HIRING - Food Access & Education Manager

What We Seek

We seek a dedicated Food Access and Education Manager who will play a pivotal role in managing and nurturing The Food Project’s food distribution and education initiatives based in Lynn. This individual will collaborate closely with the Lynn Farm Manager, North Shore Associate Director of Youth and Community Programs, and youth, fostering a strong team spirit.

The ideal candidate is a motivated individual with a passion for community engagement, sustainable agriculture, and youth development. Strong organizational skills, effective communication abilities, and a commitment to fostering inclusive and supportive community environments are critical attributes for success in this role.

Responsibilities

Community Gardens (35%)

  • Work with the Lynn Farm Manager to review gardener applications, conduct phone interviews, and make final decisions.
  • Orient each gardener on rules, resources, and who to contact for help at all TFP-led community gardens.
  • Host regular “open hours”in our gardens at least once per month, during a time that will be accessible to other community gardeners. (e.g., on a weekend or during a weeknight evening.) Open hours will allow gardeners to stop in and ask questions/ receive support as necessary.
  • Partner with Lynn Farm Manager in planning the garden kick-offs in mid-May.
  • Meet with the Lynn Farm Manager on a regular basis to troubleshoot any problems and receive support.
  • Work with the Lynn Farm Manager to manage any infrastructure improvements/ decisions (ongoing).
  • Maintain the cleanliness of garden spaces with support from the farm team.
  • Work with the Lynn Farm Manager to coordinate a garden clean-up day and evaluate the season.
  • Build and repair approximately 50-80 raised beds for the Lynn community per growing season (April-November)
  • Working with municipal and nonprofit partners to provide comprehensive urban agriculture education, mentorship and network building to urban growers in Lynn.
  • Strengthen gardening communities and build social capital at events. Utilize our urban farms as spaces of learning and gathering, including establishing a new greenhouse in Lynn.

Market Management (35%)

  • Work with the Associate Director of Youth and Community Programs, Lynn Farm Manager, to maintain the Lynn Commons Farmers Market during the pilot season and through maturity.
  • Work with the Lynn Farm Manager to coordinate site logistics, including set-up and permitting from the city of Lynn/ MBTA.
  • Implement market regulations and protocols for vendors and customers to ensure legality and safety.
  • Manage a team of farmers market consultants (if possible), youth and staff to support TFP’s produce distribution and crowd management at the market.
  • Manage vendor relationships that can include farm vendors, UMass Extension, and various other inquiries and opportunities from community stakeholders as they arise.
  • Provide technical support to vendors and customers; promote and answer questions about HIP while at market. Lynn Commons Farmers Market - Thursdays 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM from July through mid-November.
  • Manage a Saturday bi-weekly winter farmer’s market (December - June).
  • Work with Lynn Farm Manager to create a comprehensive farmers market and Build-A-Garden curriculum that will be facilitated for the Food Project academic year and summer youth programs.

Youth Engagement (10%)

  • Academic Year (Saturdays)
    • Partner with youth development staff to facilitate a comprehensive build-a-garden curriculum for the Academic year youth programs.
    • Partner with youth development staff to lead garden work and garden builds with youth in The Food Project’s Academic year youth programs.
    • Partner with development staff to prepare youth to host community garden events (as needed)
  • Summer (Mondays and Thursdays)
    • Partner with youth development staff to facilitate a comprehensive farmers market training for summer Root Crew.
    • During July and August, partner with youth development staff and with Root Crew, our more experienced youth, to support farmers market operations
    • Partner with youth development staff to lead garden work with youth in The Food Project’s Seed Crew- an intensive six-week summer job.

Administration (10%)

  • Budget, Annual Planning, Data Collection and Input - oversee respective budgets, build respective annual plans, review variance reports, data collection and entry, finance allocation, and Paychex management.
  • Recruitment - build, maintain and implement respective recruitment processes for ongoing full time and seasonal positions amongst the team as necessary.
  • Meetings - Participate in all-staff meetings and trainings, and provide cross-department support.

Organizational Health (10%)

  • Participate in our justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
  • Prepare and participate in structured, regular feedback sessions.

Qualifications

This position is ideal for an individual who is interested in both sustainable agriculture and community engagement. It is well-suited for someone who has some experience working on a community garden. Our gardens are run in partnership with youth and community members, therefore a candidate must have a passion for teaching and leading others, particularly young people.

Our youth and neighbors reflect the tremendous cultural, racial, and socio-economic diversity of the city of Lynn and surrounding neighborhoods. Candidates with experience working in diverse settings are strongly preferred.

  • Lynn Resident strongly preferred

  • Sufficient gardening experience to be able to help others (3+ years)

  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills and energy for engaging with other people.

  • Preferred 1 year of project management experience- first-hand involvement in initiating, planning, executing, controlling, monitoring, and handing over a project.

  • Dependable, responsible, flexible and open to learning

  • 21+ years of age with a valid driver’s license and clean driving record (required for use of TFP vehicles)

  • Enthusiasm for working with teenagers; prior experience teaching or leading youth in outdoor settings preferred.

  • Experience leading groups safely and productively

  • Experience working in multicultural community settings

  • Experience working with high school-aged youth

  • Team-oriented with a good sense of humor; able to work independently.

  • Knowledge of the Lynn community is a plus.

  • Bilingual in Spanish, Russian, or another language is also a plus.

  • CPR and First Aid certified or willing to be trained

  • Able to pass a CORI/SORI background check

Location & Schedule

This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week role that will be based out of The Food Project’s North Shore Region (Lynn and Wenham) with fluctuating Tuesday through Saturday/Monday through Friday work week depending on the season.

Recruitment Process

Please send resume and cover letter via email to: [email protected]. In the subject line, write your name and the position for which you are applying, eg: “Jordan Smith – Full JOB TITLE”.

We will review all submissions, identify viable candidates and contact ONLY those individuals selected to continue in the search process. The position will be filled when a desired candidate is found.

The Food Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to creating an inclusive organization. We actively seek a diverse pool of candidates for this position.

The Food Project (TFP)

TFP Values

Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Equity (DIBE)

Land Acknowledgement

Position:

Food Access

and Education Manager

Salary Range:

$48,000 to $55,250

Employee Benefits