Black Dirt Farm
Job Description—Office Manager

Farm Description

Black Dirt Farm is an integrated and diversified agroecological family farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom designed to mimic the carbon cycle. We operate a year-round food scrap collection route to collect organic discards from our community, forage our laying hens on a mix made with these food scraps, make compost and  worm castings from what the hens don't consume, and grow a small number of crops.  Our farm is firmly based in regenerative agricultural and social practices, and the creation of an ecologically-thriving and socially-just community food system.

Being a part of Black Dirt Farm means working in an environment that is both caring and efficient. The farm requires creative and driven individuals who can work as part of a dynamic and, often, fast-paced team, while also being individually responsible for managing one’s own tasks with professionalism and quality. 

At Black Dirt Farm we strive to create and support a thriving work environment.  We believe our time together as a crew should be fundamentally uplifting to each person as an individual, and that this in turn will contribute to a farm that is constantly learning, updating, growing and producing great products that serve our customers and community, and which we take pride in as a group.  For us, a thriving farm culture is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, where all Crew  Members, volunteers, and customers of all genders and gender identities, races,  ethnicities, religions, class, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, educations, or abilities feel valued and respected. We believe the farm is at its best when we have a diversity of people and experiences that inform what we do and how we do it.


Job Description
The Office Manager is the primary point person in the farm for administrative functions, sales, and customer service. This role includes a variety of tasks, including bookkeeping, overseeing sales and farm marketing, outreach management, new customer development, distribution, packaging management and procurement, and customer support for all of the farm’s enterprises, products, and services.

The Office Manager handles administrative tasks, including state and solid waste district reporting and licensing, maintenance of collection schedules, QuickBooks data entry, invoicing, deposits, AP/AR, and other related miscellaneous tasks.

As a growing business, there are new projects that come up and this person will help coordinate with other staff to figure out solutions and implement new systems and processes to improve efficiency and provide more insight on how the organization is functioning. The Office Manager must manage their own time effectively to strike a balance between routine and project-based tasks, while ensuring that less frequent routine tasks are executed effectively.

 Job Tasks

Bookkeeping & Financial Oversight

  1. Manage QuickBooks – weekly expense/income entries, credits, invoices, and maintain tidiness of books etc.

  2. Keep organized financial records

  3. Invoicing, timely payment of bills, and accounts receivable follow up

  4. Prepare and make deposits; oversee bank transfers as needed

  5. Process weekly payroll

  6. Complete all EOY paperwork for W2 employees and 1099 Independent Contractors

  7. Maintain cash flow projections and provide reports

  8. Work with Owner to develop annual budget.

  9. Generate monthly financial reports and other reports as needed

  10. Work with Owner to track class metrics throughout the year

  11. Seek out funding opportunities and help with completing applications

Customers, Sales, and Distribution

  1. Oversee sales and customer management for all farm enterprises, including developing new accounts

  2. Support existing customers and outreach as needed to onboard new customers

  3. Communicate changes in schedule, delivery updates, seasonal changes, etc.

  4. Coordinate weekly orders for all farm enterprises

  5. Coordinate distribution and shipping

  6. Maintain customer information

  7. Update website as needed

  8. Create social media posts and email campaigns

Route Management

  1. Update weekly service schedules

  2. Communicate regularly with existing food scrap collection customers

  3. Coordinate seasonal and holiday schedule adjustments

  4. Help food scrap collection customers prevent contamination of food scraps through employee trainings, education, and customer communications

  5. Outreach to new route customers including calls, site visits, and other outreach efforts

  6. Onboarding new customers, including contract signing and any required supporting documentation

  7. Train new food scrap generators

  8. Complete annual District and State Registration and monthly reporting requirements

  9. Complete semi-annual bids for state and corporate accounts

  10. Create EOY posters for all generators

Human Resources

  1. Maintain employee files

  2. Onboard new employees

  3. Oversee and track PTO and other employee benefits

  4. Coordinate monthly team meetings

  5. Assist with resolving any human resources issues that may arise

General Administrative

  1. Help streamline overall organization processes

  2. Inventory Management – Packaging for eggs, compost, worm castings, and crops; office supplies, first aid supplies, etc.

  3. Check phone messages daily and manage general business email account; act as the point of contact for all correspondence

  4. Maintain calendar of routine annual events and deadlines.

  5. Manage special projects as needed and time allows

  6. Maintain memberships and subscriptions to affiliate networks and organizations

  7. Oversee and create company email accounts

  8. Assist with IT needs

Requirements

  • Superior interpersonal skills and emotional self-awareness

  • Can handle multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines, and demonstrates

    excellent problem-solving capacity and time management. Strives toward efficiency and effectiveness

  • Excited to be a part of and help to grow a new farm and food system business

  • Excellent verbal and written communication, and strong customer service skills

  • Good understanding of numbers and business

  • Works cohesively in a team, as well as independently. In particular, is skilled

    and experienced in receiving and providing feedback.

  • Takes responsibility for their assigned tasks and shows pride in their work

  • Highly organized

  • Experienced in QuickBooks, MS Word, and MS Excel, Google Docs, Mac computers

  • Experience with website management, social media, Square Space or similar

    email/marketing tools

Hours – 30-35 hour per week

Compensation – based on experience

To Apply: Please send resume, cover letter, and three references to info@blackdirtfarm.com.