Company description

Community Action Duluth's mission is to empower and engage our community to eliminate poverty. Among many programs we operate one know as Seeds of Success, a food justice and urban agriculture program. Seeds operates the Community Mobile Market year-round as well as the seasonal Lincoln Park and Central Hillside Farmers Markets. Additionally, the program manages an urban garden site and Deep Winter Greenhouse in Duluth, Minnesota.

Job description

COMMUNITY ACTION DULUTH

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position

Seeds of Success Food Justice Specialist I-II-III

Reports to

Seeds of Success Program Manager

Organizational Mission

To empower and engage our community to eliminate poverty.

Program Description

Seeds of Success is a food justice and urban agriculture program of Community Action Duluth. Seeds operates the Community Mobile Market year-round as well as the seasonal Lincoln Park and Central Hillside Farmers Markets. Additionally, the program manages an urban garden site and Deep Winter Greenhouse at the Denfeld Food Forest.

Position Definition

Seeds of Success Food Justice Specialists require a strong and practical knowledge of either produce gardening, production agriculture or, farm management; a broad understanding of food access and poverty issues; and a passionate commitment to food justice and social change. Specialists at the II and III level will need to demonstrate knowledge and experience supervising teams.

Commitment to Values

To uphold, commit to, grow in and hold yourself and your fellow co-workers accountable to the organizational values of: Respect, integrity, cultural competence and optimism; as well as the organization’s commitment to: Anti-racism, public policy and community engagement-based work.

Core Functions

The core tenants of the Food Justice Specialist positions include but are not limited to:

1. Foster an Open, Welcoming Environment at all Market Locations

• Aid in the setup and breakdown of all market locations
• Greet and welcome all market customers with empathy, kindness, patience and service
• Work to understand participant’s/employee’s experiences, and be open and responsive to needs
• Answer phones, return messages and respond to emails promptly
• Learn agency and community resources and vendor contacts

• Handle complaints and criticism from participants and constituents politely and with grace

1. Refer unsatisfied participants/constituents to supervisor or the Director of Human Resources

1. Farming/Market Gardening for Production

• Season planning for vegetable production, including: production plans, seed orders, and succession plans (done in collaboration with Program Manager)

• All aspects of production for garden and greenhouse operations: seed starting, transplanting, weeding, watering, harvesting, post-harvest handling, fencing, basic construction
• Oversee sales of all produce at Lincoln Park and Hillside Farmers markets and appropriate wholesale accounts
• Work in the Deep Winter Greenhouse
• Coordinate logistics for the Seeds booth at the Farmers Market
• Maintenance of all farm and field equipment

• Cover cropping and tillage

1. Supervise to Ensure Program Success (Specialist Level II and III)

• Assume the role of supervisor in the absence of the SoS Program Manager at program sites
• Supervise with a lens of education, success, and support

• Provide on-going support through supervision and evaluation of a team of 3+

1. Additional Support of Program Through Grant Writing, Data Collection and Reporting (Specialist Level III)

• Support Program Manager in writing grant applications and working with Finance and Director of Field Operations to prepare and maintain program budget
• Adhere to any reporting requirements for grants by collecting pertinent data from market operations

• Co-develop and implement evaluation tools to gauge employee success

Success in the Seeds of Success Food Justice Specialist Positions Looks Like:

• Demonstrating radical hospitality, a commitment to service and our mission in everything you do.
• Placing employees, vendors and customers needs at the center of all decisions and actions.

• Successful supervision in regards to safety, human resources, performance evaluation, and increased education; as well as an engaged and active team
• A streamlined and efficient process of growing and harvesting
• Clear documentation of production plans, harvests and sales
• Fully staffing and implementing successful market locations
• Documented success in customer and employee feedback results and programmatic outcomes.

• Openly communicating success and challenges with Seeds of Success Program Manager.
• Serving as a leader, mentor and coach – demonstrating radical hospitality and a commitment to our mission.

Required qualifications:

• At least 2 years of full-season diversified vegetable production experience

• Previous supervisory experience
• Able to lift and move 50 lbs
• Able to walk over uneven surfaces at garden and market locations
• A high school diploma or GED

Preferred qualifications:

• Farm management experience
• Experience with both urban and rural agricultural systems
• Experience supervising teams with employment barriers
• A driver’s license, current insurance and clean driving record (required for insurance purposes).

• Familiarity with greenhouses and/or value-added food production
• Degree, coursework or related experience in food systems, sustainable agriculture, justice studies, or similar

Review Process:

Annually, Food Justice Specialists will be provided with direct feedback from the Seeds of Success Program Manager.

Working Conditions

This position is non-exempt with hours generally between 8:00am-4:30pm Monday through Friday with occasional evening and weekend obligations. This is full-time position. Benefits for full-time employees may include: employer-sponsored health insurance; Paid Time Off (PTO; holiday pay; access to an Employee Assistance Program; and, employer-matched 403b contribution of 5% after employee’s first year of employment.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $16.00 - $18.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline