Hiring: Deputy Director – New Entry Sustainable Farm Project

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (New Entry) improves our local and regional food systems by training the next generation of farmers to produce food that is sustainable, nutritious, and culturally-appropriate and making this food accessible to individuals regardless of age, mobility, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.  In doing this work, we provide critical training, career development, and economic opportunity to new farmers.

Position Overview

The position of New Entry’s Deputy Director offers an exciting opportunity to help shape and carry out the strategic agenda of a growing, comprehensive farmer training and food systems organization. The Deputy Director will work with New Entry staff, consultants and regional partners to provide strategic leadership and management for New Entry’s on-the-ground local programs in Massachusetts. Reporting to the Executive Director (ED), the Deputy Director will have both internal and external facing responsibilities at New Entry, ranging from program management (program development, framing of strategic approaches, high-quality customer service, project metrics tracking and evaluation) to administration (grant writing and reporting, information technology, facilities management), and human capital (HR/recruiting, mentoring, leadership development among staff). The Deputy Director will partner closely with the ED to chart New Entry’s future growth and implement strategic goals to grow and scale New Entry’s program impact in the farm and food systems space.

Duties and Responsibilities   The Deputy Director will be based in New Entry’s Lowell Office and will be expected to travel to incubator farms, the Food Hub, and to meetings throughout the state and region. Primary responsibilities will include:

Program Management

• Supervises Team Leaders and works with ED to develop and lead programs to advance New Entry’s mission, including Farmer Training Programs, Local Food Access and Distribution (Food Hub), and interface with National Networks and Coalition Building Program to deliver outstanding, impactful food systems change.
• Develops and evaluates key performance indicators (KPIs) and leads program teams in developing Salesforce-based evaluation systems and data collection tools to monitor KPIs, program outputs, outcomes, impact and other metrics.
• Builds and manages strong relationships with external stakeholders including agricultural service providers, community partners, farmers, economic development, governmental, and other partner relationships.
• Promotes New Entry and the organization’s work through diverse communication strategies, representing New Entry at agricultural conferences, professional associations, to funders, and other public venues.
• Develops thought leadership around specific farmer training topics/emerging food systems practice areas, particularly around experiential training and education approaches.
• Shares in knowledge dissemination, reporting, and communications.

Program Administration

• Supervises Program Team Leaders and supports a diverse team of New Entry staff and consultants to coordinate the achievement of stated outcomes in alignment with organizational strategic goals, metrics, and outcomes.
• Writes grant proposals and coordinates with Team Leaders to develop project descriptions and proposal workplans to present to funders.
• Manages information technology, human resources (recruiting and hiring, reviews, staff deployment/workload balancing, leadership development) with related internal communications and budgeting/finance duties.
• Manages complex project budgets, financial statements and financial reports.
• Performs grants management by tracking deliverables, meeting reporting deadlines, and monitoring allocations and expenditures.
• Develops and implements data management systems to track and report program outputs and results to funders with an emphasis on meeting key performance indicators, outcomes/impact, and success stories.
• Supports fundraising for New Entry through communication strategies and investor stewardship activities.

Organizational Culture-Building

• Partners with the ED in essential internal organizational leadership activities (human resources, administration, and organizational planning).
• Supervises, mentors, and coaches Program Team Leaders.
• Orients all new staff and oversees internal policies, procedures and processes.
• Identifies best practices and improves internal systems to maintain and enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness with an eye toward future needs and budget realities.

Qualifications

• 10-plus years in a senior management position in a nonprofit organization, foundation, or government agency; graduate degree or MBA desired
• Knowledgeable and experienced in agriculture and food systems work; hands-on commercial farming or food distribution experience desired
• Highly intelligent, entrepreneurial, and systems-thinker
• Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating complex programs and managing nonprofit budgets and financials
• Demonstrated grant writing and grants management experience including federal grants and private foundation grants
• Experienced and competent in Salesforce (CRM), Excel, and other management and computer software
• Experienced supervisor, mentor and ability to bring out the best in others
• Demonstrated success in roles requiring execution of multiple tasks while responding to multiple competing priorities and deadlines
• Proven ability to work with efficiency, flexibility, and good humor
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive relationships with a wide array of people – junior and senior, for-profit and nonprofit, farmers and policy makers, donors and investors, and individuals from extremely diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Outstanding communication (written, verbal), interpersonal skills, and ability to show empathy is essential; excellent public speaking skills
• Operates with excellence in mind in all matters, with the confidence to defend/debate ideas and make changes to processes and operations without ego interfering and can be transparent and direct, with ability to exercise tact and diplomacy in organizational settings and with diverse constituencies
• Passionate about New Entry’s mission and deeply committed to racial equity and food justice work
• Self-starter, self disciplined, and brings spark, imagination, and creativity to the work
• Remains focused in the face of pressure, delivers against timelines, not intimidated by tasks/time limitations

To Apply : We accept online applications. To apply, complete this form and upload your cover letter and resume on the employment section of our website at www.tsne.org.

As an EOE/AA employer, TSNE and New Entry Sustainable Farming Project will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identification, veteran or disability status.