Food and Land Sovereignty Director
✦ ✦ Organization & History ✦ ✦
✧ Mission: Presente! Maine is a grassroots organization that fights to empower displaced Afro/Indigenous and Latinx peoples of Maine through survival programs, community power building, cultural celebration, and transformative healing practice. Presente envisions a world where all peoples enjoy their rights to joy, beauty, wellness, food, land, and home.
✧ Presente! targets three key program areas: Community Health and Wellness (Bienestar), Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardship, and Leadership & Community Power Building.
✧ Since 2020, we have led critical initiatives to get people fed, prevent eviction, advocate for public health emergency funds for community-based organizations across Maine, deploy public health response, restore Indigenous foodways, and win Mainecare coverage for people regardless of immigration status, all while working with a small staff and a few dedicated volunteers.
✧ We are seeking a Food and Land Sovereignty (F&LS) Director to lead and grow our food sovereignty and land stewardship programs, which aim to reclaim and restore sacred relationships to food, land, and ourselves and to create robust opportunities for community to participate in growing food, commune with la Pachamama, and relearn and exchange practices for keeping and preparing traditional foods and medicines. The Director will manage specific food and medicine growing and community engagement and education programs from planning and design through implementation and evaluation, including La Granja, Munay Garden, medicine-making circles, and monthly planting and harvest celebrations.
✧ Location: Two work sites - farmland in Greene and office in Portland
✦ ✦ Responsibilities ✦ ✦
Provide direction and visionary leadership to the planning, program design, policy creating, and operation of Presente’s Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardship programs and strategies
Ensure all programs align with our organizational mission and values
Establish short- and long-term goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures
Complete needs assessment activities annually - or as needed - to identify the level of need for programs through input from staff and community members
Contribute to the development of proposals to attain funding for expansion and existing programs.
Develop, maintain, and review Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardships policies and practices
Regularly monitor, analyze, and report on the status of Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardship programs
Report program successes, places for growth and learning, and emerging needs
Interact with community members, community partners, funders, and agencies searching for collaborative relations and resource-leveraging
Lead and manage staff through mentoring, coaching, and supervision ensuring staff engagement to meet organizational and project goals and objectives
Ensure staff and project goals are supported, staff are properly oriented and trained for successful performance, and staff receive timely feedback
Create and manage winter staff development plan during the off-season
Provide fiscal oversight for the Food Sovereignty and Land Stewardship programs
Provide education and analysis in assisting Presente! in policy development, decision-making, and priority-setting
✦ ✦ Qualifications & Hiring Information ✦ ✦
✧ Values: Must demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Presente’s mission, vision, and values. Ideal candidates for this position should have a deep commitment to justice and building community resilience, as well as strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
✧ Requirements:
3 years of experience designing and leading community food projects, mutual aid initiatives, and/or community organizing in food and land justice spaces
2 years of supervisory experience is required
Professional fluency in both English and Spanish
Knowledge of program administration, including finance; budget, and grant management; contracts; local, state, and federal rules and best practices
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with staff, community members, partners, and the public
Able to manage competing priorities; excellent organizational skills and good time management
A strong track record of building teams and developing staff leadership
Open to change and willing to lead change within the organization
Considerable knowledge of our community and current contexts
Respect for the confidentiality of community members and team members
Ability to lift and carry 25+ lbs of produce and equipment
Frequent walking on uneven ground
Effective verbal and written communication skills
Pass required background checks
✧ Strongly preferred:
Agriculture and/or horticulture experience
Lived experience
Cultural competence
✧ Rate of pay:
$64,000 - $67,000 / year (Salaried, exempt)
✧ Benefits:
100% employer-covered healthcare, vision, and dental insurance premiums
100% employer-covered AAA Plus membership for employee
Access to Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Savings Accounts
Education Benefits through the Maine Workforce Development Compact program
Mileage reimbursement for travel outside regular commute
Per Diem reimbursement for day-long and multi-day travel
Access to community resources
✧ Paid Time Off:
11 holidays with 2 extended breaks: Thanksgiving (3 days), Winter Break (2 weeks)
15 days of vacation leave
Unlimited sick time off
10 days of Bereavement leave
8 weeks of Family Leave after 1 year of employment
✧ Expected Hours:
Full Time - 40 hours
Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
Occasional remote work is possible
Evenings and weekends are sometimes required for community events
Reduced hours in winter off-season
✧ Anticipated start date: Late May 2024
✧ To apply, please send a cover letter, resumé, and three personal references to Marvin (mtala@presentemaine.org) and CC Adriana (aortiz@presentemaine.org).
If you need more information, or if you have any questions, please email info@presentemaine.org or contact 207-800-7453.