Job description

ABOUT

Community by Design LLC is embarking on a unique experiment to create a small-farm incubator on a 58-acre parcel of land within 15 miles of downtown Portland, Oregon.  The goal is an integrated business and residential community with a mix of long-term and short-term farmers working, living on, and stewarding the land.  Participants will realize significant efficiencies for their independently owned, but inter-dependent, businesses by sharing resources such as barns, equipment, greenhouses, commercial kitchen, sales & marketing infrastructure, and so on via membership in an on-site farmer co-operative.  An overarching permaculture design will aim for a tight integration of all systems and businesses on the site and ensure a healthy diversity of plant and animal communities.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are looking for an enthusiastic and well-organized Farm Manager to oversee day-today operations at the entire farm.  The farm manager will work closely with the Community by Design team to create a flexible implementation plan for the site-wide permaculture master design, and then manage and coordinate the people and resources necessary to make that plan a reality.  In addition, the Farm Manager will be responsible for setting up all the processes and systems needed for farmers to share infrastructure and resources on the site.  Experience with all aspects of farm operations, strong inter-personal, organizational & motivational skills and a willingness to engage in physical labor are important qualifications for the job.

Community by Design is planning a very aggressive implementation schedule.  We hope to have farmers start working on the site in 2012 and plan to install all major components of the site-wide permaculture design by 2014.  During these early years, therefore, we expect the focus to be on systems and process design, site preparation and land clearing, building deconstruction and construction, installation of infrastructure (fencing, irrigation, energy systems, etc.), propagation and planting, and building relationships with the local community.  The Farm Manager must have a broad set of skills and experience, the ability and willingness to learn on the job, a strong attention to detail, and the ability to communicate with and oversee a diverse group of people.  Openness to both Permaculture design and Biodynamic agriculture is a must.  The ideal candidate would have experience with operating and repair of farm machinery.

The farm currently has 17-acres of conventionally managed blueberries.  During the first two years of employment, the Farm Manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of this existing crop, transitioning it to organic practices, and reducing the acreage under production.  The ultimate goal is to have an independent farm business lease and manage this crop.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 3-4 years managing annual or perennial crops and animals
• Minimum 2 years managing people and scheduling/coordinating crews
• Operation, maintenance and repair of farm machinery
• Operation, maintenance and repair of irrigation systems
• Basic construction skills, plumbing and electrical a plus
• Ability to keep records and do basic analysis of numbers
• Good communication skills
• Experience with blueberries, preferably organic, a plus
• Permaculture design and Biodynamic practice a plus
• Fluency in Spanish a plus
• Clean driver’s license
• Families preferred

DETAILS

Employment start date: November 30, 2011 or sooner (minimum 3 year commitment)

Hours: This is a full-time, salaried exempt position with seasonally variable 50-hour work weeks and including some weekend duties based on the needs of plant and animal life-cycle.

COMPENSATION &  BENEFITS

• Starting salary of $30,000 to $35,000 per year, for the first two years, commensurate with experience1.
• Negotiable share of net profits from blueberry crop for the first two years.
• Use of up to one-quarter acre of irrigated land for personal garden.
• Use of reasonable amounts of shared agricultural infrastructure like greenhouses, barns, storage, workshops, etc.
• Share of harvest from all perennial crops planted in common areas of the site.
• Access to all educational programs taught on site at no charge.
• Partial cost of tuition and fees for relevant educational and training programs.
• 2-weeks annual vacation after first six-months of employment.

An option for shared housing at a modest rental rate is available on the site but is not included in the compensation package

Compensation

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Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline