Company description

Sprout City Farms is an urban agriculture nonprofit based in Denver, CO. We collaborate with communities to pursue food justice by cultivating innovative, restorative, educational farms. We envision a thriving and equitable food system supported by a network of farms and partners that nourish, and are nourished by, our surrounding communities.

Since 2010, we have built four community farms across the Denver Metro area. We currently operate three that grow an average of more than 30,000 pounds of produce and reach over 6,000 Coloradans each year. The farms provide Healthy Food Access (over 55% of our total harvest is distributed to families experiencing food insecurity), Community Education and Farmer Training, and Youth Education Programs.

Our current farms are:

• Denver Green School Community Farm (DGS), a 1-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2011 in partnership with Denver Public Schools;
• Mountair Park Community Farm (MAP), a 1.5-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2014 in partnership with the City of Lakewood;
• and the Farm at Jack's Solar Garden (JSG), a 5-acre agrivoltaics site that broke ground in spring 2021 in Longmont, where we are growing produce under solar panels and working with researchers to study the results.

Job description

The Denver Green School Community Farm (DGS) is a 1-acre organic vegetable farm on the grounds of a public K-8 school. The farm, begun in 2011, produces 8-10,000 lbs of food each season. Educational/community programs include volunteer days, field trips, tours, workshops, and various events throughout the year.

We are seeking a Farm Manager to implement farm operations under the direction of the Executive Director and in collaboration with the DGS Community Programs Manager (CPM). The Farm Manager will manage the farm team including Assistant Farm Manager (AFM), Apprentices, and Interns. As a developing nonprofit, our small staff works closely together to implement the goals of the organization as SCF continues to grow. We are looking for a motivated candidate to continue to make this farm a resource for our incredibly diverse community.

Desired skills and qualifications:

• Vegetable farming experience (3+ seasons), farm management experience (1+ seasons).
• Willingness to take initiative and follow through on tasks. Pragmatic and outcome-driven, positive and forward-thinking.
• Comfortable teaching and speaking in front of people.
• Volunteer management experience.
• Ability to physically work within a variety of conditions (i.e. endurance to work long days, in diverse weather conditions), and ability to lift 50 pounds.
• Ability to work as a team player, with people from diverse backgrounds including students/youth, people of different cultures, etc.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; oral communication skills preferred in both English and Spanish. Arabic is a bonus.
• Understanding of social media and digital technology, ie Google Drive.
• Reliable transportation. (Mileage is reimbursed for non-commute travel.)
• Flexible availability including working some nights and weekends.
• Familiarity with and engagement in a local food movement, especially in the Denver area.
• Passion for helping develop a more sustainable and just local food system.
• Preference will go to local residents rooted in the SE Denver community.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Farm Operations (75%):

• Create and implement annual field plan including crop rotation, greenhouse seeding, seed inventory, plantings, harvesting.
• Manage physical operations of the farm including crop plan, field plan, safety plans, building/maintenance of structures, and general farm maintenance, in collaboration with AFM.
• Manage food distribution and associated communications. Food distribution programs include a 70-share CSA, Farm to Cafeteria, onsite Farm Stand, produce donations, and other potential food access programs.
• Participate in all-crew days at Mountair Park Community Farm and the Farm at Jack’s Solar Garden, approximately 1-2 days a month throughout the season.

Education (10%):

• Manage and mentor farm interns, apprentices, volunteers.
• Lead educational lessons for interns.
• Coordinate with CPM and AFM for development and implementation of farm-based educational and volunteer programs.

Community Engagement/Outreach (10%):

• Send weekly CSA newsletters and promotional materials to community members.
• Work with CPM for goal setting, scheduling, and assisting with education, outreach, and seasonal events.
• Assist with community partner communications, including attendance at some meetings of the Community Advisory Committee and other relevant meetings as needed.
• Collaborate with on-site partners as needed, including Denver Green School/Denver Public Schools, Denver Urban Gardens’ community garden, beekeepers, and other organizations working in the space.

General & Administrative (5%):

• Help develop farm budget and manage farm operations-related purchases.
• Provide feedback and updates to DGS job descriptions, DGS promotional materials, and SCF handbook/policies.
• Be a part of hiring committees for DGS farm crew members, and other staff members as appropriate.
• Provide accurate recordkeeping and reporting on farm outcomes.
• Participation in regular staff meetings, and board meetings as needed.
• Help with SCF’s social media, including taking pictures of the DGS Community Farm and its activities throughout the season.

Time Commitment and Compensation:

This is a full-time year-round salaried exempt position. Total annual compensation in 2025 is $61,540 (starting base annual salary of $58,240 plus $3,300 per year in health & home office stipends). Other perks: a CSA share of farm produce, 15 days paid vacation, 9 federal holidays, and the SCF office is closed November 24-28 and December 24-31. All SCF positions are currently field-based/home-office; a laptop is provided for use at the farm.

To Apply:

We believe that systemic inequalities disproportionately impact BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), women, people from working class backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, and other oppressed groups. Because we believe that these communities must be centered in our work as we fight for food justice for all, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other disenfranchised communities.

Studies have shown that women and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. Sprout City Farms will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background.

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline