Delivery Driver and Food Hub Operations

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is hiring a Delivery Driver and Food Hub Operations worker in Beverly, MA, for a seasonal role from September to May, with a pay range of $21-23/hour. Responsibilities include transporting produce, packing for deliveries, and supporting farm operations. The position requires a clean driving record and the ability to drive box trucks. This role is essential for the Food Hub and Farmer Training teams.
Seasonal: September–May (with potential to continue into next summer); $21-23/hour

September-November: Up to 40 hours/week Monday-Thursday AND December-May: Up to 20 hours/week

Reports to: Sara Poggi Davis, Food Hub Program Manager

Organizational Description: New Entry Sustainable Farming Project’s (New Entry) mission is to improve our local and regional food systems by training the next generation of farmers to produce food that is sustainable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate and making this food accessible to individuals regardless of age, mobility, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. In doing this work, New Entry provides critical training, career development, and economic opportunity to new farmers.

Job Summary

The Delivery Driver and Food Hub Operations position is responsible for packing produce and ensuring timely produce deliveries to our Food Hub customers, ranging from CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shareholders, schools, food pantries, senior food access partners and wholesale accounts. The position will also provide field maintenance and crop production support to the Farmer Training Team who manages a 20-acre vegetable production site with a demonstration plot, cover crops, and land care services on a historic property. The position is a vital part of the New Entry Food Hub and Farmer Training teams, and as such will share in the responsibility of fulfilling program deliverables and reporting requirements.

Essential Job Functions

Delivery Driver: Transport produce from local farms to the Food Hub and from the Food Hub to customers. Responsibilities include delivery of produce for a 400 plus member, multi-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program as well as variety of wholesale accounts. New Entry distributes fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to customers around the Boston area. Driving shifts will likely be 6-9 hours per day on three days per week. Driving duties include:

• Pick up produce from area farms

• Deliver CSA shares and wholesale produce orders to 15-20 locations per week in the eastern MA/Boston area on time and during scheduled pickup windows

• Work with wholesale customers, site coordinators and volunteers at various pick-up locations to trouble shoot delivery or pick-up concerns and communicate issues back to Food Hub team

• Provide friendly customer service to stakeholders at pick-up locations

• Maintain cleanliness and monitor operational and maintenance needs of delivery vehicles (gas, oil, windshield-wiper fluid); schedule maintenance as needed

Food Hub Operations: Work with Food Hub team to pack and organize produce in a warehouse environment. Share packing will be 5-6 hours on one day per week with additional Food Hub duties up to 10 hours per week.

• Work in a warehouse environment to pack and organize produce for delivery

• Clean and sanitize produce bins to ensure food safety

• Maintain, clean, and organize warehouse space and equipment

• Perform other Food Hub-related duties as required

Qualifications

• We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• Clean Driving Record

• Ability to safely drive 14- and 16-foot box trucks in urban settings (narrow streets, tight loading docks, and alleyways)

• Delivery experience loading and unloading boxes

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. and move hand trucks with stacked bins repeatedly in and out of vehicles, trucks, and buildings

• Ability to operate a forklift

• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions

• Organized and detail oriented

• Experience in landscape management including cutting brush, mowing, trimming, road grading and maintenance, compost management, hand weeding

• Experience planting, harvesting, and washing vegetables and produce

• Carpentry or general handy-person experience

• Experience maintaining small engines or landscape equipment

• Customer service experience

• Friendly, reliable, high-energy level, comfortable with multi-tasking

• Good interpersonal and communication skills

• Team player, ability to interact with diverse personalities; tactful, respectful, flexible

• Good reasoning abilities and sound judgment

• Self-motivated and directed

• Ability to work a flexible schedule with availability Monday-Thursday for produce deliveries

• Access to reliable private transportation to reach New Entry central farm training center/offices required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience driving a box truck in an urban setting preferred

• Experience working in a warehouse environment preferred

• Experience handling produce and food safety training preferred

• Experience in commercial farming or wholesaling preferred

• Experience with small farm and landscaping equipment: 3?5 hp tractors, rototillers, mowers, weed whackers, other landscaping equipment

• Cross-cultural experience preferred

• High School Diploma or equivalent

To Apply for all New Entry open positions, please send a brief letter of inquiry and a summary of your experience to meet the qualifications or a resume and email to: Sara Poggi Davis, Food Hub Program Manager, sara.davis@tufts.edu. Candidates will be required to complete a background check and demonstrate a clean driving record.

New Entry values diversity and unique lived experience and does not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, veteran or disability status or any other factor prohibited by law.