Work to Advance Local Food
We're sharing the postings for cool jobs at FarmFED Co-op and Big Green
Pearing Up
Heads Up: Couple of Cool Local Food Jobs Open
Local Food Forum has the privilege of collaborating with and promoting the work of groups and organizations that focus on building a better food system. If this inspires you to want to work closer with the local food movement, we have good news for you — in the following job openings.
Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op Manager
Local Food Forum on July 12 broke the news of the launch of Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op (Farm-Fresh Enterprise Development Cooperative).
This potentially game-changing concept — centered on an innovative co-op produce processing facility that will be built in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois — aims to provide Central Illinois farmers with greater income assurance, as well as access to consumers who want more local food but have difficulty finding it. There will also be a commercial kitchen for local entrepreneurs who want to make value-added products.
Now, after making major progress in funding from an initial round of ownership shares, the creators of the project are seeking a professional manager to move it to the next level. The following is the job posting, or click the button below to access the pdf version.
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Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op Manager
Full-time, Year-Round Salaried/Exempt Position
Salary: $40,000 (base) with possible increase based on experience
Benefits: This position is eligible for a benefits package. More details upon request.
Location: Mt. Pulaski, IL
Start Date: October 2021
What is the FarmFED Co-op?
Imagine a community that can truly feed itself well, while also strengthening its economy and creating new opportunities for its residents. FarmFED Co-op plans to renovate and expand the former Johnson True Value Hardware Store to include a fresh produce processing line, cold storage, and a commercial kitchen.
This facility will allow us to preserve nutritious produce from local farms and bring it to those in our community who need it most, including schoolchildren, the elderly, and people receiving medical care. The co-op will also bring new jobs to the community: a skilled staff will be required to manage the facility, and with new market opportunities, local growers can hire more labor. Plus, the facility will include a licensed commercial kitchen that can be used by local food entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
The Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op facility will preserve the freshness and nutrition of local food through processing and freezing, allowing growers to bring bulk produce to the facility and make it available in a form suited for larger buyers like schools, hospitals, and retail grocery stores. Right now, Central Illinois producer have no local opportunity to access these kinds of resources without huge on-farm investment.
FarmFed Co-op Mission
Ultimately, our mission is to connect Central Illinois farmers and community members through fresh food and cooperation, resulting in a stronger, healthier Central Illinois food system.
The Work
FarmFED Co-op Manager is responsible for the exciting work of helping build this enterprise from the ground up. They will work with the FarmFED board of directors, local stakeholders, and owner-members in executing the Co-op’s mission and vision through management of projects related to:
o Physical build-out of Co-op facilities including cold storage, processing, and commercial kitchen space
o Financial recordkeeping, reporting, and budgeting as required by Co-op funding structures
o Community development and engagement with Co-op services and impact
o Systems creation and implementation for the daily operations of the Co-op including food safety, equipment use and maintenance, services offered, scheduling, communication, procurement, etc.
o Farmer, buyer, and community relations
o Identifying and building a team of collaborators inside and outside of the Co-op structure
o Creative problem solving
o Hiring and overseeing staff
The Candidate
The ideal candidate would be a creative and flexible thinker with some knowledge of the food system in Central Illinois and a willingness to learn more. They would also be able to lead and collaborate with a team of local consultants and volunteers and gain an intimate knowledge of the town of Mt. Pulaski and its people, as well as other communities in Central Illinois, which will inform their work.
Written and verbal communication skills are required, and working knowledge of Google apps and/or Microsoft Office programs, plus an ability to adapt to new application software, are strongly preferred. Knowledge of agriculture, food safety and processing, building and construction, business planning and enterprise budgeting, and grant-writing are all very helpful, but an ability to defer to and depend on this expertise from team members is equally important.
A bachelor’s degree or 5 years of relevant experience in food systems is required, and the right candidate must be able to transport product reliably, which may necessitate access to a vehicle and a driver’s license.
Organizational Relationship
This position is administratively responsible to the Board of Directors. This is a 100% full-time, salaried position.
Environmental Demands
To perform the functions of this position, the manager will be required to perform work both within an office and outside in the communities that are served and must have the capability to travel from one location to the other in a timely fashion. The manager is responsible for securing personal transportation. Some work will be required during evenings and/or weekends.
When working, the employee may be exposed to a variety of environmental factors to include, but not limited to, hot or cold weather, exposure to noise and allergens, and uneven ground. In performing the functions of this position, the employee may be subjected to various mental and physical demands as well to include, but not limited to, independently traveling to and performing work at different locations, lifting and moving items that may occasionally weigh up to forty (40) pounds and frequently weigh up to twenty (20) pounds, and twisting, pushing, and pulling movements.
More detailed information regarding the functions of this position (including the physical, mental, and environmental requirements of the position) may be obtained from the Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op Board.
To Apply: Complete this form, which includes fields to submit your resume, cover letter, and references:
For More Information: https://www.facebook.com/farmfedcoop or farmfedcoop@gmail.com.
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Big Green
Big Green is a nonprofit, created by entrepreneur Kimbal Musk, that installs school gardens that are utilized as learning experiences and outdoor diversions for students. I came to know the organization during a period when I did a lot of field reporting for FamilyFarmed’s blog (when it was known as The Kitchen Community, named for The Kitchen restaurants that were also founded by Musk), and I always enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of the kids who planted the seeds, nurtured the plants, and took the food they produced home to their families.
Big Green is seeking a program manager, and the job posting is below.
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Big Green Program Manager
Salary Range: $55,000-$65,000
Who We Are
At Big Green, we’re all about being Real! We love Real food, Real connections and Real impact. We build healthy places where kids can learn about and grow real food in and out of school.
How do we do it? We are building a growing network of Learning Gardens at schools and community sites across the nation and you can see a sample of our work at 650+ sites in Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Memphis. Our dedicated teams cultivate the relationships, programs and crops to make a difference in the lives of the kids and communities we serve.
Big Green began our work in Chicago in 2012 and we have since installed 200 Learning Gardens in Chicago Public Schools. At this scale, we focus on maintaining a strong Program team to support relationships with our schools, the school district, and our partners throughout the city.
Our programmatic strength has been built on providing high-quality and consistent garden-based educational content for school communities and maintaining strong relationships with the leaders that champion this work in their schools and neighborhoods. We empower schools to take ownership of their gardens while we provide a foundation for their success.
We seek a Program Manager who can steward the Chicago team in this ever-changing landscape as we work to create solutions for our schools and partners.
Hungry for more?
Position Description
The Program Manager is the leader of our local Program Team! You are a self-starter who can motivate and inspire team members and is passionate about excellent leadership practices. In this role you will steward the development, growth and outcomes of Big Green in Detroit or Chicago. You will lead a team dedicated to serving schools and the broader community and you will support, develop and inspire them to fulfill the Big Green Mission.
You bring a strong understanding of the local and state level educational system to support Big Green to thrive within your region. Your team will host training sessions and facilitate experiences with teachers, principals, Garden Teams, volunteer groups, youth, and community organizations to build capacity within each school to have thriving gardens where children can learn and grow. Additionally, you will oversee all of the operational elements of our program and ensure we execute on our programs and mission with excellence.
Program Managers are a part of a collaborative leadership team that includes national and local leaders so that together, we can deliver locally on Big Green’s mission, vision and plan of impact. You will be supported in your development through collaboration, learning experiences, and a dedicated leadership team. Your success is our success! Your success means that across your region, there is a team dedicated to ensuring kids regularly engage with their Learning Gardens in deep and meaningful ways that support their growth and advance the goals of the school and its community.
Primary Responsibilities
Build and sustain a high functioning team that consistently delivers high quality educational programming and facilitates deep integration of Big Green Learning Gardens.
Manage the success of each team member. Inspire, coach, mentor, and develop staff members to take responsibility for their jobs and goals.
Engage in continuous improvement through cycles of coaching and feedback with your team and organizational leadership.
Develop and grow school district partnerships by building relationships with key district contacts and working with various departments across the district.
Guide the strategy, implementation, and associated communication of programmatic efforts.
Prepare regular reports to various stakeholders to demonstrate the value we bring to our beneficiary population.
Collaborate with the development team to advance funding leads and participate in the grant/funding proposal process.
Cultivate and lead the team in developing community relationships and strategic partnerships to advance our missing and impact.
Participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation processes of the organization to ensure the highest quality products and programs are delivered across the organization.
Work in partnership with project management through and after garden installation to ensure the built environment is safe, flexible, and well-suited for learning at all sites.
Serve as the project lead for special projects with guidance from the VP of Program or designee.
Lead activities that support building positive organizational culture and develop priorities which are delivered locally in coordination with the leadership team.
Required Qualifications
5 years of combined experience managing staff and programming in a service, educational, or nonprofit environment.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in a related field.
Knowledge of and experience in management of people, principles, and practices.
Strong oral and written communication skills, including public speaking.
Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations.
Demonstrated capacity to work effectively in or with schools.
Reside in the region of service.
Successfully complete Big Green and partner/district background checks and/or screenings.
Access to a vehicle and a valid driver’s license.
Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated project management experience with ability to successfully coordinate several major activities at once.
Preferred experience in development and delivery of educational materials in K-12 setting.
Knowledge and skills, or willingness to develop knowledge and skills, in relevant areas including small-scale organic food production or home gardening, school gardens, urban gardening, botany, environmental science, health and nutrition, food systems, and food access.
Experience in collaborating with internal and external stakeholders including: families, communities, municipalities, and others.
Experience working with corporate sponsors and coordinating large scale volunteer events.
Experience with technical writing and developing in-kind donation requests.
Ability to work independently and with a team.
Ability to work with or learn various technology systems such as Google Suite, Salesforce, accounting software, etc.
To apply please send your resume and cover letter to Dianna Zeegers, Interim VP of Program at dzeegers@biggreen.org by the close of business on September 10, 2021.