Apprentice Program and HR Director

Organization Overview

Are you interested in joining a committed team that is passionate about changing the world, one meal at a time? Then you may find yourself at home at Farming Hope!

Farming Hope is a 501(c)3 food justice nonprofit. Our mission is to empower folks experiencing major barriers to employment to cook food to sustain themselves and their communities. Fueling our pursuit of lasting social change are our guiding principles: that food is a human right, that everyone deserves an empowering livelihood, and that neither food nor human potential should go to waste.

In service of this mission, we provide a culinary job training program for community members who are overcoming obstacles such as former incarceration or homelessness. Our paid 12 week program helps adults transition to personal well-being and employment while nourishing food insecure neighbors and preventing cosmetically-imperfect food from going to waste.

We are proud to have provided 70,000 paid training hours, served more than 240,000 meals to the community, distributed more than 460,000 pounds of groceries, and recovered more than 58,000 pounds of food over the last two years. We’re looking forward to making even more of an impact in the years to come. Learn more about our organization at farminghope.org.

Position Overview

The Program Director is a crucial role responsible for overseeing the success of our Apprenticeship Program and leading our HR Operations. The Program Director will manage the Program Manager and the team of approximately 15 Apprentices per cohort. Cohort sizes may increase over time based on organizational bandwidth and training opportunities.

Apprentice Program Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of Farming Hope’s Apprenticeship Program, from recruitment to graduation to alumni engagement
• Support Apprentices in securing and maintaining full-time work post-graduation
• Develop Employment Partnerships with local food businesses to help our program participants and graduates gain employment
• Develop tracking systems for alumni success outcomes while working with employers for feedback on employment readiness
• Oversee the continued development and improvement of Apprentice Curriculum for improved outcomes, collaborating with Program and Culinary team
• Co-lead weekly “Apprentice Circles” which including team building and job-search skills training
• Create evaluation and reporting systems to track impact data and supervise implementation
• Collaborate with Development team on funding and grants requirements including program budget and reporting deliverables
• Represent the Apprenticeship Program with the leadership team in shaping Farming Hope’s long-term vision and strategic plan

HR Leadership responsibilities:

• Oversee all HR Operations and ensure all company HR policies are applied consistently and in compliance with local, state and federal regulations
• Lead payroll processes and conduct weekly payroll
• Oversee benefits administration
• Manage any complaints, investigations
• Organize team celebrations and employee recognition
• Manage worker’s compensation
• Lead recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding
• Supervise annual performance review process and compensation benchmarking process

Candidate Qualifications

• 3+ years as Workforce Development Vocational Counselor, Job Coach, Employment Specialist or similar casework, mentoring, or teaching experience
• 3+ years experience in HR Administration
• 3+ years in a Leadership role managing teams
• Experience developing and executing workforce development program curriculum
• Knowledge of performance evaluation techniques and key metrics
• A self-directed mindset, able to manage oneself, take initiative, and prioritize among multiple tasks and projects
• Excellent coaching, teaching, written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized and detail-oriented
• Networking skills for developing employment partnerships
• Commitment to systemic transformation
• Bilingual in English and Spanish

Other beneficial skills and experience (not required)

• Knowledge of trauma-informed care
• Lived experience, training, and/or professional experience with folks experiencing major obstacles to employment

To Apply

Send your cover letter and resume as PDF files to hiring@farminghope.org by March 15, 2025.

Farming Hope is an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition as defined under State law, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, state, and/or local laws and ordinances.

At Farming Hope we have a clear vision to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people are able to learn, teach, and grow. Diversity is more than a commitment at Farming Hope—it is necessary to advance equity and inclusion for the Apprentices in our training program and our diners in the community.