Farm Catering Coordinator

Job Description

Job Description

Position Title : Farm Catering Coordinator

Supervisor : Farm Food & Beverage Manager

Employee Status : Year-Round, Full-Time

Location : In-person, Shelburne, VT

Start Date : Early March 2025

Work Schedule : Typically working 5 days a week, however may work more days depending on events. Weekend, evening and holiday work required.

Application Deadline : February 5, 2025

Who We Are

Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. We offer transformative learning experiences to help educators and students create a better world. Our home campus is a 1,400-acre working farm located on the traditional, unceded and contemporary homelands of the Winooskik band of the Abenaki.

What We Do

Engage youth and people of all ages in learning experiences that inspire them to build just, diverse, resilient, caring communities.

Steward our working lands and heritage buildings as we embody values of place and community through caring for and sharing our natural, agricultural, cultural, and human resources.

Collaborate with educators and other local, national, and international partners to advance education for sustainability worldwide

Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Shelburne Farms recognizes that justice, equity, and access are central to sustainability. We are committed to translating these values into action across the organization by improving equitable outcomes in our culture, programs, and services. Shelburne Farms is working to create experiences of belonging for all, including BIPOC, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and people of all economic realities. We are passionate about building and sustaining a diverse and welcoming working and learning environment for all program participants, guests, and staff.

Who We’re Looking for

We are looking for someone who loves hospitality service and relationship building. Someone who is excited about sharing the experience of locally produced farm products with program participants and other guests and visitors at Shelburne Farms as an integral part of our mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. We are looking to create meaningful connections to our farm and community through seasonal, locally sourced food and beverage experiences across the farm campus.

What You’ll Do

The Farm Catering Coordinator will coordinate the planning, preparation, and delivery of farm-fresh food for programs, functions, and events in collaboration with an integrated team of program, event, and other hospitality and farm staff. This position will oversee and execute food and beverage catering services, including serving as the point person on the day of the program, function, or event.

Partner with the Executive Vice President, Director of Community Programs and Events, and Program Registrar on coordinating planning and scheduling catering services for farm functions and events.

Collaborate with the Events & Farm Functions Coordinator and Farm Food & Beverage Manager on planning for the staffing and execution of farm food and beverage catering services. .

Collaborate with the Farm Functions Chef, program staff and farm partners on developing seasonal menus and providing farm food for guests across our campus, including group functions, education programs, picnics, and prepared foods. Participate as needed in food procurement and preparation.

Manage administrative aspects of food and beverage catering services .

Work with the Events and Farm Functions Coordinator and accounting team on billing and cost accounting systems.

Collaborate with the Inn team on supporting accommodations and food services for residential programs and group bookings.

Work with the Farm Food and Beverage Manager on facilitating training for catering staff on providing exceptional food and guest services.

Support and supervise any additional catering staff, including working with the Farm Food and Beverage Manager on food and guest services training .

Assist in preparing, servicing and closing down catering service and related equipment.

Communicate feedback from events and programs participants to the production team and Executive Vice President.

Maintain sustainable sourcing and minimize waste.

Attend weekly events and functions production team meetings

Provide seasonal support of farm programs and operations as needed.

Core Qualifications

Having a commitment to strengthening local and regional food systems through farm-to-table experiences

Being detail oriented, organized, and having time management skills for tasks such as printing and organizing menus and signage for each event, updating relevant information into the farm-wide calendar, creating / maintaining training manuals and checklists.

Having a knowledge of food allergies and special dietary requirements

Being comfortable in an ever changing environment with last minute adaptations for events and functions.

Having open and facilitative client communication skills

Having broad-level experience working with various tech systems and being open to training on our specific tools.

Having the ability to both work independently and also lead a small team.

Additional Valued Qualifications

Catering or restaurant experience is helpful but not required.

Experience using systems and tools such as Google Workspace (all Google Suite tools), event planning, point of sale, dining and room reservations.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

Carrying and moving items up / down stairs and over uneven terrain, weighing up to 30 lbs.

Working in indoor and outdoor environments in varied temperatures.

Moving over uneven terrain.

Seasonally demanding work schedule.

Working across multiple locations.

Being active for extended periods of time, including supporting event set-up and break-down activities.

Maintaining a tidy shared workspace.

Benefits

For year-round, full-time staff : Benefit summary here for 2025 benefits.

To Apply

If our vision and mission excite you, we hope you will share with us your experience and skill set that you feel would qualify you to make a contribution to the Farm.

All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential.

In your application, please include responses to the following questions. These are not meant to be a writing exercise but to introduce yourself in a meaningful way.

Tell us about your unique characteristics and life experience that will help you thrive in this role.

Describe a time when you had to adapt to last-minute changes during an event. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

How did you hear about this role?

Shelburne Farms will provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation to fully participate in the application process.

If you would like to request an accommodation or with any general application questions and support, please contact Casey Sullivan our HR Director, at jobs@shelburnefarms.org, 802-985-0370 or in-person at 352 Farm Barn Lane, Shelburne, VT 05482 (office located in the Farm Barn on the Shelburne Farms property).

At Shelburne Farms, we value equitable access to employment opportunities and career growth as central to our organization’s commitments and our collective future. We are committed to offering employment to individuals who face barriers to employment including but not limited to those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Women and non- binary individuals, domestic violence survivors, individuals with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those with non- traditional educational backgrounds. We utilize inclusive hiring practices and are committed to shifting our resources towards amplifying and uplifting historically marginalized communities to provide a fair and just opportunity for employment.

Shelburne Farms is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we strongly stand against discrimination and harassment of any kind. Candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences are strongly encouraged to apply.