The Events Producer is the overall event organizer for the Sustainable Food & Farm
Conference, and our farmer events such as soup night, farm potlucks and farmer mixers.
Sierra Harvest is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening community
through fresh, local, seasonal food. We train dozens of farmers, organize hundreds of
community events, and educate over 9,500 school children. We envision a thriving local food
economy and a network of financially viable farms providing good food for the community,
where health and wellness is the norm and people of all ages are engaged in growing,
harvesting, preparing, and sharing fresh food. We are creating a place where farmers thrive
and residents of all ages have access to nutritious, whole food.
Compensation: $25/hour
Farm conference
The Sustainable Food & Farm Conference is designed to:
- stimulate and motivate members of our community to become active in our local food
and farm movement
- educate through internationally recognized, dynamic speakers
- foster a sense of community within our local food and farming movement, and
- bring greater awareness and support to our local food and farming movement.
The Events Producer oversees all aspects of the conference, working with a team of staff
and volunteers to produce a well-organized and impactful weekend of education and
networking for conference participants. The conference producer will turn this event into a
fundraiser to support Sierra Harvest’s mission while educating regional farmers. This
position manages all conference logistics, marketing and promotion (website, email, social
media and print), registration, catering, the Food & Farm Expo, audio/visual needs, add-on
classes, selling booths, securing sponsorships and evaluation. The Events Producer also
works closely with a curriculum team which select keynote speakers and workshops.
Farmer Events
Lead organization of Sierra Harvest farmer events including soup night, farm potlucks, and
farmer mixers. These events help community members connect with and buy from local farmers
as well as cultivating collaboration between agricultural producers in Nevada County.Specific duties are as follows:
Conference:
Manage conference project plan and lead conference planning team
Work with Engagement Manager to coordinate and execute all marketing and promotion,
including email, social media, print materials and media coverage
Work with Operations team to coordinate registration
Execute the Food & Farm Expo, coordinating with Engagement Director and Co-Directors to
secure sponsorships and expo participants.
Oversee applications and awards for farmer and student discounts and scholarships
Work with Engagement Manager to coordinate all volunteer needs, training and
management
Coordinate with venue hosts for on-site logistics and audio/visual needs
Manage conference financials to meet budget
Measure results and hindsight process making continuous improvements
Farmer events:
Book venues, organize food and program, event outreach, event logistics, work with
Engagement manager to fill volunteer slots and train volunteers.
Hours:
Conference: 15hrs/ week on average over the year, with a more concentrated workload
October – February (increasing up to 40/hrs during the weeks preceding the
conference). As a guideline, past staff have distributed their hours as follows:
~34hr/wk in Jan/Feb,
~9hr/wk in Mar
~2hr/wk in Apr/May/Jun
~4hr/wk in Jul
~8hr/wk in Sept
10hr/wk in Oct
19hr/wk in Nov
~14hr/wk in Dec.Must work some nights/weekends when needed, be able to lift 50lbs and work at a
computer regularly.
Farmer events: 5 hours a week averaged over the year with most of the work happening
within the months preceding and following the events.
Skills and Qualifications:
Strong verbal communication skills, including writing, editing, and interpersonal skills
Friendly, engaging presence
Strong planning and organization skills and ability to meet deadlines
Business sense and track record of creating profitable conference ventures
Attention to detail and excellent follow through handling multiple priorities at one time
Competent in computer programs such as Excel, Word, Dropbox, Constant Contact,
MailChimp and Wordpress
Independent problem solver and team player
5+ years organizing and producing events
Must have a strong alignment with the mission of Sierra Harvest and familiarity with
trends in organic and sustainable agriculture
Familiarity with audio/visual equipment for presentations is not required but preferred
Must be available for weekly meetings in Nevada City
Existing relationships with local farmers a plus
To apply, please send a resume, cover letter and writing sample to jobs @ sierra harvest.org
by January 3, 2020 at 5PM.