Company description

About FoodWhat:  FoodWhat is a youth empowerment and food justice organization that uses food, through sustainable agriculture and health, as the vehicle for growing strong, healthy, and resilient teens. We partner with low-income and struggling youth to grow, cook, eat, and distribute healthy, sustainably raised food and address food justice issues in our community. Youth from Watsonville to Santa Cruz join the FoodWhat Crew through spring internships, summer jobs, fall project management positions, peer education, and leading community events on the farm. We create a safe space where youth engage in leadership development, personal growth, and job training. At FoodWhat, we inspire personal transformation by supporting teens in finding their voices and developing lasting confidence in themselves. Check us out at www.foodwhat.org.
 

FoodWhat was founded in 2007, serving five youth our first year. This year we had more than 250 youth apply for 70 Spring Internship positions. We have also grown through major youth events, benefit events, webs of meaningful relationships, and proven success in our mission. As we begin the second decade of our work, FoodWhat is a stable, highly functional organization and we are in a significant place of organizational growth and development.

Job description

Position Description: We are looking for a highly motivated, detail-oriented and energetic person for this position of Farm and Culinary Manager. This position will bottom line all aspects of our farming operation and food/farming youth programming at our three-quarter acre site in Santa Cruz and lead the youth food/farming pieces at our Watsonville farm site. This role is the primary organizer and leader for all youth culinary and farming components of our core programming.  

This position requires a collaborative individual with a high level of organization and flexibility who is gifted in working with youth while being solid on farm production and in the kitchen. You will be a leader in our organization, and a partner, mentor, coach, and cheerleader to the youth. You are someone with outstanding farming, cooking and relationship building skills who can engage and inspire the youth we serve about multiple aspects of the food system from production to consumption to food justice. You are approachable, a great listener, and passionate about our mission. Most importantly you are a deep believer in the power and potential of youth and willing to do everything in your power to support youth in removing any barriers to their success and growth.  You’re playful, comfortable being you, and willing to share your personal magic with FoodWhat youth while creating safe space on the farm and in the kitchen.

 

Responsibilities:

• Farming and culinary curricular creation, revision, and implementation for all youth programming
• Manage seasonal and day-to-day organic farming operations at ¾ acre Santa Cruz site with ongoing coordination with other farm partners there. Manage organic farming operations through coordination with farm partners at Watsonville site
• Prep and lead farm work and culinary activities each week for Spring Internship youth
• Full immersion in daily youth Summer Job Program leading youth in farm activities, “Family CSA”, summer farm stands, and daily meal planning and preparation for 30+ people
• Organize additional summer food aspects such as one-time youth summit food and final summer dinner celebration with youth and their families
• Run youth Fall management positions on farm and in kitchen as well as weekly farm stands in Santa Cruz and Watsonville
• Coordinate and implement youth-powered pie micro-business in the Fall. Involves managing relationships with local business partners and retailers as well as partnering farms.
• Maintain existing, and create new, relationships with local chefs, coordinating their participation as summer lunch guest chefs and chefs for our annual benefit.
• Play leadership role in events including Spring Alumni Gathering and in our two big on-farm annual events (Spring Strawberry Blast and Fall Harvest Festival)
• Direct the food aspects of two major fundraising events, including annual benefit dinner. This includes menu creation with chefs, sourcing ingredients, setting up youth to cook with chefs, and coordinating food day of  
• Support implementation of fundraising and community events
• Participate in program evaluation (quantitative and qualitative)
• Supervision of full and part-time staff, seasonal program staff, interns, and volunteers

 

Required Qualifications:

▪       Multiple years of youth development experience, or strong demonstrated ability, with low-income youth (teens), preferably from an empowerment perspective, on farm and in kitchen

▪       At least 2-5 years of organic farming production including crop planning, greenhouse, irrigation, cultivation, pest and disease control, harvest and post-harvest handling, CSA/market, and cover crop experience. Farm and crew management experience strongly preferred.

▪       Significant cooking experience—catering experience a plus. Job requires supporting a youth crew to cook for 30 on a regular basis.

▪       Strong facilitation and group management skills

▪       Knowledge of and experience with low-income communities and underserved communities of color

▪       Understanding of and commitment to social justice with an analysis of systems of power, privilege and oppression

▪       Passion for building community and deep relationships through food and agriculture

▪       Positive, creative, flexible, and takes initiative

▪       Ability to work independently, in team setting, and in fast-paced, changing environment

▪       Completes tasks successfully and within specified deadlines: demonstrates strong time management skills implementing programs on time and on budget

▪       Dependable with thorough follow through

▪       Ability to handle multiple programs/projects at once; strong organizational skills and attention to detail

▪       Good communication skills: verbal, written, electronic and with a variety of audiences

▪       Highly competent in use of computers and necessary technology on a daily basis; additional software experience a plus (database, farm management tools, social media)

▪       Physically fit to meet the demands of working on farm with youth, experience/ability digging beds by hand and the ability to lift 50lbs.

▪       Utilizes and can exemplify tools or strategies for maintaining self-care and personal well-being

▪       Willingness to work non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends as farm/programs demand

▪       Valid California Driver’s license and vehicle for personal and youth travel

 

Preferred:

➢     Cultural identity and lived experience relevant to the youth we serve

➢     Bilingual Spanish speaker

➢     Rooted in Santa Cruz County, particularly in Watsonville

 

Position details:

This is a 40-hour per week, full time position with paid vacation, sick time, and holidays. Full medical, dental, and vision benefits provided. Salary $55,000.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $50,000.00 - $55,000.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline

Attachment

click here to download the attached document.