Salary Starting Compensation: $48,000 to $53,000
Reports To: Senior Director of Agriculture
Time Status: Full time
Safety Sensitive Position: Yes
Funding Type: This position is a specific grant funded position
Position Summary and Objective Coalfield Developments agriculture program, Refresh Appalachia, is focused on developing, shaping, and supporting the regenerative and sustainable agriculture sector in Central Appalachia. We do this through various initiatives and projects. This position will work directly with K-12 schools, institutions (such as hospitals, correction facilities, colleges/universities, state parks, etc) farmers, and other stakeholders in order to strengthen Refresh Appalachias Farm To Institution (F2I) Program.
Cultivate and strengthen relationships with various Institutional stakeholders, with particular attention to food service directors and administrators.
Serves as a resource for school nutrition professionals, teachers, and administrators on local procurement and integration of agriculture and community food systems education.
Provide technical assistance to farmers through workshops, one-on-one direct assistance, and online resources including: o Best practices for wholesale readiness to meet buyer and market specifications. o Strategies for scaling up production. o Business planning, financial recordkeeping, benchmarking, and crop budget development.
Help develop new product offerings through commercial kitchens and local farmers to increase local food purchasing by institutions.
Work with the Senior Director of Agriculture to develop a robust farm to institution program.
Connect farm business to business builder grants as part of the USDA Rural Food Business Center (RFBC) initiative.
Coordinate with institutions and farmers to develop product offerings.
Develop, prepare and pilot product offerings for Institutions.
Coordinate with our On-the-Job (OJT) Training participants. Th se are crews of individuals led by a Crew Chief in one of our paid on the job training programs, Workforce Readiness and Professional Success program (WRAPS) or our 33-6-3 Crew Member experience program. Coordinating with the Crew Chief so that the OJT participants will be incorporated into the process of engaging with the public and helping develop products.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
Work with the Senior Director of Agriculture to develop annual work plans that support Coalfields mission, goals, and strategic plan.
Assist with programmatic monitoring to ensure compliance; progress towards objectives and expected results; and work plan and budget adherence.
Assist with programmatic planning, grant writing, evaluation, and reporting to support and expand regional agriculture work.
Ensure grant outcomes and metrics are met and tracked for Farm to Institution (F2I) related projects.
Increase recognition of, and engagement with, our mission, programs, and impact by attending events and related meetings
Coordinate and lead F2I focused initiatives and related work.
Essential Functions Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
Travel to meet with farmers, food business, and partners Including institutions and schools within West Virginia and at times across state lines.
Perform routine document collection and submission.
Communicate with supervisor and colleagues regularly via various communication platforms.
Coordinate multiple projects and initiatives.
Compile reports related to F2I work and projects.
Communicate regularly with schools and institutions.
Develop F2I programming for educational and teaching purposes.
Lead K-12 in-class local food tasting demonstrations.
Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.
Ensure the work plan and/or enterprise goals are being met in terms of schedules, outcomes and budgets.
Work directly with students, teachers, administrators and farmers.
Coordinate with OJT participants to have trainees help with F2S and F2I program.
Coordinate with logistics and sales team to facilitate market development and sales. Coordinate with Coalfield’s OJT participants to have participants help with F2S and F2I program.
Work with the Director and other Food Hub team to connect farmers to Business Builder Grants which is a portion of work funded from the Regional Food Business Center Grant program.
Work with the food hub team to strengthen the Supporting Appalachian brand. A brand and project involving a collective of partners to facilitate aggregation, Distribution, and Sales of agricultural goods throughout Central Appalachia.
Competency – knowledge, skills, and abilities ? Excellent at time management, task prioritization, and organization.? Excellent verbal and written communication skills.? Able to articulate Coalfields mission, vision, values and goals. ? Knowledgeable about institutional buying; able to articulate and coordinate delivery schedules; familiar with safe food handling? Knowledge of basic gardening practices related to production such as planting, growing and raising crops. ? Knowledge and experience with direct Agricultural sales
Supervisory responsibilities
There is no regular supervisory responsibility for this position but at times this position will work to incorporate trainees into the work plan and provide oversight in these situations.
Work Location and Hours of Work
? 1040 Vernon Street, Huntington, WV 25704 will be the primary reporting location. This position has variable work hours throughout the week with most workdays being 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..
Environment Conditions, Physical Activity, Physical Demands
? Be able to work in various weather conditions outdoors with low winter temperatures to high summer temperatures. ? Some duties are performed in the warehouse and will require work to be done in varying climates. Temperatures range from zero in the coolers to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above outdoors while on routes. ? Must be able to stand for extended periods.? Must be able to lift and move cases (selecting product and placing on a pallet) ranging in weight up to 50 lbs.
Travel and Transportation Requirements:
Candidates must provide reliable transportation to their primary work location. Coalfield has a limited fleet of vehicles and frequently carpools to minimize travel burdens on employees. Travel expenses (excluding commutes) may be reimbursed per Coalfields policies and procedures.
Required Experience and Education
? Hold a degree in agriculture, agronomy, business, horticulture, education, environmental studies, nutrition, or a related field or have comparable experience.? Proficient with computers, email, Microsoft applications, and messaging apps.? Proficient with standard office equipment (phone system, copier/printer, scanners, etc.)? Must have a valid driver’s license issued by a state authority.
Preferred Experience and Education
? Some experience with food safety and safe food handling ? Experience coordinating and working on multiple projects at once ? Experience working with students.
EEO Statement
Coalfield Development Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Other duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Background or drug test
Candidates for this position will be required to pass a drug test as a condition of employment.Candidates for this position will be required to have a background check
Job Type: Full Time
Pay: $48,000.00 – $53,000.00 per year
Benefits:
401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Employee assistance program
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance
Schedule:
Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
Huntington, WV 25704: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person