Click here to apply for our Spring Crew

Job Description: We are hiring a part-time Grants Specialist to join our small team and work with our Development Manager to write compelling grants to secure funding to support our work.

Compensation: Starting wages of $24/hr with farm produce included.

Schedule and Location: Part time beginning in May 2024. This position will entail ~10-15 hours per week with flexible hours. This is a hybrid position, with a negotiable combination of remote work and time at our Hillsboro location.

About us: Working Theory Farm is an organic farm and youth development nonprofit located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb in the Portland, OR metro area. Our mission is to empower youth through the shared work of farming to grow food for partner organizations who distribute this food to families in need. We support youth through a mixture of mentorship and employment programs and work with partners to hire youth who have been impacted by the juvenile justice system, homelessness,  housing instability,  developmental disabilities, and/or other barriers.

We are committed to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and to building an organization where we live these values. Our programming is focused on uplifting youth and feeding community members who are facing injustice. Both the youth we serve and the community members we feed are primarily Latino. We encourage Latino folks, Black folks, Indigenous folks, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, women, immigrants, DACA recipients, and all candidates who have experienced injustice to apply.

We’re looking for someone passionate about this work who is interested in writing, storytelling, and collaboratively building out the collective vision of this growing organization. We practice a horizontal model of leadership and work together to make decisions around compensation on a yearly basis. It’s important to us that we staff can comfortably meet our own needs, do this work sustainably year over year, and feel fulfilled by the work that we do. We annually revisit farm finances and compensation as we work collaboratively to establish a sustainable operating model. 

Job Responsibilities:

Work as a writing partner with our Development Manager to collaborate on selected grants

Write other grants independently or with some strategic support from our Development Manager

Collaborate with our Development Manager to build familiarity with our organizational budget and develop grant budgets that are informed by existing resources and the capacity of our team

Manage and revive our long dormant Instagram presence

Work occasionally with our Farm Operations Team and our Youth Programming Team to develop an understanding of what all these grants are about and to cultivate a heart connection to this work. The amount of these hours is negotiable based on your interest.

Skills and Experience (what we’re looking for from all candidates):

Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Reliability and ability to meet deadlines

Comfort working both interpersonally and independently

Strong resonance with our mission and program

Comfort with Google Docs, Google Sheets, Word, and Excel

Either grant-writing experience or desire to learn.

Skills and Experience Could Include: (We don’t expect you to be a unicorn and have all of these experiences. Anything on this list will catch our eye):

Bilingual: English/Spanish.

Life experience or family experience reflective of the youth and communities we serve.

Experience with communications or other nonprofit administrative work

Experience as a farmer or land worker

Experience as a youth mentor or educator

Timeline to Apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Priority deadline: April 15, 2024.  This position will remain open until filled. If you’re interested in joining our small team, building this organization with us, and figuring it all out as we go, please send a resumé and cover letter that describes your experience and helps us understand who you are and why you want to be doing this work with us to hiring@workingtheoryfarm.com. Additionally, please submit one writing sample, ideally one that has been written for an external audience (a grant, a newsletter, an academic report, etc.).

Compensation: $20/hr

Position Type/Hours: Seasonal; June-September. Part time; 15-20 hours a week

Location: Located near Century Blvd and TV Highway in South Hillsboro.

Reports to: Youth Program Manager

Interviews conducted and hiring decisions made in May, with start date in June.

About the farm:

At Working Theory Farm, our mission is to empower youth through the shared work of farming to grow food for partner organizations who distribute this food to families in need. We provide employment, mentorship, and educational opportunities to underserved youth in Washington County by growing vegetables and raising livestock on our no-till organic farm. We work with youth who are or have been unsupported by traditional systems, primarily representing populations impacted by the juvenile justice system, that are experiencing or have previously experienced homelessness or housing instability, and/or have been impacted by food insecurity or poverty. Both the youth we serve and the community members we feed are primarily Latino.

Youth are on the farm nearly every week of the year with different cohorts in the Spring, Summer, and Fall alongside leadership roles like Crew Lead and an Operations Crew. Our goal with all of these youth is to provide positive relationships with caring adults and teach the lessons that farming is so good at teaching -- creativity, problem solving, awareness, personal and social responsibility, resilience, and collaboration, to name a few.

We strive to build a safe and supportive work environment for everyone employed here on the farm. We are committed to justice, equity, and accountability and building an organization where we live these values. Our programming is focused on uplifting youth and feeding community members who are facing injustice.

In order to carry out this mission, our small team is in need of a supporting adult staff member during the height of our season to support youth crew programming and facilitation. At the heart of the mission is the connection that comes from doing the hard work on land together with young people, as co-workers, community members, and caring humans to tend the land and sustain change in ourselves, in our communities, and in the larger food systems of Washington County.

We encourage people who have been impacted by systems and structures of violence and land dispossession in our community to apply. We recognize this includes Indigenous people who have had their ancestral lands stolen from them and lifeways forcibly repressed, Black people who have been removed from land, criminalized, and prevented from land access and ownership, people who or whose families have faced violence or exploitation in commercial agriculture or labor systems, people who or whose families have had to cross borders and face criminalization for it, and people who have been impacted by the carceral system and been punitively removed from their home families and communities.

Even if you feel like you may not meet all the position qualifications, we strongly encourage you to apply if you feel alignment with our values and mission.

About the position:

The seasonal farm mentor will be on with youth crews three days a week.

Description of day-to-day work :

Supporting our youth programming by acting as a mentor, facilitator, advocate, teacher, collaborator, and task leader to crews of youth ages 14-24.

Facilitating youth programming, workshops, and conversations among youth and adults. The farm crew facilitator will have opportunities during the season to both co-facilitate and independently facilitate groups of youth.

Supporting all facilitator staff by participating in group staffing, peer supervision, and ongoing feedback and training opportunities

Contributing to regular notes and record-keeping.

Supporting all aspects of vegetable and fruit production -- seeding flats and direct seeding, transplanting, pruning, weeding, harvest, trellising, wash/pack, and more—and leading and supporting youth through that work.

Ensure safe working conditions, including securing CPR/First Aid certification within the first two months of employment (paid for by WTF).

Performing other tasks as needed or directed to by their supervisor.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Considerations:

Ability to repeatedly lift and carry 50lbs over short distances, walk over rough ground, bend at the waist, and squat repeatedly throughout the course of a full workday (5-6 hours). Emphasis on “repeatedly”. Each employee is encouraged to listen to and take care of their bodies as needed - for example taking water and stretch breaks. However the unavoidable reality of farming is that it’s very physically demanding work.

Willingness and ability to work in all weather conditions -- through rain and cold in the spring and fall, and in hot weather in the summer.

Skills and Experience (what we’re looking for from all candidates):

Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills

Experience working with youth, ages 14-24, particularly in outdoor or experiential spaces

Comfort working both interpersonally and independently

Compassionate, hardworking, motivated, flexible

Strong resonance with our mission, program, and values

Skills and Experience Could Include: (We don’t expect you to have all of these experiences. Anything on this list will catch our eye):

Bilingual: English/Spanish strongly preferred.

Experience working with systemically underserved populations or populations that face structural and interpersonal violence

Experience in social services, education, trauma-informed care, or other forms of youth work

Experience in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and conflict resolution

Experience in restorative or transformative justice practices and processes

Life experience or family experience reflective of the youth and communities we serve

Experience as a farmer, landworker, or with plants and animals.

Next Steps:

Send a resumé and a few paragraphs that help us understand who you are and why you want to be doing this work with us (because we recognize that not everything comes through on a resumé) to hiring@workingtheoryfarm.com.