Company description

About MEVO:
MEVO (the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization, Inc.) is a youth-led environmental nonprofit dedicated to creating scalable ecological solutions that inspires and empowers people to take action for a better future. Since our founding in 2008, we have mobilized more than 12,000
volunteers, providing over 70,000 hours of hands-on environmental service throughout Northern New Jersey and lower New York. A core focus of our work is our long-standing efforts on Stag Hill in Mahwah, home of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, where we have removed with volunteers more than 850,000 pounds of illegally dumped trash over 200+ cleanups. We also build, maintain, and repair local trails in partnership with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to provide ecological access and recreation for the community. Currently, our central program is the Fresh Roots Farming, which showcases organically based vegetable production in multiple gardens and farms while offering internships, volunteer days, and community programming. Through all of these programs, it
is our intention to get our community’s boots on the ground and hands in the direct effort to effect change through combating environmental apathy.

About our Fresh Roots Farming Program:
MEVO has been growing and building, managing, and curating community farms and gardens with the help of volunteers since 2011. We started gardening in milkcrates, creating wheelchair accessible gardens and from 2015-2020 built two organically tended market garden farms. We believe that teaching about environmentally friendly farming practices and getting people boots on the ground and hands in the dirt is the easiest way to give our community a touchstone to environmental issues and how they can help address them. Everyone needs to eat. By showing people the harms but then
the benefits of farming when done without chemical inputs and with the care of the soil, the surrounding ecology, the water cycle, and the workers in mind we can exact positive environmental change. MEVO currently tends one 2 acres market garden, the Fresh Roots farm and will be working
in 2026 to secure a second market garden, after the loss of Lovewell Farm to development, a 1.5 acres plot, at the end of 2025. The Fresh Roots Farming Program covers a broad range of farm based programs from a CSA and Farmers’ Market Stand, internships, volunteer events, and workshops.

Job description

**This is a shortened version of a more thorough job description including a description of our organization. Read the full description here.

Job purpose
The Farm Manager in training will spend their 2026 season learning from our current farm manager to take over all growing and programming of MEVO’s Fresh Roots Farm Program for 2027. During this season, this role will serve to support and aid the Farm Manager in all areas of growing, production, volunteer programming, and farm maintenance for the Fresh Roots Farm and any additional farm projects MEVO will be taking on in 2026 in lieu of losing Lovewell Farm, MEVO’s second farm location. They will also take a primary lead in running volunteer events, as well as working with interns and serving as their crew leader.

Responsibilities
Field Management and Harvesting:
● Following the transplant calendar, crop map, and task calendar of the crop plan
● Ensuring all beds for transplants and direct seedings are ready to receive their crops
● Managing IPM crop care and researching and applying solutions that follow organic practices
● Working with the Farm Manager to send in soil tests and implement any needed adjustments
● Working with the Farm Manager to provide optimal care to the crops
● Assisting in the winterization of the farm
● Participating in harvest day activities
● Ensuring the collection and recording of all field data

Farm Development:
● Being willing to take a proactive approach to securing and developing new growing spaces
● Working with the Executive Director and Farm Manager to help design and implement any infrastructure that is needed at a new farm

Infrastructure:
● Assisting in the repair and maintenance of all farm infrastructure
● Initiating and leading building and repair projects when needed Ex: Irrigation, farm gates, and farm fencing
● Taking a lead in wheelbarrow care and repair along with tools used heavily by volunteers (shovels and rock rakes)

Internship Program
○ Co-Leading Intern training day with the Farm Manager and Executive Director
○ Interviewing prospective Farm Crew interns with the Executive Director and Farm Manager and conducting exit interviews
○ Providing continued learning opportunities through on-the-farm activities and site visits to other farms and organizations
○ Holding interns to their attendance and performance expectations
○ Managing and training interns to accomplish daily tasks and conveying the quality of work expected of them
○ Structuring & guiding daily/weekly intern reflection circles with crew leaders and the Executive Director
○ Co-organizing and overseeing the annual summer trip with the Summer Crew Leaders (including transportation of crew)

Volunteer Management
● Managing Volunteer Events (2-3 times per week)
○ Communicating with volunteers the day before an event via the volunteer email to provide details for the volunteer day
○ Monitoring the volunteer email and responding promptly to any inquiries or correspondences
○ Ensuring a sign-in sheet is created for each event and then given to the Executive Director Assistant for record-keeping
○ Creating a work list and schedule for volunteer events that best utilize volunteers to provide an impactful experience for both them and the needs of the farm
○ Creating additional volunteer events, and asking the Executive Director Assistant to market them, when more help is needed around the farm

Educational Programming
● Run workshops on topics such as specific crop care, seedling care, etc
● Assistant in on-farm and in-school programming during spring-fall

Desired Skills:
● Intermediate knowledge of food & cooking
● Knowledge of basic botany, plant families, and typical crop diseases
● Experience towing a trailer
● Experience operating a tractor and/or skid steer
● Basic power tool operation (impact driver, circular saw, etc)

Job Requirements
● Bachelor’s Degree
● Driver’s License required to complete job duties, as this role involves driving a farm vehicle to and from market
● Ability to work physically hard
● Promptness and arriving to work on time
● Willingness or ability to work with groups of all ages
● Comfort with public speaking or willingness to become comfortable
● Prior experience in a management role or a strong desire to do so
● At least one season of growing experience in vegetable production

Hours
● March-Mid May: 24 hours
● Mid-May-Mid September: 40 hours
● Mid-September to mid-November: 24 hours
● Mid-November to the end of December 16-24 hours

Compensation
● This position will make $20-22/hr experience dependent. Because this role varies from full-time to part-time according to the farm season with the hours listed above, this comes to around $26,400-$29,040 per year. As an hourly position, this role would track hours and pay overtime over 40 hours a week.

Benefits:
● 401(K) (match can be taken after two years with the organization)
● Dental Insurance
● Health Insurance coverage of plan of choice up to $250 per month
● Professional development stipend
● Vacation and PTO

To Apply:
● Please fill out this google form and attach your resume and cover letter

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $20.00 - $22.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline