Company description
Smithereen Farm is a super-diverse organic farm in Downeast Maine. 2027 will be our 10th season. We are a super rural family farm with two small children and a pretty complex business operation.
We run a grocery store and commercial kitchen where we create 19 value-added products and ship them to stores and loyal customers across the country. In the warmer seasons, we run community and educational events, host campers and guests and artists, much of this facilitated by our sister non profit, Greenhorns.
We employ 9 people in the height of the year, and the complexity of our business is related to the varied production over our 260 acres (cranberries, blueberries, wild harvested algae, mushrooms, veggies, seedlings and nursery production, herbs, forest edge botanicals, takeaway foods, bakery, popsicles . . . wholesale, retail, value added production, takeaway, hospitality . . . you get the picture).
We have a great team growing, processing, shipping, packing, running the store, we have great graphic designers, book keeper, chefs and web workers – what we need is YOU, in the office 3-4 days a week, reliably whacking the unending moles of incoming mail, incoming opportunity, incoming regulatory etc.
We offer a joy filled environment with beauty all around. The office is next to the Pennamaquan River, there is great employee housing, a small bikeable town, amazing trails and nature in every direction. The customers are fun, and the store with all its bounty makes for a great quality of life . . . if you like it RURAL!
Washington County is a unique flavor of Maine.
Job description
Smithereen Farm is seeking a positive, patient, capable, confident, highly organized, and adaptable individual to serve as our office manager. Supported by business brain Lila
Wilmerding and owner Severine Welcome, this position starts in the fall to allow for a full onboarding before the spring ramp up.
This position is critical to the growth of the business. We are at the point of doubling our production year over year, and we are seeking someone who is interested in multi-year commitment and deep dedication to growing this business to its full potential.
This role is best filled by someone really adept at online software, portals, and basic business administration. This person is comfortable taking the reins and self-starting (but also knowing
when to ask for approval or a second opinion). We need someone who is able to juggle multiple workstreams and is not phased by all the mundane machinations of running a small business in America.
We want to work with someone who really gets the mission and is driven to support the health and happiness of our enterprise, with efficiency, positive can-do attitude, technical savoir faire, commitment to culinary excellence. We want someone who is ambitious, but also has a sense of humor.
Starting in the fall will allow the incoming office manager to learn the SOPS and inner workings of sales, shipping and warehouse/value added production and the whole calendar of needed compliance deadlines, so that the year plan is calmly laid out ahead of the busy season. To reiterate: March is madness, let's get going soon so that you are ready for it!
Our first public program of the season is LOW LOW TIDES in April: seaweed harvest, educational workshops, hospitality, and commercial harvest. The farmstore opens May 1, seedlings and facilities opening' happens in March/April. This winter we will also be reorganizing some of our production spaces to help maximize productivity and the hospitality program in 2027.
The benefit to working on a farm in this climate is to have some 'time off' in the winters. Because our store and activities are so seasonal, this gives an opportunity for life balance that
some people find restful and generative. From March-October, however, it is quite intensely busy. A candidate to this position should expect to work hard in the summer (productive activities, inquiries, inspections, orders, communications, invoices, HR etc. ) and have a more relaxed winter season of 'maintaining/ special projects.'
As part of this cadence, hours could grow to full-time during the summer season.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Administrative and Office Management
● Act as the primary contact for all office communications, manage the office@smithereenfarm.com email account
● Work with internal and external partners and be the central node of “ office brain” across our whole organizational ecosystem
● Help oversee staff communications and happiness
● Staff Operations: take in timesheets, manage payroll, coordinate meetings, write and maintain operations-related SOPs
● Prepare meeting notes, schedules, and internal updates.
● Draft and format documents, correspondence, and reports as directed.
● Provide administrative support / coordination / tabling/ outreach for associated initiatives and community events as directed (ie Alewife Festival, Rhubarb Festival, Washington County Fair)
● Support the sales and marketing/social media team on occasion.
● Provide occasional executive support with especially technical issues.
● Oversee office operations , weekly staff reports and meetings- ensuring cleanliness, organization, and a welcoming environment for co-workers, guests and visitors.
● Manage and maintain thoughtful organization of Google Suite ecosystem.
● Handle LastPass for Smithereen Farm and related software.
● Set up and manage RSVP forms for paid farm events, such as Spa Days, dinners, and farm tours.
● Manage inbox, flagging priorities, and sorting incoming mail.
● Basic financial management: filing invoices, paying invoices, working with bookkeeper to ensure accurate categorization of expenses and income, maintaining annual budgets.
● Researching and ordering supplies for the farm, farm store, office, or production kitchen, as needed.
● Accurately tracking purchases and materials to their corresponding budget.
● Interfacing with the various portals for instance: Versant (electric utility), Square, Quickbooks, MEMIC, Insurance companies etc.
● Act as point of contact for various vendors and renewals.
● Ensure compliance with various regulatory bodies and ensure that all of our licenses are current and accurate.
● Occasional grant reporting or tagging.
● Interact with wholesale and retail customers in a way that reflects strong hospitality instincts. Assist with basic order fulfillment and/or logistical questions, or redirect requests to appropriate team member, as needed.
● Rental lease paperwork.
● Admin for HipCamp and VRBO rentals as directed (updates to listings, occasional
calendar management, etc.).
● Maintain HR paperwork including new employee onboarding documents.
● Maintain discretion and confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
● Hold a positive attitude and positive outlook that allows us all to thrive and grow our business resilience and profitability.
Compensation: $35-40/hr DOE; benefits and optional housing
Compensation
this position is: hourly, $20/hr +
Application instructions
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Deadline
no deadline