Company description

We are a 60 acre, MOFGA Certified Organic vegetable farm that grows about 25 acres of vegetables for our CSA and wholesale customers. We are in our tenth year of production and are growing each year to meet the demand for local, organic produce.

As a mixed vegetable operation, all staff on the farm get to be part of seasonal produce production in the short-season climate that is Mid-Coast Maine. The work is variable, challenging, and rewarding. We work in all weather; we work as a team to meet the tight deadlines of harvest and delivery. We pride ourselves on creating a great work environment and providing upward growth for committed staff.

We grow, wash, pack, and deliver hundreds of customizable CSA shares each week in the summer and bi-weekly the remainder of the year. This requires a lot of admin and organization outside of field work. We use Quickbooks, CSAWare customization software, and Google Drive as our primary methods of organizing the madness. We have a large facility that houses our veggie storage, washline, employee space, general storage and shared office, which is where most of the work will happen..

Job description

This position (Admin and field assistant) is a new position on the farm. The goal is to have 30-50% of the time be spent in administrative work and 50-70% of the time be spent on field/harvest operations, depending on the demands of the season. Many of the administrative tasks are time oriented, so certain blocks of time will be allocated weekly for office work and training will be provided. Administrative work will be done alongside Beth, one of the owners who will train and supervise as needed. Field work will be done either of the owners, Beth or Eric, or one of the field team leads.

Administrative Work:

• Handling customer questions and communications via phone and email, day to day customer service
• Assist with preparation of newsletter graphics and customer communications
• Preparing the documents necessary for delivery
• Maintaining inventory of add-on items (in house and in our software), ordering extras from our vendors on schedule, maintain record keeping around sales of extras, and assure delivery of distribution of extras
• Handling communication with drop sites and logistics at each site
• Assist in marketing pushes, bulk customer communications, and creating of other marketing materials

Field and Farm Work:

• Assist with field harvest on busy harvest mornings
• Assist with washpack when needed (washing, bagging produce for distribution)
• Participate in pack-out weekly/biweekly (pack CSA boxes for distribution)
• Assist with planting, weeding, and crop maintenance when time permits
• Field work is done outside in all weather and is physically demanding.

Schedule:

This position is full-time (with seasonal variation below), year-round, and is expected to be a multi-year position with growth potential for the right candidate. The anticipated start date is early to mid-February. The whole farm staff is on “Winter hours” (M-Th 8-3:30) from January through Mid-March, when the position switches to regular full time (at least M-F 7/7:30-3:30/4). . The administrative part of this position requires 1-2 weekends a month of “call hours” - minimal checking of email over the weekend (from home) to ensure that time sensitive customer emails regarding the delivery are handled over the weekend (2-3 hours per weekend total). Note winter hours schedule may occasionally include other more general duties on the farm to fill your schedule. Lunch is ½ hour unpaid, and each employee has a paid 15 minute break in place in the AM.

Job Requirements:

• Employees must be on time, responsible and reliable.
• Demonstrated experience either on a farm OR in another fast-paced, physically demanding environment (landscaping, restaurant work, among other things)
• Consistent attention to detail and a high standard of work.
• Must be capable of heavy physical work in all weather conditions, cold/heat/rain etc. Greenhouse work requires the ability to stand for hours on end, move trays repeatedly, lift and move up to 50 pounds, and work in warm or hot conditions.
• Experience with Constant Contact or other email marketing platforms
• Experience with spreadsheets/microsoft office
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently while working alone. Demonstrated ability to self-start and manage/triage a schedule and priorities.
• Employees are expected to be team players, comfortable taking direction and following direction from both Beth and Eric and each other, and comfortable taking constructive criticism that improves the job being done. Employees are expected to be respectful and kind to one another.

Pay: Starting pay $18.00/hr. More with demonstrated experience in email marketing, website work, graphic work or similar

Benefits:

• Earned time off - Accrual of 1 hour per 40 hrs worked.
• A CSA share free of charge all seasons employed (value ~$30/week). Plus additional seconds and bulk veggies if desired.
• 35% discount on purchased-in items such as eggs, cheese, flowers, etc.
• Matching Retirement contributions (via our SIMPLE IRA) of 3% of income after 3 months of employment
• Gear Stipend seasonally ($100 June/$100 January)

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

February 16, 2024