Market Farm Manager

WellPower provides you with the support you need to help you develop a career in helping others succeed. We innovate, adapt, and leverage the diverse perspectives of the people on our team and the people we serve in everything we do.

WellPower values and is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to ending bias and discrimination in our community and ensuring equity within all aspects of our organization. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, transfer, or promotion opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Learn More About Wellpower:

Pay Range & Benefits

• $51,425 - $69,575

WellPower is committed to fair and equitable hiring with salaries based on relevant factors, such as work experience, education, and certification/licensure (rather than wage history). Toward the principle of equal pay for equal work, we post and hire within defined hiring salary ranges.  We ask all applicants to carefully review the hiring salary range for each posted job opportunity, as we will not hire outside the predetermined range.

All full-time, benefits eligible employees will be eligible for WellPower’s benefits plan. For a full description of benefit offerings, please visit: https://wellpower.org/workplace-of-choice/.

POSITION SUMMARY:   The Dahlia Market Farm Manager is responsible for the management and cultivation of a 1-acre Farm, alcove gardens, and therapeutic garden and the farm programming at the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being. With a lens toward food equity and social justice, food grown at the Dahlia Market Farm is distributed through an onsite farm stand, emergency food access program, donations to food pantries, other WellPower programs, and other food distribution programs in the Park Hill community. The Market Farm Manager oversees educational and wellness programming on the market farm including the supervising the Garden Wellness Coordinator, supervising volunteer groups, hosting team building days for other WellPower programs, training seasonal staff, and supporting the continued growth of all farm team members. All Farm programming will be driven by collaboration with the larger farm team, groups working at Dahlia Campus, and with neighborhood organizations, leaders, and stakeholders.  

This position is full time, year round. The schedule is variable based on the season and event schedule. Weekend and holiday hours can be expected. The anticipated start date for this position is January 6th, 2025. Please include a cover letter and resume in your application. Applications received by November 25th, 2024 will be prioritized.  

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 

• Team Leadership: The Market Farm Manager organizes duties and tasks, creates the market farm schedule, as well as providing mentorship to their team members. The Market Farm Manager is a leader on the Farms and Gardens Team collaborating with the greenhouse team and providing thought leadership on food access, DEIB, partnerships, farm innovations, and more.  

• Food Safety: The Market Farm Manager ensures that all produce is grown and distributed according to the Dahlia Campus food safety plan. The Market Farm Manager is responsible for continually updating the food safety plan according to the Produce Safety Rule and keeping staff up to date on proper training.  

• Farm Operations Management: The Market Farm Manager is responsible for all aspects of farm management, including;
  • Creating a community informed crop plan that is responsive to community needs in collaboration with the Food Access Coordinator.
  • Managing all the planting, irrigation, cultivation, and harvesting of crops
  • Composting all farm, garden, greenhouse, and some building food waste
  • Make all market farm related purchases following organization policies and staying within the approved budget
  • Maintaining accurate records including food safety logs, volunteer hours, crop plan and farm map, seeding and planting dates, harvest totals, and distribution totals.
  • Supervising all members of the market farm team including coordinating schedules, delegating tasks, and providing training and ongoing support. 

• Food Distribution
  • Collaborate with the Food Access Coordinator to distribute all produce
  • Overseeing the processing, bagging and bunching of produce as appropriate
  • Take an active role in the management of the weekly farm stand
  • Ensure proper food safety practices for all distribution  

• Education and Volunteer Management
  • Provide ongoing training and support to market farm staff
  • Create volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups including individuals, corporate sponsors, and internal WellPower teams and provide supervision and training for volunteers according to WellPower policies
  • Create and provide opportunities for community members to learn and share through;
    • Farm related workshops
    • Cooking classes 

• Farms and Gardens Team and Partner Engagement: attend special events at or on behalf of the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being; attend weekly meetings with Farm and Gardens Team and outreach team; collaborate with WellPower for PR and marketing to community/customer base. 

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in agriculture, agri-business, horticulture, and or biological sciences preferred. Education can be substituted for 4 additional years of farming experience.  

EXPERIENCE:  Minimum three (3) years of experience in agriculture.  At least two (2) years of farm management experience is strongly preferred. Preferred experience managing volunteers and working with children (pre-k through high school), and people with disabilities. Working knowledge of SNAP/ DUFB procedures and reporting. Experience with sodic soil preferred. 

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: 

• Food safety knowledge, PSA training preferred 

• Knowledge or ability to learn and practice trauma informed principles and practices. 

• Knowledge of farming, horticulture, and irrigation and crop rotation techniques.   

• Thorough knowledge of small-scale urban farming, organic practices, and soil science. 

• Knowledge of mid-scale composting techniques. 

• Able and eager to take initiative and follow through on tasks. Pragmatic and outcome-driven, yet positive and forward thinking. 

• Highly organized, able to clearly communicate, able to successfully work with a wide variety of people.  

• Culturally competent with knowledge of local food equity policies and issues. 

• Desire to collaborate with community stakeholders and partners to develop a sustainable and just local food system 

• Ability to give, receive and analyze information, formulate work plans, prepare written materials and articulate goals and action plans. Must be able to assess risk and challenges quickly and develop an effective response.  Must understand people from all walks of life and be able to communicate effectively with them.  

• CSA and Market Farming crop planning, marketing, and sales knowledge and experience  

• Ability to mentor people (sometimes with little-to no farming experience) in a way that balances modern advances in science and technology with Indigenous knowledge and wisdom 
• Ability to foster partnerships within the farming, neighborhood, and non-profit community to create mutually beneficial knowledge and skill-sharing 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  Market Farm Assistant, Garden Wellness Coordinator, seasonal Garden Assistant, 1-2 seasonal Farm Apprentices, regular individual volunteers, frequent volunteer groups. 

MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT TO BE USED:  Farming equipment including, but not limited to: 2-wheel tractor, wheel-hoe, flame-weeder. Computers, printers, iPads, and other business equipment. 

Typical Physical Demands: Ability to physically work within a variety of conditions (i.e. endurance to work long days, in diverse weather conditions), and requires frequent lifting of at least 75 pounds. Requires crouching, kneeling, standing, bending and reaching, ability to use farming equipment/tools.  

Typical Physical Demands: Ability to physically work within a variety of conditions (i.e. endurance to work long days, in diverse weather conditions), and requires frequent lifting of at least 75 pounds. Requires crouching, kneeling, standing, bending and reaching, ability to use farming equipment/tools.

Why else might you want to consider working at WellPower?

• Named Top Workplace - we have been named a Top Workplace by the Denver Post for Eleven consecutive years
• Champion Social Justice Causes - we are committed to ending anti-Black racism in our community
• 9 Paid Holidays – including Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and more
• Robust Benefits Package – our benefits start at 30 hours per week and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, and a retirement match
• Employee Resource Groups – our ERG’s offer a chance to connect, address workplace challenges and get support from individuals who share similar characteristics or life experiences
• Gainsharing – we offer a bonus to employees if the organization meets certain requirements for the year
• $52,000/year minimum wage for all employees – we believe that our employees should earn a livable wage conducive to the cost of living in Denver, Colorado
• Free Licensure Supervision – for LCSWs/LPCs/LMFTs
• Sports Leagues – we offer a variety of activities for our employees, including bowling, dragon boat racing, volleyball leagues, and more