Job Summary

Reporting to the NASAP Director, the Farm Manager is responsible for managing the various growing sites for NASAP, which currently include a 7 acres in Dunbarton and 5 acres on two sites in Concord. ORIS is actively working to secure additional sites for NASAP participants to cultivate as well.  The Farm Manager also provides training and support in vegetable crop production to farmers, interns, and volunteers. The Farm Manager works closely with Nasap Director and  farmers to link growers with program activities and with other agricultural support services. The Farm Manager may be called upon to supervise a seasonal farm assistant, on-farm volunteers, and/or interns.

Responsibilities

• Oversee incubator farms, including equipment and infrastructure, to ensure safety and functionality for all NASAP participants, staff, volunteers, and visitors.
• Adequately prepare all NASAP sites used by new American beginning farmers, including plot assignments, tilling, crop cover, and soil health.
• Maintain and manage use of NASAP equipment (rototiller, hoop houses, irrigation systems, fencing, etc.)
• Develop, maintain and repair infrastructure including green houses, wash stations, wells, and other projects that improve productivity and food safety.
• Maintain pesticide applicator’s license and work closely with growers to implement an organic pest management system.
• Oversee land-based training, incubator farm production activities and opportunities for NASAP participants.
• Provide one-to-one technical support to NASAP participants related to production planning, seed/plant orders, plant spacing, harvest timing, pest management, and other activities.
• Coordinate with farmers to implement crop rotation, soil conservation, and other management practices included in contracts.
• Collaborate with farmers in all aspects of farm management, including and not limited to seedling production, high tunnel usage, and field preparation.
• Support farmers’ documentation of their production activities; take photographs and assist growers with maintaining farm records. Coordinate farmers’ applications to applicable farmer support programs, including USDA’s equipment (NRCS) and crop insurance programs, as well as others as needed
• Coordinate on-farm activities for visitors, volunteers, and interns as required, including coordination with local schools.
• Work with vendors and farmers to order needed farm supplies
• Assist NASAP Director with program evaluation, including on-farm data collection and management, and production of timely reports.
• Attend relevant conferences, trainings, and workshops, and support farmers in attending as well. Keep up-to-date on professional research and literature.
• Participate at regular project meetings and other events as scheduled.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

 Qualifications

Applicants should be able to take on a leadership role in helping immigrant farmers reach their farm goals. Flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and strong agricultural skills are a must. The candidate must be well organized, self-motivated, and exceptionally accountable. Minimum of 2 years’ experience in sustainable agriculture and/or farm management in the northeast U.S.; installing, working with, and repairing farm equipment such as tractors and irrigation systems; and effectively implementing project plans.

• Experience in community building/development and with training multicultural groups including those with limited literacy and/or English comprehension.
• Proficiency in another language will be considered an asset (Kinyarwanda, Spanish, Arabic, Kirundi, Maay Maay, Nepali, Swahili, etc.) and multilingual candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
• Ability to safely operate farm equipment, lift heavy objects, and perform manual labor required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, particularly oral and non-verbal communications skills.
• Exceptional time management and organization skills.
• Demonstrated ability to collect data and keep accurate, meticulous records.
• Committed to food and land justice, sustainable agriculture, community development, and issues impacting new American communities.
• Ability to both collaborate as part of a multicultural team and be self-motivated, working with minimal supervision.
• Driver’s license and clean driving record required.
• Candidates with first-hand or lived experience in new American communities are especially encouraged to apply
• Evening and weekend availability

Full Time position, $33,000 – $38,000

Employer covers costs of medical and dental benefits for employee; paid vacation and sick time.

Starting Immediately

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to oris@refugeesuccess.org and include the position title that interests you in the subject line.

Job Summary

The Food Access Coordinator will lead ORIS’s food access programming which includes the operation of the Fresh Start Food Cart (mobile farmers market), overseeing a Community Ambassador program, assisting with our “Cool Kids Food Box” & Veggie Rx programming and coordinating food donations with community partners. Additional tasks and responsibilities regarding food access work may be added as new opportunities arise.

The Fresh Start Food Cart typically operates June-October, with significant planning and preparation in the spring. The Coordinator will manage relationships with property management at Fresh Start Food Cart sites, monitor inventory and procurement for the Cart, drive the large van with trailer to and from sites, and be the point-person at all market stops providing customer service and conducting transactions. During the growing season, the Coordinator will manage food donations to community partners. Additionally, throughout the year, the Coordinator will oversee a Community Ambassador program to promote local, fresh food consumption in our communities, including through promotion of SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition incentive programs. In the winter months the primary focus of the role will be to engage potential sponsors and distribution partners for our “Cool Kids Food Box” program and develop innovative ways to reach disadvantaged communities with fresh produce. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved with an impactful and community-driven organization and play a key role in building a local food system that provides for and includes everyone.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and build relationships with community partners, Cart site property managers and the wider community;
• Recruit Community Ambassadors at Cart sites and among the broader community and collaborate with each to develop and implement outreach and promotion strategies;
• Collaborate with state administrators of federal nutrition programs (SNAP, WIC) to develop trainings and tools for Community Ambassadors to promote these programs and their benefits among the public;
• Engage with local businesses and community leaders to identify grow the reach of our food access programs;
• Coordinate with Amoskeag Health to implement their Veggie Rx pilot program; explore opportunities for improving and/or expanding this program with other healthcare partners;
• Oversee interns/volunteers responsible for providing support at Cart sites;
• Manage day-to-day operations of Cart, including inventory management, driving the 30’  van + trailer to sites safely, set up and break down at sites, customer service, and processing payments.
• Deliver exceptional and proactive service to customers, including answering questions and providing informational materials;
• Coordinate with community partners to donate unsold and gleaned produce for local pantries and value-added production;
• Collaborate with ORIS’s farm incubator program to provide outreach and engagement of community gardeners;
• Manage data collection and ensure accurate reporting to internal and external partners.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• 1-2 years’ experience in community outreach/organizing/development, food systems, customer service or other relevant fields
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills
• Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse communities and partners in a sensitive and competent manner
• Demonstrated ability to collect data and keep accurate, meticulous records
• Ability to both collaborate as a team and be self-motivated working with minimal supervision
• Interest in food systems/food access, sustainable agriculture, community development, and/or issues impacting new American communities
• Must have a driver’s license and clean driving record
• Comfort driving large vehicle with a trailer is required; experience doing so in urban settings preferred
• Ability to lift 50 pounds
• Experience selling at farmer’s markets or other local food system market channels is preferred but not required
• Proficiency in another spoken language will be considered an asset (Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Maay Maay, Nepali, Swahili etc.) and multilingual candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates with first-hand or lived experience in new American communities are especially encouraged to apply
• Evening and weekend availability

Full Time position, $33,000 – $41,000

Employer covers costs of medical and dental benefits for employee; paid vacation and sick time.

Starting Immediately

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to oris@refugeesuccess.org and include the position title that interests you in the subject line.

Job Summary

 ORIS has grown significantly since 2018, with its budget jumping from around $600,000 in 2018 to $1.3 million in 2021. Contributing to that growth has been the acquisition of its “Story Hill Farm” in Dunbarton in 2018, and its Food Hub in downtown Manchester in 2020. These combined capital investments have grown ORIS’s earned income opportunities quickly. The organization anticipates about 25% of its revenue through earned income in 2021; with another 33% each from federal grant programs and from private foundations. The remaining 9% of funding comes from corporate and individual philanthropy.

The Role

The Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) is seeking to identify a contractual relationship with a financial professional to support the organization’s knowledge and use of financial strategy as it continues on a rapid growth trajectory. ORIS has approximately doubled the size of its budget over the last three years with a mixture of federal grants, earned income, and private funding. ORIS has never had in-house financial staff to date, working instead with an external CPA partner.

ORIS anticipates that the person conducting this work will be positioned to understand the organization’s long term needs, and end the contract with recommended long-term plan for managing the organization’s financial needs – whether contractual or in-house staffing. Specifically, ORIS seeks a candidate to support them in four primary categories, described in detail below: organizational financial structure, grants financial management, financial reporting, and long term financial strategy. In carrying out the work outlined below, additional tasks may be identified to be handled either by the person carrying out this contract, or at a later date by staff or future contractual partners.

A successful candidate will have extensive nonprofit financial experience, including with managing federal grant monies, earned income programs, capital campaign management, and rapid organizational growth. Ideally, candidates will have a lived or experiential background with new American communities and an ability to communicate about financial strategy and management with those without a professional financial background.

1 – Organizational Finance Structure

• Reorganize accounting structure to simplify expense categorization, and ensure ease of reporting by program area, specific grants, and overall organizational budget.
• Evaluate and update financials policies and procedures, and train staff on implementation.
• We are undergoing our first full audit for 2020 (have previously done financial reviews), and expect there will be some specific suggestions from that process that will need to be implemented but that are not yet known.

2 – Grants Financial Management

• Establish system for allocating staff time to grants, including for grant proposals, and also for allocating payroll costs
• Establish clear system and reporting for tracking project expenses against the grant budget, including indirect costs and matching requirements, with particular focus on adhering to strict federal government spending requirements.

3 – Financial Reporting

• Create financial tracking and reporting for capital projects.
• Ensure that leadership has ready access to financial reports and budget status, including for individual grants, at all times.

4 – Long term financial strategy

• Evaluate needs for financial reserves and/or other financial risk mitigation.
• Work with leadership to plan for financial sustainability, particularly in light of potential changes in federal policies that can restrict (and increase) funding available through federal grant opportunities
• Establish protocols for evaluating and pursuing future capital opportunities.

While much of this role can be done remotely, ORIS expects the Finance Director will regularly come to the office to work with the organization’s leadership.

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a description of your background and qualifications for this role and desired hourly rate.

Part Time, contract position

Starting Immediately

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to oris@refugeesuccess.org and include the position title that interests you in the subject line.