Jobs: Two Farm to School Positions with Washington State Department of Agriculture

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SORRY – THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED!

Farm to School – Two Employment Opportunities at WSDA
Apply before January 15

First Position
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Farm-to-School Project Coordinator
Commerce Specialist 2
Range 52 $3549 – $4653 per month
This position is preferred to be located in Seattle, Washington.

This position will coordinate and implement the farm-to-school projects funded by a 2009 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant. The goal is to increase the market opportunities for Washington specialty crop (primarily fruit, vegetable and nut) producers by reducing barriers to institutional sales, especially to schools.

This is a three year, full-time project position. Location is preferred in Seattle. Travel is required with possible overnight stays. Duties include but are not limited to the following:

Develop and conduct training sessions to educate growers about institutional markets; Develop and conduct farm-to-school workshops and adapt an online toolkit for school food service professionals; Develop resources and hold events to help farmers understand and prepare for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits; Plan, conduct and analyze surveys of farmers and processors to build an inventory of current capacity for post-harvest processing required to meet the school food service market; Develop and oversee contracts and supervise volunteers to complete some projects.

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelors degree and at least two years relevant experience in agricultural or food marketing.

Preferred Skills:
Food industry experience in marketing, distribution, institutional purchasing, and/or farm business planning; Survey research development, analysis and reporting; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Training and event planning and meeting facilitation; Ability to independently work on multiple projects within timelines.

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Second Position
Washington State Department of
Agriculture
Farm-to-School Program Specialist
Commerce Specialist 2
Range 52 $20.40 – $26.74 per hour
This position may be located anywhere in Washington dependent upon applicant’s qualifications and geographic location relative to need areas.

This position will be a part of the Farm-to-School Program team, and will work in partnership with the Small Farm & Direct Marketing Team and other partners to deliver programming to increase the purchases of Washington grown foods by Washington schools thereby improving student nutrition and benefiting local farmers. The position reports to the Farm-to-School Program Manager and collaborates with the Manager to provide technical assistance and develop and maintain online and publication resources to assist producers, schools and communities in developing farm-to-school projects.

This is a permanent part-time position. Location is flexible and may require work from a home office. This position will work an average of 20 hours per week. Travel is required with possible overnight stays.

Duties include but are not limited to:
Providing technical assistance to farms and food businesses to increase availability of Washington grown foods for schools; Providing consultation and facilitating farm-to-school project development in communities around Washington; Developing and maintaining tools and resources, including the program website, publications, existing projects information (maps, case studies, etc), and marketing materials; Assisting with development of publications on starting farm-to-school programs, including model policies and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelors degree and at least two years relevant experience in agricultural or food marketing.

Preferred Skills:
Food industry experience in marketing ,distribution, institutional purchasing, and/or farm business planning; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Meeting facilitation; Ability to independently work on multiple projects within timelines; Website development; Spanish speaking would be useful.