World PEAS Food Hub Assistant Coordinator

Location: Lowell, Mass.
Posted: Mar / 2 / 2015

Organizational Description

World PEAS Food Hub is a project of New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Our Food Hub embodies a unique relationship between producers and consumers, which benefits consumers, small-scale limited-resource farmers, local communities and the environment.

Job Summary

Assist in planning and logistics for operation of a multi-farm Food Hub and low-income food access program, based out of Lowell. The Food Hub provides fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to customers around the Boston area, including a 450+ shareholders multi-farmer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, community organizations serving low-income individuals, dining institutions and restaurants. The Food Hub Assistant Coordinator will support the Food Hub Coordinator with operational tasks and should possess the desire to assume greater responsibility over time.  If qualified, this candidate will eventually take on the full-time Food Hub Coordinator position.

Essential Job Functions

Supervise Food Hub volunteers and interns (estimated at twelve individuals for 2015) daily to ensure that produce is packed in proper volumes for each market within timeframe allowed;
Assess daily produce quality before and during packing, and implement system of feedback and education for farmers to address any quality issues;
Deliver CSA shares daily to 30+ sites per week in the Lowell/Boston area using refrigerated box truck, ensuring timely produce delivery to over 450 CSA customers;
Pick-up produce up to twice per week from area farms and deliver to the Lowell food hub so that produce can be packed in time to fulfil customer orders;
Communicate with staff and/or volunteers daily at delivery sites in Lowell/Boston to trouble shoot delivery or pick-up concerns;
Respond to customer service inquiries daily to help ensure customer satisfaction;
Prepare weekly newsletters, including recipes, crop information and farmer profiles and stories to cultivate, educate and engage customers;
Assist Food Hub Coordinator in maintaining records weekly for farmer deliveries to help ensure accurate farmer payments. Assist Food Hub Coordinator in maintaining purchase records weekly to help ensure accurate customer orders;
Ensure timely and proactive maintenance of delivery vehicles and produce cooler to ensure ongoing operation of critical equipment;
Maintain Food Hub warehouse space daily for cleanliness and organization, making infrastructural improvements as needed, in order to ensure efficient and effective use of space.

Qualifications

Experience handling produce and assessing produce quality;
Preferable work experience includes commercial farming work, produce manager, produce wholesaler, cook, etc;
Community organizing and cross-cultural experience helpful; prepared to build relationships with beginning, immigrant and refugee farmer participants;
Desire to assume greater responsibility over time;
Friendly, reliable, high energy level, comfortable performing multiple tasks;
Good interpersonal skills; team player, ability to communicate with diverse personalities, tactful, mature and flexible;
Good reasoning abilities and sound judgment;
Self-motivated and directed; works well within a rapidly-changing environment;
Working knowledge of computer software (MS Office);
Access to reliable private transportation necessary;
Ability to work some evenings and weekends;
Valid driver’s license and a clean Motor Vehicle Record; commercial Drivers license is preferred.
Special requirements:

Ability to perform varied and repetitive warehouse tasks including manual lifting of boxes between 25 – 50 pounds, in conditions that vary from hot and humid, to cold and wet, and up and down stairs.

To Apply

We strongly encourage online applications.

Apply online here.

We also accept applications by mail or fax. Apply by mail to: Third Sector New England, Attn: Employment Manager, NonProfit Center, 89 South Street, Boston, MA  02111; or send by fax to: 617.523.2070.

As an EOE/AA employer, TSNE and New Entry Sustainable Farming Project will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identification, veteran or disability status.