Company description

Who We Are
Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. We offer transformative learning experiences to help educators and students create a better world. Our home campus is a 1,400-acre working farm located on the traditional, unceded homelands—Ndakinna—of the Winooskik band of the Abenaki.

Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Shelburne Farms recognizes that justice, equity, and access are central to sustainability. We are committed to translating these values into action across the organization by improving equitable outcomes in our culture, programs, and services. Shelburne Farms is working to create experiences of belonging for all, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, and people of all economic realities. We are passionate about building and sustaining a diverse and welcoming working and learning environment for all program participants, guests, and staff.

Job description

Who We’re Looking for

You will lead a team who advances and serves as a tangible expression of the Farm’s mission and goals by collaborating with other farm operations in producing, aging, packaging and shipping our excellent cheddar cheese (along with other farm products). The cheese team is integral to supporting a healthy local food system and providing an inspiring farm-based campus for learning for the Farm’s various programs and activities.

What You’ll Do

Day in the life of this role:

• Guide, support, and direct all Creamery staff to maintain a cohesive and effective team that is engaged with the Farm’s mission and produces food-safe and high-quality farmstead cheddar cheese per annual plans and delivers it to high customer satisfaction.
• Manage the overall operations for cheese-making and aging, cheese processing, and all mail order shipping.
• Learn and participate in all areas of cheesemaking, processing and shipping. We have a team of experts in all areas however you will need to learn all aspects of the cheese department to train and fill in gaps when needed.
• Ensure establishment of effective systems for our holiday season surge and the associated additional staff (however specific holiday operational management responsibilities may be delegated to creamery staff)
• Serve as the point person for creamery-related interviews, tours and programming, and other Shelburne Farms department requests. Delegation to Head Cheesemaker or other staff may be appropriate.
• Assist or enable sales and marketing as required.
• Generate weekly all-creamery staff schedule to support the seven-day work week and the coordination of overlapping work teams. Establish a system to assign responsibilities to specific team members for any needed daily adjustments to the schedule in response to unforeseen events.
• Work closely with the team’s Food Safety Leader to promote a strong Food Safety culture within the team and more broadly around the Farm.
• Be the point of contact for our Buildings and Grounds Dept. Manager to coordinate equipment and facility repairs and maintenance that is beyond creamery staff capability.
• Participate in the Tasting & Grading Program and provide direction and guidance when needed.
• Ensure an up to date and consistent training program is maintained for all key Creamery functions and all personnel. Consider appropriate outside training for staff skill growth.
• Maintain and improve our safe and productive facility and work environment.
• Develop and manage the Creamery budgets with direction from the Operations Manager. Approve invoices and control expenses through efficiency and purchasing decisions.
• Keep current on cheesemaking and processing best practices and equipment and encourage continuous improvement of our operation as appropriate to our scale, resources, and mission. This includes facilitating the team’s engagement with Shelburne Farms’ Climate Action initiatives.
• Perform other work as necessary to support the Farm in satisfying guest and customer needs. Instill a priority for excellent customer service within the team.
• Initiate and participate in learning outreach and marketing activities on and off the Farm, such as ‘Meet the Cheesemaker’, demos, and farmers markets. Enable the Creamery staff to tell the Farm’s story of cheese.

Core Qualifications

Required qualifications that all applicants must have in order to be considered for the job:

• Passionate to lead and support people through their career journey. You will immediately be responsible for a team of up to eight (8) employees in the Creamery Department.
• Valid driver’s license to drive a delivery vehicle, on and off farm.
• Very competent computer skills including Google Suite and Excel.
• Commitment to the Farm’s mission, core values, and our Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion goals.

Additional Valued Qualifications

Not required to apply but will greatly assist in your training and onboarding process:

• Passionate about artisanal cheese and excited to become a cheesemaker.
• Food manufacturing experience.
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), cleaning and sanitation, and food safety.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to work up to 10 hour days on your feet in hot and cold environments.

• We work a 7 day/week, 10-hour shift schedule (6am - 4:30 pm). May require some weekend shifts. Staff have a set schedule, 4 days/week, 10-hour shifts.

• Repetitive lifting of up to 65 pounds and stacking blocks of cheese in our coolers.

• • Carrying cheese blocks on a ladder.

• Repetitive movements of the hands and wrists to perform fine-motor skills.

• Cleaning chemicals and sanitizers are used.

• Must be able to understand and use production machinery safely.

Benefits

• Medical coverage for employees and their families
• Health Reimbursement Account covering 80% of the health insurance and Rx deductible
• Flexible Spending Account for medical and dependent care expenses
• Voluntary Dental and Vision insurance for staff and their families
• Paid long term disability and life insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid time off and sick pay
• Discounts on farm products and services
• CSA Farm Share
• Free or discounted admission to partnering farms and programs

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $50,000.00 - $60,000.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline