Company description

About The Food Project

At The Food Project, we believe that everyone has the right to fresh, healthy, affordable food. Our goal is to transform the food system into a more just, community-engaged model that supports food security for all while connecting diverse communities to each other and to the land.

Since our founding in 1991, The Food Project has grown into a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that works at the intersection of youth, food, and community. Young people are the driving force of The Food Project and work on our farms and with community members to realize the right to food that nourishes our communities and the planet we share.

Each year, we employ 140 teenagers in this vital work on 70 acres of urban and suburban farmland across eastern Massachusetts where they grow 200,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables and use this food to enact innovative food system initiatives that increase access to fresh, healthy food for all.

We focus this work in the two communities we are most deeply connected to: Boston’s Dudley neighborhood and the City of Lynn.

Our Mission
The Food Project’s mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. Our community produces healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs, provides youth leadership opportunities, and inspires and supports others to create change in their own communities.

Our Vision

We envision a world where youth are active leaders, diverse communities feel connected to the land and each other, and everyone has access to fresh, local, healthy, affordable food.

What does our work look like?
The Food Project works at the intersection of youth, food, and community in Greater Boston and the North Shore. The organization was founded with the vision of teens from diverse backgrounds coming together on a sustainably managed farm to cultivate the land, build authentic relationships and feed those in need. Over three decades of operation, The Food Project has employed over 2,000 youth, supporting them to become empowered leaders leading and engaging others in creating personal and social change. On 70 acres of urban and suburban farmland, we cultivate and harvest fresh, sustainably-grown produce and distribute this harvest through farmers markets, box share programs, hunger relief partners and more. We build and install raised bed gardens and provide support to new gardeners, enabling city residents to grow their own fresh produce. We have propagated our program models for over a decade, training roughly 1000 individuals at 300 organizations through past and ongoing initiatives.

Job description

What We Seek

The Food Project is seeking a Lincoln Farm Manager. Applicants for this position should be experienced vegetable farmers and be passionate about sustainable agriculture and youth development, as well as a commitment to teamwork. They should also be committed to making a difference in the world and for the vision of The Food Project. The Farm Manager will lead with the farm education for our youth crews and volunteers. The Food Project’s 31-acre farm in Lincoln, MA, grows and distributes produce in conjunction with our youth programs through our Fall CSA share, Farmers' Markets in Boston, wholesale accounts and to local food access organizations.

The job description below is abbreviated, please view the full description at: https://thefoodproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/JD_-Lincoln-Farm-Manager-FY26-1.pdf

Responsibilities
Farm Operations (55%)

• Manage Farm: 31 acres, 1 heated greenhouse, 2 high tunnels. Manage all planning for the farm, including annual crop planning, seasonal planning and daily planning for field work and distribution.
  • Manage field prep, planting, fertilization, irrigation, cultivation, and harvesting of the Lincoln Farm.
  • Work with the Director of Farms and Food to develop a long term plan for the compost operation.
  • Manage tractors, vehicles, equipment, and property maintenance.
  • Steward non-cultivated acreage (cover crops, soil-building)
  • Maintain recordkeeping for planning, harvest data, soil fertility, expenses, budgets
  • Annual reporting and compliance with lease agreement.
  • Manage all field work on the farm.
  • Manage farm infrastructure including high tunnels, well/pump, irrigation, cooler, heaters and fans.
  • In partnership with the Director of Farms and Food, support 2 returning subleasees on the farm.
• Manage Greenhouse- Seedling production including watering, infrastructure, curing, produce storage, high tunnel production.
• Manage and track farm revenue. Coordinate with communications team to manage all logistics around distribution streams.
• Manage Partner Relationships- Work with the Director of Farms and Food to manage partnerships.

Distribution Operations (15%)

• Coordinate with Boston Farm Manager to develop annual crop plans that serve the distribution interests of the Dudley neighborhood and other partners
• Coordinate to various outlets, maintain current and new relationships, and communicate produce availability.
• Manage sales tracking, billing, and invoicing for produce.

Youth & Volunteer Engagement and Education (10%)

• Lead (and support staff in leading) an agriculture curriculum for TFP youth during the academic year and summer.
• Work closely with youth program team to support and engage youth during field work.
• Lead volunteers in farm work and act as an ambassador of TFP, providing the context for how work fits into the farm and organization.

Management (10%)

• Direct supervision and 1-on-1 mentorship of seasonal crew members.
• Supervisor Check-ins: Regular check in with the Director of Farms and Food.
• Team Meetings Participate in youth, community, land, and food teams in regions.

Organizational Health (10%)

• Relationship and Trust Building. Includes and is not limited to the following:
  • Staff Retreats, All Staff Meetings, Real Talk, Peacemaking Circle.
• Intersectional Work. Includes and is not limited to the following:
  • Interview Committees, Recruitment, Onboarding, Orientation, Training.
• Continuous Learning. Includes and is not limited to the following:
  • Professional Development Plans, Mentorship (internal/external), etc.

Qualifications

• At least five years of experience managing and/or operating a vegetable farm.
• Experience in organic crop production/agriculture.
• Experience organizing volunteer groups safely and productively, interacting with customers, and working with young people preferred.
• Experience with/interest in farm equipment operations.
• Experience working in a multicultural environment.
• Greenhouse management experience.
• Proficient with basic power and hand tools.
• Willing to work flexible schedules - more hours during the growing season, less in winter.
• 21 years of age or older (to allow the use of TFP vehicles)
• Driver's license required to fulfill job duties, willingness to drive large vehicles in a city environment.
• CPR and First Aid certified or willing to be trained.
• Strong capacity to work independently and in teams, with the ability to explain processes clearly and support co-workers’ successful participation.
• Dependable, responsible, independent, and open to learning.
• Team-oriented individual with a good sense of humor
• Comfortable and familiar in discussing Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Belonging and Justice.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-site environment.
• Being bilingual (English/Spanish) highly preferred; fully conversant in English required

Location & Schedule

This is a full-time year round position based at the Lincoln Baker Bridge Farm with periodic meeting at other locations. Willing to work flexible schedules - more hours during the growing season (up to 55 hours a week), less in winter (down to 20 hours a week)

Compensation

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

Application instructions

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Deadline

no deadline