About GrowNYC
GrowNYC is a 50-year-old environmental nonprofit organization - helping more than 3 million New Yorkers by providing essential services and taking action to make NYC a livable city, one where every person can enjoy a healthier, more sustainable life.
Our Programs:
• Our network of Greenmarkets, Farmstands, Fresh Food Box sites and GrowNYC Wholesale ensures that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, healthiest local food.
• We blanket the five boroughs with resources like textile and food scrap collection, Stop ‘N’ Swaps, and free training to make waste reduction easy for all.
• We build and support community and school gardens through volunteer days, technical assistance, training, grants and more.
• We provide 70,000 children each year with programs that provide meaningful interactions with the natural environment.
For the past 45 years GrowNYC’s Food Access and Agriculture Programs have developed innovative models to meet its two-part mission; regional farm viability and the equitable access for all New Yorkers to locally grown food. From our 80+ retail sites to our rapidly expanding wholesale department, we work with over 300 regional farmers and hundreds of communities throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City.
Farmer Assistance is GrowNYC’s technical assistance program and provides both aspiring and established Greenmarket farmers with business technical assistance and training designed to ensure the long-term viability of participating farms and farmland. Technical assistance is provided through both internal services and through the engagement of external consultants. Core service areas include:
• Legal and Farm Succession
• Strategic Marketing
• Beginning Farmer Training
GrowNYC is committed to stopping the spread of Covid-19. We currently require all employees to disclose their vaccine status to us. We require daily health screenings and mandate mask-wearing indoor or other settings that make social distancing difficult, as well as masking for unvaccinated employees in all work settings. As the situation evolves, GrowNYC reserves the right to make changes to our health and safety practices and policies, including but not limited to requiring that staff vaccinate, test, and comply with local rules and applicable guidelines.
Assistant Director, Regional Agriculture
Reporting to the Director of Retail Food Access and Agriculture, the Assistant Director, Regional Agriculture is responsible for the program management, strategy, and development of the Farmer Assistance Program and will serve as a strategic thought partner to the Director of Retail Food Access and Agriculture and Director of Wholesale. The position requires a high-level, strategic understanding of regional agricultural and business management, as well as a commitment to an equitable and just regional food system.
Director responsibilities include:
Program Management
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Provide project leadership, strategic direction and problem-solving for GrowNYC Farmer Assistance, including day-to-day management of the Beginning Farmer, Legal and Succession Planning, and Strategic Marketing programs.
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Supervise GFA staff, interns, and contract consultants, including recruitment, hiring, and development/monitoring of work plans for three (3) direct reports.
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Provide management and discretionary approval of legal services through collaboration with Pace University Food and Beverage Law Clinic.
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Develop and oversee internal programmatic budgets, including revenue and expense tracking for all programming.
Fundraising and Administration
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Lead development and fundraising efforts for ~$700,000 annual GFA budget from Federal, State, City, private, philanthropic, and corporate funding sources by writing narratives, developing budgets, and seeking collaborative partnerships for 5-7 grant proposals annually.
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Manage and track progress towards all grant deliverables, including funding spend-down.
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Create narrative and financial reports for grants (currently ~10 funding sources)
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Review and approve all program-related expenses.
Strategy
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Define and carry out long-term GFA programmatic vision through an equity framework. Lead an ongoing process of evaluation and feedback with internal and external stakeholders to create a more just and equitable food system.
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Advise the GrowNYC CEO and President and Directors of Retail and Wholesale on national and regional agricultural trends that inform short and long-term programmatic strategy.
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Respond to the changing needs of a diverse farming community through the continuous development of cutting-edge programming that provides measurable farm-level impacts to participating businesses.
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Set and monitor progress towards short and long-term strategic plans that deepen GFA’s mission.
Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
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At the direction of senior management, serve as an engaging and public spokesperson for GFA’s/GrowNYC’s work through participation in regional agriculture committees and presentations on ongoing programming at regional conferences and events each year.
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Assist GrowNYC’s Communications staff in responding to press inquiries and social media posts.
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Establish and maintain strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders that match the values and mission of GrowNYC Farmer Assistance.
Qualifications and Characteristics
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4+ years of related experience and/or relevant program management experience, including supervising and developing staff, managing programming, and fundraising.
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Bachelor’s Degree; Masters or Juris Doctorate preferred
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Strong commitment to a racially and socially just food system.
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Demonstrated knowledge of regional food systems and sustainable agriculture, whether in the private, non-profit, or public sectors.
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Grounded in community-centric work in multicultural and multilingual spaces.
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Demonstrated experience working with farmers, troubleshooting obstacles, and providing technical assistance.
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Excellent written and public speaking communication skills, with a desire and proven ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and knowledge levels.
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Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced team environment.
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Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, including trans* and nonbinary, sexual orientation, class, and religion.
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Full professional proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Zoom, Adobe Suite and Constant Contact.
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Offsite travel will be expected - A valid driver’s license is required.
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Occasional weekend and weeknight work required.
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Spanish language fluency (strongly preferred)
Salary: $85,000-$95,000. This position is full-time with a generous benefits package including medical and dental insurance and paid time off.
Location: This is a remote/hybrid position. Must be able to work in our NYC-based office 2-3 days per week.
GrowNYC/Greenmarket is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer and hires without regard to race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation or physical disability.
Please apply via our web portal at Job Opportunities with GrowNYC | GrowNYC