Job Description

Who we are: City Fruit is a Seattle, Washington based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008. As a food equity organization, we believe in advocating for socially just and environmentally sustainable food production, distribution, and land stewardship. City Fruit promotes the cultivation of urban fruit in order to nourish people, build community, and protect the climate.

What we do: We have access to over 7,000 fruit trees and vines across Seattle, harvest 25,000-45,000 pounds of diverse fruits annually across the County, and partner with hundreds of individual tree owners and more than 35 community organizations to harvest, promote, and distribute fruit and fruit-based foods. We also lead an Urban Fruit Guardians program for K-5 youth, and a Youth Fruit Tree Stewards program for middle and high school students! Our passion is to put urban orchards to their best and fullest use so that everyone in the community shares in the value of fruit. Learn more about how we positively impact the community in our 2022 Annual Report.

Is this you?: Are you a self-starting leader with a passion for food equity and social justice, and excellent written and verbal communication skills that can engage-ucate on these topics? Do you possess an analytical proclivity that’s matched by a good sense of humor? And, do you desire to mold the future of a successful, mission-driven organization that’s firmly grounded in a local community? Come help us develop our next five-year plan to advance City Fruit’s mission and amplify the organization’s impact in our community. We want an Executive Director excited to bring their experience, enthusiasm, and creativity to help us deliver on our goals.

If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily meet every single point listed below, please apply – you could be exactly who we are looking for! 

Role & Responsibilities

The Executive Director is a full-time (approx. 40 hours per week) role and will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for City Fruit’s staff (6 full-time staff as well as part-time staff and interns), programs, budget, and mission execution. The on-site office is located on the border between Fremont and Wallingford, in Seattle, WA.

Leadership, Strategy, & Management

• Drive the strategic direction of programs and initiatives in partnership with the Board of Directors and staff, including development and execution of City Fruit’s next 5-Year Plan. Manage the organizational budget and forecasting, and oversee intake and process development required for new programs and updates to existing programs.
• Maintain a culture of teamwork, leading all aspects of recruitment, supervision, retention, and career growth for personnel.
• Cultivate and nurture relationships with a range of diverse partners across the community to raise awareness and support the mission. This includes Seattle area schools, food banks and meal programs, community-based organizations, public and private orchards and gardens, small and large businesses, foundations, corporations, public representatives, and government entities.

Fundraising & Communications

• Supervise web and social media communications to external relations; build the City Fruit brand and bring awareness to the organization and its mission.
• Steward grants and funded initiatives to completion; maintain existing relationships to continue sustained funding; look for opportunities to expand fundraising activities and revenue generation.
• Serve as a primary spokesperson to partner organizations, and the public.

Teamwork, Organization, & Ethos

• We pride ourselves on our team’s dynamic, diverse approaches, and thinking styles. We are looking for an excellent communicator (verbal and written), who displays effective interpersonal interactions, can lead projects and meet deadlines in a collaborative, team-oriented environment, and has a positive get-the-job-done demeanor.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above (or foreign equivalent).
• Prior experience in a small organization or non-profit with a proven track record bringing revenue to an organization through fundraising across individual donors/memberships, grant procurement, corporate sponsorships, and special events.
• Basic to advanced understanding of food systems, and activities, resources and people involved in providing human nourishment and sustaining health.
• Knowledge of operational accounting protocols for 501(c)3 entities and comfort reviewing finances to build consensus around priorities and ongoing expenditures.
• Demonstrated marketing and public relations experience, ideally including with the Press.
• Prior experience supervising a team.
• Willingness to work at City Fruit for at least 2 years.
• A valid driver’s license.
• Ability to lift or move up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to stand or walk on uneven surfaces for up to 8 hours per day.
• Ability to work outdoors, including in inclement weather.

Compensation & Benefits

• This is a full-time, salaried, regular, non-exempt position based in Seattle, WA.
• The salary range for this role is between $75,000 to $85,000. When determining an offer, we carefully consider these factors: candidate skill and experience; room for growth within the band; and internal equity across the team.

Alongside salary, we offer the following:

• Up to five weeks – or 25 days – of paid time off (PTO), with one week standing as the week between Christmas and New Year’s. After one year of service and a positive annual review, employees may request additional and unpaid leaves of absence during non-harvest months (November-June).
• Nine paid, federal holidays.
• A monthly Health & Technology stipend. While City Fruit does not currently offer health insurance benefits, they are actively considering enhancing their benefit offerings to staff – so this is subject to change.
• Access to free and fresh local produce, preserves, and ciders – all year long!

Schedule nuances in an organization that’s centered around harvests and community: City Fruit is an organization that supports families and work-life balance, so we offer the opportunity to work a flexible schedule, to the extent practical. Each employee is responsible for setting his/her/their own schedule according to workload and hours of operation, and this is typically done in conjunction with these organizational guideposts:

• City Fruit’s regular office hours are between 8:30-5:30pm PST, but many of our events and activities occur in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate volunteers, youth, and working professionals. Given this, the work will require occasionally flexible hours (including hours beyond the standard workday, such as weekends and evenings), and commitment to a flexible weekly schedule that includes at least 2-4 days of work per week in-person at the office/on-site visiting orchards.
• May – November: During the harvest season and shoulder seasons, staff are asked to work from the office 80-100% of their required schedules to support our primary programs of harvest and education. Exact dates to report back to the office are determined on an annual basis. During peak harvest season employees should moderate their time in direct sun for personal health and safety and may start as early as 7am and include weekend or evening work in their regular schedule.
• December – May: During City Fruit’s winter/early spring season, FTE employees are allowed to work as much as 50% of their schedules from home if their roles allow and with approval from the Executive Director and Board.

How to Apply

Please submit a compelling cover letter outlining your qualifications and alignment with the position, and a complete chronological resume for the position through this application form.  Application review will begin on June 28th. The position will be open and accepting new applications until filled. If selected, the ideal candidate would be able to begin work no later than August 2023.

City Fruit is committed to creating a diverse team and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We know that representation matters in the workplace and with our partners; to that end we are committed to a hiring process grounded in equity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race (inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, ancestry, height, weight (including obesity), national origin, religious beliefs and practices including the wearing of religious clothing, jewelry or artifacts, and hair styles or body hair which are part of an individuals’ observance of their religious beliefs, gender identity (transgender status), sex, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, domestic partner status, political ideology, age, disability (sensory, mental, or physical, including the use of a trained dog guide or service animal), veteran or military status, medical condition (e.g., pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or other related medical conditions; cancer, cancer-related illness, or record or history of cancer; HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C status; gender dysphoria), genetic characteristics (e.g., non-symptomatic carriers of inheritable diseases), retaliation for filing a whistleblower complaint, retaliation for opposing an unfair practice, or other basis protected by law.

City Fruit complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodation for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at board@cityfruit.com.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Offers of employment are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates.

Job Categories: Sustainable Agriculture / Food. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.

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