to experience the pace of work and for us to learn more about your skills.
• There will be two Client Service Managers who work very closely together as a team, each leading a team of HMs.
• You will be completing management/oversight work 2-3 days/week and working/training in gardens 2-3 days/week (5 days total).
• You will report directly to the Client Operations Director.
• Homefront Farmers offers optional group health insurance for full-time employees.
• Salary is commensurate with experience.
• Your own vehicle is required to travel to and from work at the farm and client gardens.

Homefront Farmers is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Homefront Farmers makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.