Full Time Crew Leader - Wash-Pack & Markets

This is a full-time supervisory position; a minimum of one season of vegetable farming experience and farmers market work is required, previous leadership experience in any field preferred. 

Job Description & Expectations:

The Crew Leader will be responsible for leading the workflow of the farm crew members under the direction of the Farm Managers. This role will directly participate in all aspects of work on the farm, and will supervise washpack work and market organization, and act as a line of communication between the farm managers and crew members. Primarily, this means understanding the tasks to be accomplished for a given day, how to go about getting them done (materials needed, quality standards, etc), and then leading the farm crew through these tasks. 

This position requires regular weekend work and will ideally staff two markets every weekend, working a Thursday - Monday schedule; Thursday, Friday and Monday would involve work on the farm, 7AM - 5PM with an hour for lunch, Saturday and Sunday are market days (variable hours depending on season but generally 5AM - 3:30PM Saturday, 8AM - 3:30PM Sunday).

Work is year-round, with part-time hours December - February, generally becoming full time March - the end of November. Our farm work days include but are not limited to: 

  • Field work: harvesting, transplanting, weeding, pruning, trellising, bed prep

  • Wash and pack operations: washing, sorting, and packing of harvested crops, conducting quality control checks, and learning and following storage requirements of all crops

  • Greenhouse operations: seeding, potting, irrigation, trellising, as well as other tasks

Working a farmers market involves driving our Sprinter van or box truck to market, unloading and setting up our signature vibrant display, staffing the booth and providing top-notch customer service, and then breaking down display and returning to the farm, loading and organizing leftover crops back into appropriate storage areas.

The above lists are not all-encompassing; as we are a small operation, all crew members get the opportunity to participate in all facets of the farm, from seeding to packout. With daily support from the farm managers, you will participate in all aspects of the work, lead the crew through washpack work, and take the lead on our farmers markets. We start every day with an all-team meeting to discuss the plan for the day, and the crew leaders are responsible for executing/leading the crew through that plan when farm managers are occupied with other tasks.

Skill Sets and Job Requirements:

Farm work requires a strong work ethic, therefore applicants should have the following skills and attributes:

  • Ability to direct a small crew through daily farm work and stay in contact with farm managers

  • Interested in local agriculture and food systems

  • Capable of lifting 40-50 lbs. repeatedly 

  • Communicative, and receptive to feedback

  • Ability to work independently with direction

  • Strong interest in leadership 

  • Able and prepared to work in all sorts of weather 

  • Trustworthy, reliable, and responsible

  • Strong ability to balance speed and efficiency while maintaining Obercreek’s high quality standards and running multiple operations simultaneously in the packing shed

  • Licensed and comfortable driving; we have on-farm harvest pickup trucks and a commercial delivery van and truck, and all employees are expected to be comfortable operating them

  • Strong customer service skills; friendly and outgoing and comfortable and confident speaking on farm practices, crop availability, and use/recipe suggestions

  • Ability to use Square point of sale to take multiple forms of payment

Hourly pay begins at $18/hour but is based on experience and may increase based on performance and tenure 

Benefits:

  • Lots of delicious organic vegetables (free of charge) 

  • 15% discount on all products at our farm store, free “scratch & dent” products

  • 10% discount at Obercreek Brewing Company

  • Paid sick time

  • 2 week break at the end of the calendar year

  • Being part of a dedicated community of people working to improve our local food system

  • On-farm housing may be available

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please send a note about why you’re interested and a resume to Trixie Wessel and Alex Vaughn at marketing@obercreekfarm.com