Job Listings

Request for Applications & Proposals: Solar Array Project

Center for an Agricultural Economy

• Posted June 22, 2021 at 3:43pm
• Deadline July 28th, 2021
• Location Hardwick, VT
• Type Freelance

Purpose of proposal

The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) owns and operates the Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC). CAE is exploring solar options for the facility to enhance the long term sustainability of the facility. 

Organization Background

The Center for an Agricultural Economy is a not-for-profit community-based food system organization, based in Vermont’s rural Northeast Kingdom. Our mission is to engage the public in building a regenerative, locally based, healthy food system by engaging our community through collaboration opportunities, educational outreach, providing infrastructure, and through assisting in hunger relief and local food access projects. CAE has acted as our region’s resource base for understanding the challenges and opportunities for strengthening our local food system; we create opportunities and partnerships that allow for more local food to be grown and consumed locally. CAE engages primarily with three constituent groups: our local community, our farmers and producers, and our food-based businesses. 

As a regional food hub, CAE manages three social enterprises: Just Cut is CAE’s farm-to-institution enterprise, which applies the infrastructure of the VFVC to connect local farms to institutional markets by taking on the processing, packaging, sales and logistics of selling prepared produce to regional schools and hospitals; VFVC where clients may rent commercial kitchens by the hour, receive food safety advising and technical assistance, and access storage and centralized aggregation for local distribution; and Farm Connex, our direct-to-store food delivery service for local farms and producers. Through our food hub, we provide critical food system infrastructure and much-needed technical assistance to clients in the regional farm and food economy.

 Project Background

In 2011, the CAE took on operation of the VFVC. Today the VFVC is home to the CAE’s administrative offices, as well as storage and commercial kitchens available for rent. The VFVC is located in Hardwick, the southwestern corner of Vermont’s northeast kingdom. Because of its location, the majority of participating businesses are based in northern or central Vermont, but the VFVC and its services are available to food producers anywhere in Vermont or nearby areas. It is a 15,000 square foot, multi-use food processing facility. The facility is divided into 3 commercial food processing kitchens; 1,000 sq ft of administrative offices; 5,000 sq ft of warehousing storage which includes 275 sq ft of refrigerated storage and 750 sq ft of frozen storage; and a devoted anchor tenant cell of 6,400 sq ft divided roughly equally as a creamery and cold storage facility. 

The commercial processing kitchens have a range of food preparation equipment for specialty food producers to rent and scale-up small batch recipes. The facility uses on average over 300,000 kW hours per year. 

Scope of Work: What do we need?

CAE is looking into solar options for the VFVC. The most likely scenario is rooftop solar and possibly some solar over parking areas for EV charging stations. CAE is aware these projects take time and details may emerge but we are looking for a proposal that will include the following: 

• A net metering plan or options to sell the proposed array and enter into a net metering agreement for the VFVC

• Estimate of the solar project - estimated annual production kwh of the system once installed, type of system to be installed, number of panels, panel type. For purposes of the proposal any solar proposed for the parking lot should be separate from the main installation on the roof. 

• Estimated cost and financing plan to install system 

• Outline of a timeline for installing the system

• Overview of all services provided including any support with permitting

Timeline: 

We aim to have proposals in by the end of July, 2021 enter into an agreement over the summer and install the project in the spring of 2022. 

 Proposal Instructions

Please submit a proposal describing how you plan to execute the project deliverables and a brief history and profile of your experience providing services for organizations similar to ours. Why are you the right individual/firm? What specific skills do you bring to the project? What is your history with our mission and related work? Provide a proposed budget/ cost estimate of the project fee that includes an estimate of the time needed to complete the project. Additionally, please include examples of this type of project your company has completed. 

CAE staff is available to provide further information about our objectives as you develop your proposal. Submit your application and proposal to CAE by email at jon@hardwickagriculture.org. Thank you for your interest!

Agriculture Development Supervisor

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

• Posted June 22, 2021 at 10:11am
• Deadline July 11th, 2021
• Location Montpelier, VT
• Type Full Time

The Development Division of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets seeks a driven and experienced marketing professional. This position, an Agriculture Development Supervisor, will lead the division's marketing program in developing communications, organizing events, and leading marketing efforts on behalf of the Agency and Vermont agricultural and food businesses. This is a fast-paced position with a high level of autonomy while also maintaining clear lines of communications with staff, colleagues, and division and Agency leadership. Major projects this position will lead include: international market development with support from Food Export Northeast, management of the Vermont Building at the Big E, collaboration with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, writing and management of federal grants that support marketing activities, development of a tradeshow and buyers mission program, and other marketing projects as funds become available. This position directly supervises two staff who support the goals of the marketing program. The ideal candidate will bring significant marketing experience specifically for digital platforms, deep understanding of content marketing and strategy, excellent communications skills, events management experience, strong facilitation skills, budget oversight of multiple fund streams, and supervisory experience using strengths-based management strategies.

Route Operator

Black Dirt Farm

• Posted June 21, 2021 at 1:09pm
• Deadline July 9th, 2021
• Location Greensboro Bend, Vermont
• Type Part Time

Black Dirt Farm is seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team as a Route Operator.

About Black Dirt Farm

Black Dirt Farm is a diversified family farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. We operate a year-round food scrap collection route to collect organic discards from our community. We strive to put this "waste" to as much positive use as we can. Our farm is firmly based on regenerative agricultural practices and the creation of sustainable food systems. Since 2014, we've diverted 13.6 million pounds of food scraps from the landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of not burning 603,598 gallons of gasoline and capturing enough nitrogen to fertilize over 1,000 acres of mixed vegetable crops.

Brief Job Decription for the Route Operator

The Route Operator will run our compost collection route two days per week and contribute to the overall success of the farm by perfoming other tasks as needed and as time allows. 

Customer Service Associate

Farmers To You

• Posted June 17, 2021 at 1:28pm
• Deadline Open until filled
• Location Middlesex, VT
• Type Full Time

Come join a swiftly joining, mission-driven company! The Customer Service Associate is responsible for a proactive and responsive approach to communicating with Farmers To You customers/partner families.  The ideal candidate is a strong communicator over the phone and in writing and is familiar with customer engagement.

This position will focus attention on providing top quality customer service by responding to email and phone queries and problems, tracking errors and issues, and problem solving.  This role will also play a role in designing and implementing changes to our systems to always improve the overall customer experience at Farmers To You.

Human Resources Coordinator

Farmers To You

• Posted June 17, 2021 at 1:23pm
• Deadline Open until filled
• Location Middlesex, VT
• Type Part Time

The Human Resources Coordinator is a 20 - 30 hour/week position working within the Administration team at FTY. Responsibilities include weekly clerical tasks, communication facilitation across teams, and big picture development within the realm of human resources. Come join a swiftly growing mission-driven company!

Full Time Site Attendant

LRSWMD

• Posted June 16, 2021 at 2:09pm
• Deadline Open until filled
• Location Morrisville, Vermont
• Type Full Time

Be part of our team! Start right away! The LRSWMD is seeking highly motivated individuals to dependably work at our busy Drop-Off locations on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Must enjoy interacting with the public, be able to operate a point-of-sale system and/or cash register (training provided) and enjoy interacting with the public. Moderate to strenuous physical effort is required as is the ability to work outdoors year-round. Self-starters and those with a passion for reducing waste, recycling, and composting are strongly encouraged to apply.

Site Attendant

LRSWMD

• Posted June 16, 2021 at 1:57pm
• Deadline Open until filled
• Location Morrisville, Vermont
• Type Part Time

Be part of our team! Start right away! The LRSWMD is seeking highly motivated individuals to dependably work at our busy Drop-Off locations on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Must enjoy interacting with the public, be able to operate a point-of-sale system and/or cash register (training provided) and enjoy interacting with the public. Moderate to strenuous physical effort is required as is the ability to work outdoors year-round. Self-starters and those with a passion for reducing waste, recycling, and composting are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Full Time Facility Coordinator

LRSWMD

• Posted June 16, 2021 at 1:22pm
• Deadline July 2nd, 2021
• Location Morrisville, Vermont
• Type Full Time

With the expansion of state mandates and a growing reliance on the workforce to properly manage more materials, the LRSWMD is hiring a new, full-time Facility Coordinator. This position is a hybrid of both site attendant duties and general assistance to the entire District reporting directly to the Facility Manager. Weekend work required.

The ideal candidate will:

• be a self-starter with care for details
• possess a desire to improve the community’s participation in waste reduction and materials management.

 Full-time benefits include:

• 100% health care
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• Paid holidays
• Retirement program

Career-minded applicants with experience supervising others will be given priority. To apply, submit a complete resume and brief statement demonstrating your ability to support the LRSWMD mission. Find more details at lrswmd.org/about.