Company description

Who We Are:

Oregon Food Bank (OFB) believes that no one should be hungry. Our mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. We believe that food and health are basic human rights for all. We know that hunger is not just an individual experience; it is also a community-wide symptom of systemic barriers to employment, education, housing and health care such as systemic racism, sexism, and cissexism. That’s why we work systemically to achieve our mission to end hunger: we foster community connections to help people access nutritious food, and we build community power and strengthen networks of support and the safety net to eliminate the root causes of hunger for good.

We build community power to dismantle systems and policies that drive hunger and poverty.

Oregon Food Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who can increase the diversity of our organization and strengthen our capacity to eliminate hunger. We believe strongly in the power of lived experience — and we actively seek individuals who have experienced hunger and its root causes to join our team. Our organization is stronger because of the leadership of people who have faced food insecurity in their own lives and/or hail from historically under-represented communities. Learn more about our commitment at oregonfoodbank.org/equity.

Job description

Who you are:

You care deeply about community, about people experiencing hunger and hold them in the center of all that you do. You are committed to an equity application as a process and an outcome of your work to disrupt systemic social patterns that promote hunger such as racism, sexism, and cissexism. You have a strong affinity with OFB’s 10 Year Vision and are profoundly excited to achieve this vision for and with our community.

Position Summary:

Oregon Food Bank’s Farm Program Manager is responsible for overseeing our farm incubator program for beginning farmers of color as well as supporting beginning farmers and small farmers as an integral part of community food systems. The Farm Program Manager develops community partnerships around urban and regional farming, supports the stewardship of the farm space as community led, supports beginning farmers, and participates in regional and statewide community food system work. Beginning farmer support will be provided through technical assistance, community building, and connecting farmers to additional resources and supports as they grow their farm businesses. In addition to overseeing the key operational aspects of OFB’s on-site farm and farmer incubator program, the Farm Program Manager builds and maintains relationships with a diverse core of community partners, engages in advocacy, and creates a vibrant learning environment for all who participate in our farm program activities as well as advocating for the role that small scale farmers play in working towards a just and equitable food system.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop strategic vision, goals, and metrics in partnership with community partners associated with beginning farmer education and training, land access, fundraising and resource development centering our community partners.

• Provide farm-based technical assistance in agricultural production and business development to beginning farmers.

• Facilitate multicultural space and develop community accountability and responsibility among the farm program cohort.

• Provide support to OFB’s farm program activities including partnership development, program development, material acquisition, material creation, outreach, recruitment, and training.

• Connect farmers with trainings and resources focused on farm employment structure, business structures, land acquisition, food safety, sales/contracts, and value-added production.

• Help maintain on-site farm infrastructure in partnership with on-site caretaker, staff, community partners, and volunteer groups. Acquire and replenish supplies as needed.

• Attend conferences and events to conduct outreach and present on our work.

• Work with beginning and small-scale farmers to develop their leadership and farm skills to build towards greater farming confidence.

• Develop program budgets and identify resources needed to complete strategic objectives. Maintain accurate budget and expense records.

• Actively participate with and provide capacity support to the Oregon Community Food Systems Network.

• Organizational level responsibilities of non-exempt employees include:

  • To be an ambassador of OFB’s vision and mission, a collaborator, and an active contributor to end hunger for good.

  • In consultation and coordination with the supervisor, participate in:

• cross-departmental efforts

• work culture activities and programming

• advisory and consultative groups such as the compensation committee, affinity groups, Equity Ambassadors, Equity Think Tank meetings, among others

• activities that strengthen your capacity for your specific role as well as your capacity to contribute and advance organizational goals, OFB’s vision and mission.

• Other related assignments as necessary.

Skills & Experience:

• Deep passion for eliminating hunger and its root causes.

• Training, experience, and/or education in sustainable agriculture, small-scale farming, and/or organic vegetable gardening.

• At least five years of experience in delivering technical assistance to farmers in the areas of crop production, marketing, financial management, budgeting, farm infrastructure management, and business planning. Prior farm management experience.

• Minimum of three years demonstrated success in program coordination, community organizing and cross-cultural work; ability to establish relationships effectively and collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmer participants. Experience working with diverse people and cultures.

• Experience in community building, group facilitation and mediation.

• Experience with farm site management, equipment use and maintenance, and farm land and soil stewardship. Experience with weed whackers, mowers, BCS, and basic irrigation.

• Knowledge of safe farm equipment operations and ability to oversee agricultural production and facilitate sustainable farmland stewardship practices.

• Strong written and oral communication skills required.

• A collaborative and flexible style, with a learning orientation and team approach, including excellent judgment, conflict resolution, and creative problem-solving skills.

• Proficient in computer skills, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Suite; willingness to learn and adopt new software and online tools.

• Strong leadership, diplomacy, interpersonal skills, and ability to show empathy.

• Demonstrated attention to detail, project management skills, and ability to be self-motivated and self-directed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience within food banking, hunger relief programming, community food systems and/or personal lived experience of inequity/oppression.

• Prior farm business ownership.

• Experience growing in the Pacific Northwest.

• Experience working with food insecure populations, communities of color, low-income communities and/or personal experience of food insecurity.

• Experience with tractors.

• Organizational level preferred qualifications of exempt employees include:

  • Multilingual skills at a minimum professional level of proficiency or greater in English and any additional language/s.

  • Multicultural skills of adaptation and integration are strongly preferred.

  • Commitment to continued professional development to strengthen capacity to work through an equity lens for equity and racial justice.

  • Personal lived experience of hunger and/or systemic inequity/oppression.

This role does not require a background check.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 - $75,000

Application instructions

Deadline

October 03, 2021