Job Title: Farm and Agriculture Program Manager

FLSA Status: Full-time, Exempt

Reports to: Director of Programs

Supervisory Duties: Farm Coordinator(s), Farm Assistant(s), Seasonal Farm Assistant(s)

Work Location: On-site at Kelly Miller Farm, Ft. Stanton Farm

Tentative Start Date: February 2023

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION: Dreaming Out Loud’s mission is to create economic opportunities for the DC metro region’s marginalized community members through building a healthy, equitable food system. Dreaming Out Loud is rebuilding urban, community-based food systems through social enterprise, helping to increase access to healthy food and improve community health, develop low-income entrepreneurs and cooperatives, and train at-risk adult residents for sustainable, family-supporting wages.

POSITION SUMMARY: Dreaming Out Loud seeks an organized, detail-oriented individual with leadership and farming experience and a demonstrated passion for sustainable agriculture to help manage our Farms and agriculture programs. The Farm and Agriculture Manager will work closely with the Director of Programs to implement innovative urban food production strategies and manage Farm Coordinators, Community Farm Assistants and Volunteers. Our farms produce a range of crops including vegetables, berries, herbs and fruit, and focuses on no-till production, implementing cover cropping, sheet-mulching and on-site composting to improve soil structure. The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of farming experience that includes management of a small team, as well as strong communication and computer skills.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Plan, lead and delegate all production activities on the farm, including bed prep, soil amendment, seeding, transplanting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and pest management

Develop and execute plans for crop and succession planting, and oversee all integrated pest management strategies.

Manage farm assistants, community farm assistants and volunteers

Support volunteer recruitment, onboarding and scheduling; serve as their main point of contact

Plan and lead/co-lead volunteer groups, tours and events at the both farms

Manage farm equipment and supply inventory; coordinate supply needs with the Executive Director and Director of Programs

Manage and communicate weekly harvest days with Food Hub team

Create schedules for the Farm Coordinators and the Farm Assistants in accordance with the weather, programming, and the Food Hub

Support the professional growth of Farm Coordinators and Assistants by identifying and offering development opportunities

Build and maintain data management routines (e.g., harvest logs, volunteer and guest tracking)

Help develop and implement food safety plan for harvest, washing and produce packing

Travel off-site to procure tools and supplies, as needed (mostly in Spring time)

Attend external virtual and in-person partner meetings; serve as DOL’s representative

Attend community and professional development events, conferences and workshops as needed to continually refresh knowledge of farming and best practices

Assist with developing communications plan and calendar to farm partners; draft correspondence

Develop and sustain partnerships with community organizers, food producers, and other community-oriented organizations

Looks for opportunities to grow and expand agricultural and farming programs

Trains volunteers and program participants on farming and teaches agriculture techniques. Participates in and teaches classes and demonstrations.

Engaging and leading in agriculture programs and processes to those in local community

Collaborate with other farmer community members and conduct technical assistance as needed.

Coordinating with local schools, community leaders, and farmers to coordinate and collaborate on programs and projects

Stay abreast of on-the farm engagement and program activity outcomes in coordination with Program Manager and Director of Programs

Other duties, as assigned

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Commitment to the advancement of marginalized communities in the District

At least 3 years of relevant farming experience on a small scale farm that includes crop and succession planning, and management of a small team of staff and volunteers

Experience with crop planning and succession planting

Excellent organizational, communication, and logistics skills

Experience developing and implementing food safety plans; food safety certification a plus

Proficiency in Google Suite, databases (e.g., Volunteer Hub) and communications apps (e.g., Canva, Slack)

Ability to work independently and take initiative; strong work ethic

Creative thinker who can assist with the development of a newly established farm

Ability to work in various weather conditions

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Willing and available to work some evenings and weekends

Experience planning and leading community engagement events a plus (e.g., tours, field trips, etc.)

Experience with carpentry and tools to make minor building repairs and manage facilities a plus

Driver’s license and a personal vehicle that can be used to make deliveries a plus (gas and mileage reimbursement provided)

COMPENSATION: The annual salary range is $70,000 to 75,000 based on experience and qualifications. Benefits included (health insurance, monthly cell phone allowance, monthly travel/commuting allowance).

DOL provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, DOL complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.