Youth jobs, Urban farms, Market gardens

Position: Veggie Farm Production Manager
Organization: Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society
Location: Vancouver, BC
Eligibility: age 30 & under (see below)

Growing Food, Youth, Community — Fresh Roots is cultivating educational farms and place-based programs where youth develop healthy relationships with food, land and community through growing and sharing food that nourishes themselves, their communities and the planet! freshroots.ca

The Position

The Fresh Roots Farm Team operates our educational farms towards our production, sales and educational goals. In this key role under the direction of the Director of Farm Operations (DFO), the Production Manager will be responsible for supervising the operation of Vancouver Schoolyard Farm sites and staff. This person should be able to “see the room” and identify what needs doing, when. We are looking for an ambitious, community-minded farmer who has strong vegetable production and leadership experience.

Key Details

• Location: Metro Vancouver Schoolyard Farm sites. Ideal applicants will have their own transportation.
• Dates: Contract Position, February 2, 2026 - March 12, 2027 with the possibility of extension for the right candidate (funding dependent).
• Hours: Full-time, Average 37.5 hrs/week. Expect more hours during peak season (July - August) and less in the shoulders.
• Schedule: Hours generally fall between 7:30am and 5:00pm on weekdays. Attendance may be required at some market shifts which operate 12:00-8:00pm on Wednesday evenings as well as some weekend dates.
• Compensation: $23-28 DOE, plus 10 days’ vacation and 12 sick days. Health Benefits available after 3 months. Access to farm produce.
• Note: Position is dependent on funding. Start and end dates may change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operation of Fresh Roots’ Vancouver Schoolyard Farms to meet our goals for low-impact practices, food production and youth learning.
• Implement the established crop plan; log all plantings and challenges
• Monitor and seek out solutions for crop failures or other farm obstacles
• Write weekly work plans, delegate tasks, and supervise all hands on the farm (including youth), supported by the DFO
• With the Market Lead, determine the harvest plan and monitor quality.
• Oversee the tracking of all Harvest Activity (delegate as necessary).
• Lead and delegate field work tasks.
• Supervise the safe use and maintenance of infrastructure (ie. irrigation, truck, cooler) and farm tools (ie. hand tools, flame-weeder, weed eater).
• Contribute to the year-end Farm Report, including relevant metrics to inform our fundraising strategies
• Evolve and share FR protocols and manuals for farm operations
• Punctually communicate across FR Departments using Slack and email
• Steward good rapport with school workers (especially engineers)

To learn more about the position from our outgoing Production Lead, check out her blog post, here.

Qualifications

FR recognizes that applicants from oppressed groups, including folks who are Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) may be hesitant to apply for positions where they don’t perfectly meet the listed qualifications. If you are excited about the job description, believe you could learn to perform the responsibilities and can meet the essential qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

Essential Qualifications

• Pass a criminal record check to be able to work with children and vulnerable populations
• Meet Federal Wage Subsidy Requirements for Young Workers: ie. be between ages 15-30 and have Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Refugee Status. If you are unsure of your eligibility, review these guidelines or contact us.
• BC Driver’s License Type 5 and able to drive a large pickup truck in the city.
• Able to lift and carry 50+ pounds (ie. a tote of carrots)
• Equipped and able to work outdoors in all weather conditions

• Access to reliable transportation for travel to and between FR sites
• 2 seasons in a leadership position on an urban farm or market garden and comfortable giving, soliciting and receiving feedback
• Confidence leading large groups of peers and youth
• FOODSAFE and Standard First Aid certification or commitment to obtain
• Effective communication in English across various mediums

Preferred Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or equivalent experience in land and food systems, agriculture, ecology, or other related fields
• Proficiency with digital tools and communication platforms, such as Google Suite, Slack, Keela, Canva, etc
• Experience and/or training for working with vulnerable, underrepresented, BIPOC youth and youth with diverse abilities

• Attention to detail and experienced in creating quality standards
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a small team.
• Proven ability to multitask, prioritize duties, problem-solve and remain flexible within a fast-paced and changing environment
• Motivated to learn new skills and evolve the farm program

TO APPLY, Please submit an application, resume, cover letter, and example of your work (ie. a crop plan spreadsheet) through our hiring platform: https://freshroots.bamboohr.com/careers/86

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

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ABOUT FRESH ROOTS

Our schoolyard farms are the fertile ground for both delicious food and powerful learning. Founded by passionate farmers and food sharers in 2011, Fresh Roots has grown to practice and inspire not only sustainable, community-centered farming, but place-based experiential learning and youth empowerment. We provide kids and youth the space to explore what they are capable of while building deep relationships with food, the land, and each other. We provide meaningful employment experiences for the young adults we hire as farmers and educators, and prepare youth in our programs to step up into leadership positions.

We are part of an interconnected network of food growers, educators, and community members, who are working to create a just and sustainable food system. By partnering with schools and school districts, we take under-utilized land in heavily developed cities and transform it into thriving biodiverse agroecosystems. In doing so, we increase the availability of fresh local produce available to our neighbours. We also create dynamic inclusive learning spaces for people of all ages, but especially children and youth, to learn about food and the ecological and human systems that support the food we all depend on.