Company description

Farm School NYC's mission is to train NYC residents in urban agriculture, build self-reliant communities, and inspire positive local action around food sovereignty, social, economic, and racial justice. At Farm School NYC, we center Queer and Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QT-BIPOC) leadership and promote food dignity and regenerative urban agriculture through an intersectional lens of racial, gender, and environmental justice. Our curriculum is rooted in indigenous and ancestral food ways (rooted in environmental sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and indigenous practices that balance the priorities of people and the earth), racial justice, and the lived experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ farmers. Since 2011, our programming has served over 3,500 community members and we continue to work tirelessly to transform the lives of urban growers and communities through leadership development, community building, policy advocacy, and hands-on urban agriculture educational programming. Our commitment to healing spaces, care-filled connections, and principles of sovereignty, land justice, and liberation shapes a legacy that honors our ancestors and builds a proud future. Learn more about our programs here: https://www.farmschoolnyc.org/programs

Job description

Farm School NYC is searching for two Co-Executive Directors to share leadership at this growing nonprofit focused on sharing urban agriculture practices and inspiring action on issues of food and land sovereignty, and social, economic, and racial justice. These positions will share leadership of the organization, its vibrant community of facilitators, learners, and land stewards, and determine the strategic vision for the organization as it approaches its 15th year of offering programming and 8th year of work as an independent nonprofit.

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until November 1, 2026; priority will be given to applicants who share their materials by October 16, 2026.

How to Apply: Please submit your application materials through the form provided. You can view a PDF of the application in its entirety there. Learn more about Farm School NYC at www.farmschoolnyc.org. Email leadershipsearch@farmschoolnyc.org if you have questions about the opportunity or experience any issues with the form.

Structure: Two co-equal Executive Directors who each report to the board and are accountable to one another for overall organizational leadership.

Executive Director, Resource Mobilization
The person in this role will be an experienced fundraiser able to design high-level development strategy while implementing the nuts and bolts of fundraising in a lean organization with no development support staff. Role will be responsible for stewarding $800K-$900K annually, with the opportunity for significant growth. FSNYC has historically relied primarily on government grants, which is risky under current conditions. New leadership will be tasked with diversifying our revenue streams while managing ongoing federal funding.

Executive Director, Operations & Finance
The person in this role will be an operations whiz who delights in systems and day-to-day operational management. They will be responsible for managing complex contracts and restricted grants, and will steward a budget of $800-$900K annually. They will manage finance, HR, operations, and team culture-building.

Both EDs will share responsibility for leadership, strategic planning, Board development, and other mission-critical activities. Please read the candidate profiles in their entirety during your application process.

Candidate Profile

• Demonstrated senior nonprofit leadership experience, ideally through a period of financial or organizational transition, including successfully managing staff, volunteers, or teams
• Strong financial acumen; comfort creating and managing an organizational budget (Executive Director, Operations & Finance)
• Demonstrated fundraising track record, particularly in challenging conditions (Executive Director, Resource Mobilization)
• Comfort with collaborative/collective decision-making with staff and Board while demonstrating leadership rooted in purpose and trust.
• Open to candidates outside the traditional nonprofit-executive path: people deeply connected to the food justice/urban ag community without prior ED experience, or leaders from other sectors entirely
• Awareness of and lived or professional experience with the political, racial, class, and gender analysis of food, labor, capital, and climate justice, and with Black- and Indigenous-led liberation work in the U.S. and NYC specifically
  
  The following are significant pluses; at least one Co-ED will need real experience in these areas:
  
• Credibility and lived relationship with NYC's growing spaces, farmers, and community gardeners, including direct experience with Farm School’s curriculum
• Understanding of Farm School's pedagogy — popular education, food justice, land stewardship — sufficient to represent it in external-facing decisions
• Fluency in USDA contracts, the Farm Bill, and agricultural policy sufficient to speak to funders, partners, and the Board directly
• Connection to the broader food justice and urban agriculture movement, including peer/sibling organizations

Compensation

this position is: salaried, more than $100,000

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

If you are not registered, you'll be prompted to do so. Don't worry, it's free!

Deadline

November 01, 2026