JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Job Title: Farmers Market Operations Manager

Status: Exempt, Regular Full-Time

Department: Food Access

Location: 10 Sims Ave Providence RI 02909

Reports to: Managing Director 

Job Summary 

The Farmers Market Operations Manager reports directly to the Managing Director.  This role is responsible for managing Fresh Bucks and Bonus Bucks Programs at FFRI’s markets and partner markets across the state. Additionally, this position plays a key role on the FFRI farmers market team by facilitating back-end market operations including ensuring updated vendor paperwork, rent and licenses are collected and ensuring adequate staffing, equipment and supply levels are maintained for FFRI markets.

Farm Fresh is a growing and increasingly complex organization, with significant back-end demands to ensure that programs run efficiently and in concert with each other. The Food Access Operations Manager plays a central role in facilitating this well-balanced flow of activities within the Food Access Programs. Data entry and analysis are central functions to the role, along with maintaining relationships with Farm Fresh’s Bonus Bucks partner markets and EBT system vendors. This role demands an ability to stay organized, think on a systems level, and readily jump back and forth between diverse task areas. This position is responsible for developing logistical systems and managing staff to run effective weekly farmers markets. They oversee weekly market execution, including all pre- and post-market duties as well as preparing, collecting, and reconciling all administrative documents from market staff and vendors. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Food Access Program Data & Bookkeeping 

• Maintain Market Accounting, Sales, EBT, and FB Analytics documents.
• Monitor Zoho portal data for FFRI and Statewide partner markets to ensure all data is being entered in a timely and accurate manner.
• Process, prepare and distribute market related checks to vendors and food access partners.
• Field questions from vendors or partners around market payables and receivables.
• Support Food Access Team in fielding questions from RI FINI partners regarding Bonus Bucks reimbursements, as well as RI FINI partner stipend payments.
• Coordinate Fresh Bucks token purchases from RI Fresh Bucks Partner markets.
• Assist the Accounts Manager and Directors with improving and revising program data entry systems as necessary.
• Oversee and manage weekly internal market scrip processing as well as associated weekly market scrip data entries.
• Oversee systems to support the processing of SNAP and Bonus Bucks programs through Market Mobile.

Back-End Market Logistics

• Supervise and monitor weekly market bin and binder resetting (Check end counts, final calculations, clear out cash boxes, binders, resupply with market sheets).
• Update market sheets to ensure market managers are prepared for each market.
• Maintain adequate market equipment and supply levels, ensuring managers have what they need for each market day.
• Supervise the counting, rolling, and bagging of vendor coins for Farm Fresh markets.
• Maintain accurate internal weekly coin supply and quarterly statewide coin counts
• Calculate appropriate market rent for vendors throughout the season and communicate this to the Accounts Manager.
• Supervise the collection of updated paperwork from vendors such as insurance, Department of Health certification, and Fresh Bucks Contracts seasonally as needed.
• Create systems for market staff to follow up with vendors for missing paperwork or rent
• Support resetting the cash box and preparing cash sales deposits at markets as needed.
• Manage and maintain credit card processing equipment in partnership with the Business & Finance Team.
• Develop seasonal market equipment flow across all Farm Fresh RI programs, ensuring Markets, Harvest Kitchen, and Community Ed program staff understand when equipment can be used and needs to be returned. Communicate any changes in plans as needed.

Market Staff Management

• Directly lead and supervise all part-time seasonal market staff, ensuring that program SOPs, systems, and policies are upheld at markets.
• Recruit and train part-time seasonal program staff, interns and volunteers.
• Supervise weekly market staffing schedules, including fielding and troubleshooting time off requests and call-outs.
• Develop seasonal market staff job postings in partnership with the Managing Director.
• Collaborate with the Food Access Team in developing and updating trainings and resource guides for part-time market staff and volunteers.
• Establish and maintain effective communication systems with market staff, members, volunteers, and interns to ensure updates and received and issues are addressed and throughout the season.
• Oversee completion of weekly market tasks, including completion of daily required market sheets, table audits, post-market reports, and attendance docs.
• Track and submit part time market staff payroll to the finance director and bookkeeper weekly.

General Support and Admin

• Work with the Food Access Program Team to develop outreach and marketing materials and support seasonal outreach activity planning and implementation as needed.
• Support ongoing community relationship building and feedback initiatives such as focus groups, listening sessions and attending community meetings acting as a representative of Farm Fresh Rhode Island and the Food Access team.
• Assist with new program planning and execution in collaboration with the Food Access team and Managing Director. 
• Manage Providence Farmers Market Welcome Table staffing and processes during the winter season (Nov-Apr)
• Personally manage 1-3 Summer markets which may rotate as needed (May-Oct)
• Assist with office equipment and supply level maintenance and ordering.

Organizational Responsibilities

• Support Food Access Program operations in partnership with Managing Director, Program Directors, Advancement Director, Finance Director, and Senior Management Team
• Must uphold Farm Fresh RI Supervisor Standards in accordance with Level 2: Manager expectations.
• Must be able to collaborate and work on cross program & departmental teams and efforts
• Must have a strong and evolving commitment to participating in Farm Fresh RI’s DEI goals
• Must be able to build relationships with people from varied cultural, economic, educational, racial, and religious backgrounds.
• Must maintain a customer service orientation while considering solutions and interacting with external partners
• Must be willing and able to work a flexible and changing schedule, including evenings and weekends (evenings as late as 9 PM and Saturdays)
• Must hold a  valid driver’s license and have access to reliable transportation
• Must compile program data as requested for Food Access partners and Communications & Development team
• Must complete tasks as assigned by the leadership team and the managing director 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES NEEDED TO PERFORM THIS ROLE

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite
• Spanish skills or other language skills preferred, but not required 
• Must be able to think, react, iterate, and redirect in a fast-paced environment
• Self-starter with the ability to maintain a self-motivating attitude
• Passion for local food systems and social justice
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to juggle and track multiple tasks and responsibilities
• Demonstrated commitment to the success of co-workers and Farm Fresh RI’s mission and values
• Ability to prioritize and handle a variety of assignments simultaneously in a vibrant work environment

PHYSICAL DEMANDS (PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL

The following capabilities are required in order to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations that do not create an undue burden on the company are available to address the following requirements.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit/stand for long periods of time at a desk; use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls on computers; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear in meetings and on the telephone or on the computer in an office or variable setting.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Employees must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to travel, which may include travel via car, train, airline, overnight hotel stays.

This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed; it is not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all duties, skills, and responsibilities required of personnel so classified.

Salary and Benefits:

• Salary Range: $50,000 - $57,000
• PTO, sick, and paid holidays
• Monthly contributions to flexible health, dental, and life insurance plans
• 401k retirement plan option with up to 3% employer match
  

To Apply  

Please send resume and cover letter to natalie@farmfreshri.org with the subject line Food Access Operations Manager.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

No phone calls or drop-ins please.