About Santropol Roulant

Santropol Roulant uses food as a vehicle to break social isolation between generations. Creatively and collaboratively, we strengthen and nourish our local community with our novel approaches to active community engagement, youth leadership, food security and social inclusion. The Roulant's staff is young and dynamic with job descriptions and responsibilities that sometimes exceed their experience. As such, opportunities to learn and grow are key benefits of working at Santropol Roulant. Our working culture supports staff members in developing the skills required to ensure that our collective impact matches organizational and personal aspirations.

About the Peri-Urban Farm

As part of our mission of building a food system that is healthy, just, and sustainable, Santropol Roulant farms a 2-acre plot of agriculturally zoned and organically certified land in Senneville, in Montreal's West Island. This land supports the production of fresh produce for our meals on wheels menus, our organic baskets program, our weekly farmer’s markets, surplus produce transformation program and provides educational opportunities for young people and urban-dwellers to connect with the source of their food. We strive to produce food that is accessible to all regardless of socio-economic status, level of mobility, or degree of autonomy.

About the position

The successful candidate will work with Samuel, the other Farm Co-Manager, to manage and develop all aspects of Santropol Roulant's peri-urban farm site in Senneville. Additionally, they will collaborate with the  co-managers of Santropol Roulant’s Urban Agriculture program to develop the three core elements of the urban-rural farm exchange Entre grange et gratte-ciel: education, production and distribution. Please note that we are seeking someone capable of mentoring other farm employees while they receive support from the whole Agriculture team in developing their own skills.

Key Responsibilities

Agricultural Production and Property Maintenance

• Share responsibility for all aspects of farm production, including: crop planning, seed orders, preparation of beds, seedlings, crop maintenance, greenhouse management, irrigation and harvest.
• Share responsibility for the distribution, sales and marketing of farm produce through our meals on wheels menus, fresh basket program, surplus produce transformation program, weekly markets, and partnerships with other community organizations.
• Maintain farm equipment and care for the farm grounds.
• Help develop a long term fertility plan, which takes into account green manures, cultural practices, and crop rotation.

Development and Administration

• Participate in the strategic development of the farm, maintaining the core principles of Santropol
• Roulant at our peri-urban site.
• Plan and manage the farm’s annual budget, including working with the fundraising team to secure additional funding where necessary.
• Collaborate with Fundraising Administrator and Accountant to ensure proper bookkeeping, administration of funds, issuing of tax receipts and invoices, and general tracking of revenues and expenses.
• Communicate news from the farm to the Santropol Roulant membership and represent the farm in the media and at conferences.
• Develop and maintain partnerships that nourish the farm’s activities and mandate, including increasing public awareness about the importance of peri-urban farmland, and representing Santropol Roulant within organizations like Equiterre and the CAPÉ (Coopérative d'Agriculture de Proximité Écologique)

Education and Skill Building

Share responsibility for coordination and mentorship of the summer farm team (apprentices, interns and volunteers).

Support the Agriculture team in making the farm accessible to young people and urban-dwellers by assisting with workshops and farm tours, as needed.

Organizational life

• Bring the perspective of the importance of small-scale agricultural production to Santropol Roulant's community (at events, in planning priorities, etc.).
• As a full-time staff member, participate in collective responsibilities such as staff meetings, hiring committees, event planning committees, and other collaborative projects, as seasonal work load permits.

We are looking for candidates with the following interests, skills and experience:

Mandatory

• 3 years’ experience in diversified organic vegetable production
• Experience leading teams with diverse levels of experience
• Driver's license
• Oral bilingualism

Assets

• Excellent written communication skills in French, to complement the skills of the other members of the farm team.
• Experience with volunteer coordination in an agricultural setting
• Crop planning and greenhouse seedling management experience
• Experience operating farm machinery and equipment (tractors, rototillers, seeders, vehicles)
• Experience with administrative elements of farm management, including budgeting.

Personal Qualities and Interests

• Strong desire to advance the goals and strategic vision of Santropol Roulant’s agriculture program.
• Well-developed understanding of food politics, food sovereignty and how they relate to small-scale agriculture.
• Ability to leverage opportunities, innovate and multi-task.
• Attention to details and workplace safety.
• Willingness to lead by example while engaging in physical labour and working outdoors in all types of weather.
• Understanding of Quebec’s agricultural community, with a specific focus on the west-Montreal scene is an asset.
• At ease with working under pressure while maintaining a supportive atmosphere for volunteers and colleagues.

Additional Details

This is a full-time, permanent position with a forecasted start date in late January 2015. This is a salaried position at $16.50 per hour, in accordance with Santropol Roulant's Salary Policy which also includes health and professional development benefits and annual salary augmentations. We ask for a minimum commitment of 2 years. Please note that commuting to the farm daily (from April to October) may be time consuming for those who do not live in the area.

To apply, please drop off or email your CV and cover letter to the Farm Co-Manager Hiring Committee at 111 Roy East or rh at santropolroulant.org by Monday, January 14th at 9 am. Due to the large volume of applications anticipated, we unfortunately will only be contacting candidates chosen for an interview. Interviews will take place the week of January 19th. For more information, contact Stephanie at 514-284-9335, write to rh at santropolroulant.org, visit www.santropolroulant.org, or stop by our office.

As an organization that works to break social and economic isolation and bring people together across social barriers, Santropol Roulant recognizes that people who experience structural oppression and marginalization have a lot to offer our community. People of colour, those recently arrived from other countries, people with disabilities, women, two-spirited and queer people, trans people, and other candidates who experience marginalization are strongly encouraged to apply and to self-identify in their cover letter. Our primary office space is step-free and has an accessible washroom, but our second floor and basement are not wheelchair accessible. This position in particular will require the candidate to be at the farm site over 50% of the year, which poses major challenges to those with limited mobility. Please contact Stephanie if you have any questions about the accessibility of our work area or your participation in an interview process.