Company description

Agri-Cultura Network (ACN) is New Mexico’s largest farming cooperative and is a community-driven model, building New Mexico’s small farming economy through sustainable and regenerative food justice.

The programs of the Agri‑Cultura Cooperative Network are focused in three categories:

Wholesale Business, Community Engagement/Nutrition & Farming Education, and Farm Capacity Building.

The Wholesale Business program provides services to New Mexico farms to sell their produce to our customers. We aggregate the produce in a central facility, the South Valley Economic Development Center, and utilize their community commercial kitchen, the Mixing Bowl, to process and package the raw produce. The produce is stored in a walk-in cooler in the Mixing Bowl and delivered to our customers. We collect payment from our customers and distribute payments to the farms.

The Community Engagement and Nutrition & Farming Education program provides services to our neighborhoods through the La Cosecha CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, Community Cooking Classes, farm education in partnership with the Grow the Growers program, and other community events

The Farm Capacity Building program provides technical assistance and collective solutions to improve the structure and adaptability of our farms. We host trainings and group discussions to address soil health, business practices, food safety regulations, and pest and weed management. Group purchases of seeds, irrigation supplies, and other items is another way we support our farms.

Job description

ACN is looking for an experienced Food Safety Manager that understands New Mexico grown produce, farming, use of organic farming methods, relationship building, food safety and management.

Goal: To maintain relationships with 70 farms for harvest cycles, review produce quality, coordinate purchasing, and ensure grant deliverables concerning food safety are met. The Food Safety Manager will work closely with the Food Access Manager, the Kitchen and Production Supervisor, and the La Cosecha CSA Manager. This position reports to the ACN Executive Director.

Responsibilities:

• Work with 70 farms across the state of New Mexico throughout varying harvest cycles
• Onboards new farms and ranches joining the ACN through:

o Farm/Ranch visits

o Organic production analysis

o Tier I or Tier II designation

• Oversees the Transition to Organic (TOP) Program for ACN
• Grant deliverables and reporting management
• Coordination of purchasing needs with Food Access Manager
• We know it's impossible to convey every task for a particular job. Our hope is that as your role evolves over time we can adjust your job description accordingly.

Requirements and Skills

• Must have a passion for social justice and alignment with ACN’s farming mission
• Excellent people skills to work with 70 farmers/ranchers
• Must have Food Handlers Certification, with deep understanding of allergens and food storage requirements and recommendations
• Experience in reporting on key purchasing and production metrics
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Outstanding communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
• Strong decision making skills and results-driven approach
• Familiarity with NM-grown fruits and vegetables
• Food systems knowledge and an interest in organic farming/gardening, shopping local
• Must have clean driving record
• Must be available on weekends as needed
• Grant management and reporting experience preferred
• Familiarity with the Transition to Organic Program preferred, but not required
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred, but not required

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

April 06, 2025