Job Opportunities

DATE POSTED 1/5/2023

Down to Earth Farmers Markets has an opportunity for someone who is action-oriented and ready to step into a management role to get involved in the creation of a sustainable, local food system. Join a small, grassroots team to help guide the execution of our farmers markets and make sure we are meeting our mission and quality standards at the market sites.

Down to Earth Markets is hiring an Assistant Operations Manager who will report to the Senior Operations Manager. You will be responsible for helping to ensure that Down to Earth’s farmers markets run smoothly. This entails preparing staff, sites, supplies and equipment ahead of market days and helping to oversee market day operations by: managing the warehousing, maintenance, deployment, and recovery of market equipment and supplies, coordinating with the Marketing and Vendor Relations departments and community allies to make sure Site Managers are fully briefed for their market days, being in markets on market days to support and coach the Site Managers, assisting with the training of new Site Managers, overseeing in-market initiatives and programming, responding to situations that arise in the markets, and using in-market observations and Site Manager reporting to solve problems and improve operations. In support of the Senior Operations Manager, you may be asked to attend community meetings from time to time. This role is also responsible for filling in as a site manager as needed when a market is unstaffed or a team member needs to take time off.

Your success will be measured by how smoothly our supply and equipment logistics system operates, the confidence our Site Managers have in their supplies and equipment, our Site Managers’ understanding of what to expect on their market day and what is expected of them, and the satisfaction of our vendors, shoppers and site hosts in the quality and professionalism of our markets.

We are a small but mighty team and execute successful farmers markets year-round due in part to our collaborative nature as a team and a business. You will be a good fit for our team if you are ready to learn everything about how to run farmers markets, think on your feet, lead by example, love working out in the field but are focused and skilled in handling office tasks too, thrive on connecting to colleagues and community, believe in the importance of communication and follow-through, and are completely comfortable with telling people what to do in order to get everyone working together to achieve the best possible results.

We will train the right person, but you must bring:

• An interest in local food and agriculture
• A willingness to step out in front of situations to make sure things are done well and goals are met
• A love of checklists, plans, schedules and on-time execution 
• The ability to work independently but stay connected to your team
• A good instinct for collaboration that ensures you are regularly trading information and ideas with your fellow team members and not waiting for other people to reach out to you
• Excellent customer service skills; a polished and friendly demeanor
• Excellent coaching and training skills
• A drive to keep things organized and well-documented 
• Comfort with Microsoft business suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams) where we do our business work and internal communications; basic office skills; basic social media posting skills; confidence in your ability to learn new software for inventory management and customer relationship management
• The ability to perform cleaning and maintenance and make minor repairs to market equipment
• The ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, to walk and stand for several hours at a time, and to work outdoors in all weather conditions
• A valid driver’s license, willingness to drive as needed on a weekly basis to get to work sites, and a vehicle that you are willing to use to move supply bins and small equipment (e.g., a folding table); the ability to drive a van or small box truck when needed

This is a full-time, hourly position with a regular work schedule of Thursday through Monday (weekend work is required), with some market days starting at 6:30am and (very) occasional evening meetings. The annual compensation is $23.25 per hour, plus employer-subsidized health insurance, paid holidays, paid vacation, paid sick leave, and mileage and expense reimbursement. The work will take place at our Ossining office/storage site and in our nine market locations in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Westchester. A smaller percentage of your week may be spent on desk work in your home office. Running live events can be demanding, and the nature of this job requires flexibility, but we are very conscientious about work-life balance and respect our team’s time off and, under typical work conditions, our staff is able to set reasonable caps on work week hours.

To apply, email your resume to jobs@downtoearthmarkets.com with a cover letter that describes how your work and life experience have prepared you to meet the “must haves” listed above.

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All employment decisions that Down to Earth makes are based on organizational needs, job requirements and the employee's or applicant's qualifications. We are an equal opportunity employer. All job applicants are welcome regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Date posted 9/1/22

Down to Earth Markets manages farmers markets in Westchester County and New York City. The company was founded in 1991 to provide economic opportunity to New York area farmers and artisan food makers to bring delicious local foods to communities in New York City and its suburbs. In 2014 Down to Earth Markets became a Certified B Corp, formalizing its mission and committing to use business as a power for making positive change in the world.

Job Description

Farmers Market Fill-In Manager/Host

Part-time, $18/hour positions available at our Farmers Markets in NYC and Westchester. We are looking for an enthusiastic, personable candidate with the ability to fill-in at one or more seasonal farmers markets and assist with market promotion within those communities.

The Farmers Market Manager should cultivate a sense of ownership of their Farmer’s Market through:

- Supervising daily operations to assure a smooth and safe running market

- Enforcing market rules and regulations

- Collecting and reporting market data and success metrics

- Setting up and breaking down the market manager tent and market signage

- Selling farmers market goods

- Serving as a market host to welcome and engage shoppers, promoting good relations between vendors, our company, and the shoppers as a representative of Down to Earth Markets.

- Engaging with shoppers and vendors to report successes, concerns and opportunities to Down to Earth Markets.

Requirements:

- Must attend 4 days of training including 2 workwiths and 2 shadowing dates before filling-in at a market.

- Must be available to occasionally represent the farmers market at local chamber of commerce meetings, community board meetings, fairs, volunteer opportunities or other community events.

- Must be available to distribute flyers in the farmers market community several times throughout the season.
- Must be punctual
- Must be able to lift and carry 50lbs
- Must have access to a computer and smart phone for emailing, social media posting, submitting and receiving reports
- Must commit to work for the entire market season
- An interest in and ability to articulately communicate about local food and sustainable agriculture is a plus!

-English/Spanish speakers also a plus!

Available to begin immediately

Job Posted 12/12/22

Part-time, $20/hour site management position available at our Ossining Farmers Market. Work hours are weekly on Saturdays from 7am-2pm at the market, located near the corner of Spring and Main Streets, and a few additional hours at home to file reports and occasionally in the field to help with promotion.

This is an ideal position for someone with retail, management, customer service, teaching, or other leadership experience, who is interested in learning about and contributing to the local food system. You should be friendly and happy to talk to all kinds of people, willing to do some physical work, able to communicate clearly and with confidence to both your Down to Earth colleagues and the vendors and customers in the market, organized and aware of the importance of good record keeping and reporting.

The Farmers Market Manager oversees day-of-market operations as Down to Earth Markets' on-site representative, working closely with the company's office team to help ensure the market's success and spearhead interactions with market vendors, shoppers and the community:

• Supervising and managing daily operations to assure a smooth- and safe-running market
• Enforcing market rules and regulations
• Collecting and reporting market data and success metrics
• Setting up and breaking down the market manager tent and display, market signage, and any other Down to Earth equipment as needed
• Selling farmers market branded items
• Taking initiative in providing customer service; serving as a market host to welcome and engage shoppers, promoting good relations between vendors, our company, and the shoppers
• Assisting shoppers and vendors with use of food access and nutrition programs (SNAP, FMNP)
• Reporting successes, concerns and opportunities to Down to Earth Markets; sharing feedback and ideas
• Occasionally representing the farmers market at community events and through flyer distributions
• Attending weekly conference calls with fellow managers and the Operations Manager
• Occasionally filling in for fellow site managers at other market locations

Physical / logistical requirements:

• Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Able to walk and stand for several hours at a time
• Able to work in all weather conditions, e.g. heat, cold, rain, sun, wind, snow
• Complete two days of shadowing alongside another site manager at another farmers market as part of training
• Complete the required flyering shifts as scheduled with your manager
• Arrive 1 ½ hours before the market start time to lead market set up and stay at least one hour past closing time (or as needed) to oversee breakdown, load out and clean up
• Communicate regularly, effectively, and in detail ensure a steady flow of information between the market and the office
• Monitor and reply to messages from the office, especially around end-of market reporting and pre-market prep
• Post to Facebook/Instagram on behalf of the market on market days and work with the Digital Marketing Manager to provide information and images from the market for marketing purposes
• Have use of a smartphone that can install and use Microsoft Teams, ADP Mobile, and Facebook/Meta Business Manager

We are seeking candidates who are available to start immediately. Training will be provided.

In order to apply email your resume and cover letter to michael@downtoearthmarkets.com and answer the following question:

What would it mean to you to assist managing a Farmer's Market?

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Down to Earth Markets is a mission-driven Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corporation using business as a power for positive change in the world.

All employment decisions that Down to Earth makes are based on organizational needs, job requirements and the employee's or applicant's qualifications. We are an equal opportunity employer. All job applicants are welcome regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.