Farm to School Director

Overview

Summary
The Farm to School Director (FTSD) works closely with the Sierra Harvest staff, school administrators, teachers, students, farmers and families to strengthen the connection between farm-fresh food and the community’s health and wellness. Primary activities are focused on inspiring students to appreciate the health and taste benefits of eating fresh, local food. These include monthly “Harvest of the Month” (HOM) tastings of local veggies and fruits, guest chef cooking demonstrations in classrooms, school gardening
classes, vegetable carts on campus, farm field trips, farmer lessons at schools, and oversight of the Food Love Educational Farm. Key responsibilities include development, execution, and evaluation of Farm to School programming, building partnerships, and ensuring timely and accurate data collection & analysis for grant reporting and program evaluation. The FTSD will also recruit, hire and manage program
staff and contractors and assist with fund development efforts for their program.

Specific duties include:
• Implement continuous Farm to School program improvements through best practices, participant feedback, testing new ideas, etc. with a focus on building a community of students that value and eat an abundance of fresh, local, seasonal food.
• Management and development of all program staff and contractors including hiring, facilitating meetings, quarterly and annual staff evaluation, and annual contract renewal.
• Create and manage annual program budgets building opportunities for program revenue and sustainability.
• Develop relationships with teachers, administrators, farmers, volunteers, and other stakeholders via varying forms of communication: email, phone, text, inperson, Zoom, etc.
• Work with fundraising staff to secure program funding through grant writing support and speaking with donors about program impact and needs. Manage grant scope-of-work implementation, evaluation, budget and reporting.
• Provide relevant and timely content in the form of editorial, website, and social media posts to promote programs and participant success stories.
• Cultivate an understanding of current and evolving issues in Farm to School at the state and national level for advocacy and program evolution.

Essential Traits:
• Strong alignment with the mission of Sierra Harvest and familiarity and interest in connecting students with local food, farms and gardening
• Strategic thinker, flexible mindset and problem solver who enjoys finding solutions to challenges
• Enjoys working independently as well as collaboratively
• Demonstrates exceptional communication skills and attention to detail
• Excels at tracking and executing multiple tasks
• Enjoys meeting new people and developing relationships
• Willingness to contribute to creating an environment of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:
• Minimum of 5 years work experience leading and managing staff and teams to accomplish objectives
• Experience executing programs including developing work plans, ensuring deliverables are met, and tracking implementation and evaluation activities
• Ability to self-organize priorities and manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Ability to build and sustain positive and collaborative working relationships and build consensus with a wide range of constituents
• Experience creating and managing program or project budgets, and preferably grant budgets and reporting
• Track record of successful government and foundation grant management
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills
• High level of proficiency in creating and editing excel spreadsheets for data management and analysis
• Experience with digital tools such as Survey Monkey, DocuSign, and project management software preferred
• Access to a reliable vehicle for travel to schools. Must have valid driver’s license, vehicle registration and personal auto insurance.
• Comfort with public speaking and meeting facilitation.
• Familiarity with trends in food access, health, nutrition, education, and agriculture
• Relationships with local farmers a plus

Prior experience as outlined above is preferred but not required. We value nontraditional education and accomplishments. If you do not meet the job requirements listed, please tell us why you might be a good fit anyway. To request a disability accommodation in the application process, please contact our recruiting team at jobs@sierraharvest.org at least 48 hours in advance.

PHYSICAL EXPECTATIONS
• Ability to work at desk in office 8hrs/, including sitting or standing at a desk for extended periods, reading a computer screen, and manually operating a keyboard.
• Ability to clearly communicate in a variety of ways (in person, on phone, digital).
• Able to navigate school and garden sites and uneven surfaces for program activities.
• Ability to occasionally lift 30lbs+

COMPENSATION
Hourly range $28-$32 depending on experience, plus 10 days of paid vacation, 10 paid holidays, and paid sick time (all prorated based on %FTE). Additionally, employees receive a $50 per paycheck contribution to HSA if they have one or a $50 per paycheck wellness stipend if they do not have an HSA. We also offer paid professional development, a 401K retirement savings plan with employer match up to 1%, and selfcare planning tools and support.

HOURS
Position is 40 hours per week, at least 75% time in office for the first 6 months, with the option to increase remote work based on performance and business needs. Must be available to work occasional nights and weekend to support program staff.

At Sierra Harvest, our founding was built on equity and we support and celebrate differences. Sierra Harvest is proud to provide an Equal Opportunity workplace. We are committed to incorporating Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout our work, including improving our efforts to hire, support, and engage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people, and members of other historically marginalized groups.

Minimum Education and Experience