Salvation Farms was founded in 2004 as a grassroots gleaning organization operating under the fiscal umbrella of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, becoming a federally-recognized nonprofit in 2012. With a staff of 7 now, we anticipate growing to a team of 9 full-time and 1 part-time employees in 2024, with a larger main office and small program facility in Morrisville, Vermont within 12-18 months, and an extension office in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Additionally, we’re seeking space for a walk-in cooler near St. Johnsbury to support work in that region.

Rooted in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, and experiential education, we believe that farms are, were, and always will be our salvation. Diversified farms are the cornerstones of healthy, wholesome, and stable communities and cultures, and the best way to build lasting change in the food system is to involve people in the process of moving food from farms to eaters.

Our Goals

• Reduce food loss on farms
• Increase use of locally grown foods
• Foster appreciation of VT’s agricultural heritage and future
• Support a more socially and environmentally just food system

Our Programs

SF operates a gleaning program, provides backbone support to the Vermont Gleaning Collective, and runs a surplus crop food hub in tandem with job-readiness training for individuals with barriers to employment. Other aspects of our mission include technical assistance, creating resources for the gleaners and supply chain development, experiential education, community building, cross-sector collaboration, research, advocacy, dialogue facilitation, and state/regional/national engagement. Read more about our programs on our website.

Bring your passion for agriculture and locally grown food, sustainability, and leadership to the role of Executive Director of Salvation Farms. Building upon two decades of extraordinary growth and evolution, the new ED will collaborate with and inspire SF’s dedicated team and expand and deepen the organization’s influential and unique role in Vermont’s food system.

Find the full job description and organizational profile and vision, including qualifications, here. 

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to building resilience in Vermont’s food system, serve as a prominent voice within the Vermont farm and food sector, and be part of a respectful, intentional workplace culture where employees feel empowered and supported to thrive and succeed.

Advancing Salvation Farms’ mission, vision, and program strategy, you will:

• Guide the organization’s direction and growth
• Engage with external partners
• Strengthen the financial health and operations of the organization
• Develop relationships across private, public, and non-profit sectors

You will also shepherd SF through an exciting programmatic expansion and organizational anchoring phase. After many pilots, SF now has the resources to fully commit to a new operating location in Lamoille County for surplus crop aggregation and food processing and will include a workforce development component. The new space will house much of our operations under one roof, allow us to expand the capture and distribution of surplus crops, explore the development of frozen and shelf-stable food products, and develop new markets for local farms' surplus crops.
 

IDEAL CAPABILITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

The next ED will be poised to shepherd the organization into a new era while honoring its history and mission fundamentals. The ideal candidate will embody the following:

• Visionary: strategic, progressive innovator who sees the big picture, identifies potential and risk, and remains grounded in pursuit of aspirations.
• Fundraiser: adeptly guide and expand the organization’s fundraising infrastructure and capability to sustain and grow the organization by cultivating major gifts and writing grants.
• Entrepreneurial: evolve systems, develop programs, and solve operational challenges responsively and entrepreneurially.
• Compelling Communicator: passionately express the narrative of food systems change to diverse audiences, strengthening fundraising, inspiring action, promoting advocacy and bringing visibility.
• Systems Thinker/Changemaker: see connections and initiate opportunities for collective impact strategies that help achieve shared goals.
• Culturally Responsive: commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice values.
• Participatory Leader: bring a high degree of emotional intelligence that cultivates collaborative and authentic relationships among peer organizations, staff, board members, and partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning: Collaboratively create and communicate a vision for SF’s future to all interested parties. Maintain an emphasis on strategic planning, coordinating the development of long-range and annual plan goals, and ensuring timely execution and allocation of resources to ensure continuous progress.

Organizational Oversight & Management: Foster a healthy, positive, and inclusive workplace culture that energizes, empowers, engages, supports, develops and motivates staff, provides competitive total compensation, and encourages collaboration and communication across the organization in support of a we/us culture.

Financial Management: Oversee fiscal management including developing long-range financial plans, annual budgeting and financial monitoring, and maintaining sound financial controls to minimize risk and ensure the organization's stability and sustainability.

Programs and Services: Provide strategic oversight of program research, design, development, delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement. Collaborate with key staff to ensure programmatic efficacy through consistent and robust data and evaluation systems, and foster cooperation and collaboration with partners to strengthen our work.

Infrastructure and Operations: Provide oversight of SF’s infrastructure and operations, ensuring preparedness for future growth through investment in people, education, certifications, processes, and technology. Ensure consistent quality, security and compliance of operational systems, human resources, finance, administration, I.T., fundraising, and communications.

Public Relations and Fundraising: Serve as spokesperson and representative to the community, key donors, and interested parties, help increase opportunities for effective partnerships in new areas, and develop relationships with funders and elected and community leaders. Effectively steward relationships with donors and oversee the creation of new revenue-generating strategies, expansion of fundraising activities, and procurement of government and foundation grants and corporate partnerships.

Board Engagement: Partner with the Board on shaping the organization's strategic direction and execution of goals, board development, fundraising opportunities and donor stewardship, policy formulation, and fiscal management. Regularly apprise the board of the organization’s financial status, programmatic and operational developments, achievements, and issues that require their attention.