Regenerative farming, Ecosystems & Communities

Hiring: Operations Manager
Organization: The New Farm Centre
Location: This position will require regular in-person work at the farm near Creemore, Ontario and remote work from a home office.

The New Farm Centre seeks an experienced and values-driven Operations Manager to support organizational growth and impact in our second year of charitable operations. Reporting to the Director of Programs and Operations, the Operations Manager will be the implementation lead on HR, Finance, and other operational needs of The New Farm Centre. The ideal candidate will bring expertise and experience in managing budgets and people and will be organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, and excited about contributing to a better food system.

The New Farm Centre is a charity dedicated to developing, demonstrating and advocating for a regenerative farming system that mitigates climate change, fosters healthy ecosystems and communities, and improves farmer livelihoods. We operate grant-funded charitable programs and revenue generating social enterprise programs including: a working farm with 20 acres of vegetables and animals on pasture, on-farm experiential education programming for farmers and non-farmer stakeholders from across sectors and policy advocacy. We also hold an annual event and concert for 1200 people on the farm to raise funds to send the majority of our food to over 30 good food organizations and community food centres in Southern Ontario. While our charitable operations began in 2024, we are building on the nearly 20 year legacy of The New Farm, Farms for Change, and the work of co-founders Gillian Flies and Brent Preston.

Responsibilities:

• HR: Lead HR processes with equity and staff wellbeing in mind
  • Manage:
    • GRSP program
    • Staff Benefits
    • HRIS system
    • Other administrative subscriptions
  • Ensure compliance with HR regulations
  • Co-develop performance review process with Director of Programs and Operations
  • Coordinate hiring processes and staff onboarding as needed
  • Ensure on-farm health and safety and risk management with Farm Manager, Events Manager
• Finance: Manage organizational budgets and finances to facilitate impact and organizational stability
  • Manage annual budget development with program leads and senior leadership, balancing program needs, impact strategy, and cash flow
  • Manage budget tracking:
    • Work closely with accountant and bookkeeper to track budget vs actuals and other financial documents
    • Review monthly program budgets with accounting team, program leads and Director of Programs and Operations
    • Review quarterly financials with accounting team, senior leadership, and Board Treasurer
  • Oversee invoicing and payment for farm and events
  • Oversee timely and proper receipting to donors
  • Ensure social enterprise operations generate appropriate revenue and are aligned with our charitable mission
  • Coordinate annual taxes with accountant
  • Coordinate annual audit with auditor
  • Process expense reports and payments
  • Ensure compliance with charitable regulations
• Communications:
  • Support communications coordinator on strategy and oversight as needed
• Miscellaneous:
  • IT / Admin: manage file sharing (Google Drive), administrative subscriptions, coordinate with IT consultant, oversee office equipment purchases and maintenance, oversee insurance
  • Fundraising: prepare budget scenarios and support funding application processes as needed

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have 5 or more years of experience managing budgets and financials, human resources, and other operations functions. Ideally, we are looking for someone with experience in charitable, non-profit, or social enterprise operations.

• Management, HR, and Finance expertise, including experience:
  • Managing HR processes and prioritizing equity, wellbeing, accountability, and collaboration
  • Leading the creation and tracking of complex budgets in collaboration with other staff and accounting teams
  • Managing file sharing and administrative processes in hybrid teams
• Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Change Experience:
  • Knowledge of agriculture, environment, climate change, and/or food security and food justice issues are an asset
  • Understanding of farm businesses is also an asset
• Other: 
  • Ability to work effectively with a multi-disciplinary team
  • Knowledge of equity and diversity issues
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Extremely proficient in Google Workspace, particularly Sheets and Slides
  • Highly proficient in Quickbooks Online
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

If you don’t meet every qualification we’ve outlined but this role really excites and interests you, we would still love to hear from you.

Position Details:

This position is a full-time position (40 hours / week) starting mid-February or as soon as possible.

Location: Hybrid

This position will require regular in-person work at the farm near Creemore, Ontario and remote work from a home office.

Compensation: $85,000 - $100,000 annual salary range, with salary to be commensurate with experience. This position also includes access to health and dental benefits, matching GRSP contributions, 4 weeks paid vacation and a 2 week winter shutdown.

How to Apply:

Please submit a detailed cover letter and your resume in an email with the subject line: Operations Manage Application to sophie@thenewfarm.ca by January 20, 2025 at 9am EST.

Please mention you saw this posting at FoodWork.ca.

No phone calls please. If you require accommodation for the job application process, please contact sophie@thenewfarm.ca .

While we will do our best to respond to all candidates, we may only be able to notify candidates who are selected for an interview.

The New Farm Centre is working to create belonging, equity, and justice in our organization and work. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, women, LGBTQIA2S+ and persons with disabilities and strive to create an inclusive workplace. We value diverse perspectives and will consider relevant life experience alongside professional qualifications when reviewing applications.