Employment Opportunities

Learn about our open positions - we are excited to hear from you!

New Entry envisions a society grounded in the principles of social and economic justice. As such, we strive to achieve excellence through a diverse and inclusive workplace that honors the unique talents and lived experiences of each person. Our vision and values are reflected in all our employment-related decisions, including hiring practices. Accordingly, New Entry actively seeks people who bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to join us in our work.

For expression of interest in joining New Entry, please Email your resume and a brief letter of inquiry, including a summary of your experience, to the point of contact provided in the job description. All potential candidates are required to complete a Tufts University hiring process.

Current Open Positions (see links to descriptions below)

Farmer Training Sr Program Administrator

Full-time, Exempt position, 35 hours/week; Salary budget $62,200 - $70,000/year.  Reports to:  Jennifer Hashley, New Entry Director

Job Summary: We are seeking an entrepreneurial individual who is excited to lead our farmer training team to build programs that will guide beginning farmers from “dreaming about farming” to actualizing their plans and following an agricultural career pathway to become economically viable farmers in New England.

Essential Job Functions: In collaboration with staff, regional partners, and farmer communities, the Farm Training Senior Program Administrator develops goals and strategies to continually develop, implement, review, and evaluate our farmer training programs. The Farmer Training Senior Program Administrator will handle the below duties:

Management of Farmer Training Programs

  • Provide organizational leadership to develop strategic vision, goals, and metrics associated with beginning farmer education and training at local and national levels;
  • Provide leadership to staff members to develop implementable strategies to achieve strategic objectives; implements and evaluates progress and recommends and implements changes as needed;
  • Develop, oversee and evaluate marketing and advertising for farmer training program. Write and design program materials for website and social media; evaluate outreach effectiveness and implement changes as necessary;
  • Provide supervision, oversight, and support for farmer training staff members. Assist in managing the hiring and training of staff, evaluates workflow and productivity and participates in employee performance reviews.  Supervises student and temporary employees;
  • Design integrated approaches to organizational priorities that cross programmatic boundaries;
  • Oversee stewardship of New Entry’s Incubator Farm Training campus, equipment, infrastructure, and partner relationships;
  • Responsible for developing program budgets, including analyzing and recommending budgets, preparing and presenting reports and projections.  Identifies resources needed to complete strategic objectives;
  • Participate in the development of grant proposals, revenue generation strategies, corporate sponsorships, individual donor asks, or any other revenue generation strategies to support the funding of program activities;
  • Responsible for grants management of program grants, including: proposal development (as applicable), project management, oversight of project spending and budgets, and project reporting;
  • Report key management challenges to the project leadership (regular communication of successes and challenges) through regular supervisory sessions; and
  • Provide ideas and content for meetings, workshops, and other special events. Participate in presentation of seminars, lectures and other special events.

Technical Assistance and Training for Beginning Farmers

  • Expand curriculum for core New Entry programs (farm business planning course, crop production course and experiential training, online learning programs, and other specialty crop production workshops);
  • Participate in  teaching courses/curriculum for New Entry’s Explore Farming!, Crop Production, Business Planning, and specialty workshop series, including new experiential/practicum programming that may be developed in the future. Oversee  and teach courses and workshops in collaboration with other farming organizations in the region, including partnerships with urban agriculture programs;
  • Coach and mentor beginning farmers and incubator graduates by conducting site visits with farmers in the field, establishing a farmer assessment, and learning plan protocol across a spectrum of milestones and learning objectives through initial intake to life cycle of learning goals. Facilitate effective referrals and address ongoing technical assistance support; and
  • Oversee  progress of farmers through contact database records, annual program evaluations and surveys, and analysis of coaching/mentoring trends and topics.

Build stakeholder and institutional awareness to enhance beginning farmer support

  • Independently conducts research and drafts outcome reports and results. Participates in the presentation of information and results to key stakeholders.
  • Oversee the Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts website, referrals, and provide timely and relevant content updates;
  • Share programmatic learnings among national land-based farmer training programs and integrate best practices of national programs into New Entry’s farmer training programs;
  • Attend conferences and events to assess innovative program development approaches, conduct outreach, and present on our work and integrate innovative ideas into New Entry programming; and
  • Identify policy solutions and opportunities to bolster farmer success in the food system.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Knowledge and skills as typically acquired by an Agricultural training and experience in multiple aspects of farming and farm enterprise is essential
  • Prior farm management/farm business ownership/entrepreneurial experience is preferred
  • Ability to think strategically and as an entrepreneur to assess client needs and develop new programming
  • The following required knowledge and skills as typically acquired by completing an Advanced degree or at least 5 years’ experience in delivering training and technical assistance to farmers in the areas of crop production, marketing, financial management, farm infrastructure management, and business planning
  • Experience developing and delivering curricula for adult learners from a diversity of backgrounds
  • Experience managing multi-user/share land-based farmer training and educational programming via farm site management, equipment use and maintenance, and farmland/soil stewardship
  • Demonstrated success in roles requiring execution of multiple tasks, while responding to multiple competing priorities and deadlines. Ability to lead and work under pressure
  • Strong leadership, diplomacy, mentoring/coaching, and social skills
  • Experienced supervisor, mentor, and ability to bring out the best in others; ability to motivate a team and manage large groups of volunteers
  • Ability to self-motivate and self-direct; preference for working within a rapidly-changing high performance environment
  • Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail
  • Proficiency in grants management, financial management, and budgeting

Preferred Qualifications:

  •     Outstanding communication (written, verbal), interpersonal skills, and ability to show empathy
  •     Demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive relationships with a wide array of people from extremely diverse backgrounds and cultures
  •     Excellent public speaking skills
  •     Demonstrated skills using various computer software and programs (Salesforce, Microsoft Office/Excel, Canvas online course management, Social Media)
  •     Community organizing and cross-cultural experience helpful; comfort and skill in building relationships with beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmer participants
  •     Fluency in languages other than English a plus

Special Work Schedule Requirements:  Access to reliable private transportation necessary to conduct farm visits in the region; willingness to travel nationally; willingness and ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends; willingness to work outside in all weather conditions on a farm.

To Apply for this open position, please submit a cover letter and a resume through the Tufts HR portal for this position. 

 

Also, please visit our volunteer opportunities or available internship pages for more information on other ways to get involved in our work!

New Entry/Tufts University does not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, veteran or disability status or any other factor prohibited by law.