We are hiring!

We are looking for an experienced Chief Executive Officer to join our team! As CEO, you will be responsible for the supervision of the overall business strategy and success of Food Next Door.

Your role will be crucial to the success of our company, as you will be giving all the strategic directions to the team while continuing to create opportunities.

Our CEO must be a motivator and a great leader. We also need you to be able to see the big picture and bring creative problem-solving skills. Working with new migrant and refugee farmers, people are at the centre of all that we do and our greatest resource.

You will resonate with our mission Nurturing Land, Nourishing People, and our values of inclusion, community, co-operation, nurturing and respect. You understand the importance of local food systems and local economies in building community resilience and are familiar with or prepared to learn about principles of Co-operative Governance.

Working closely with the Board and with support from a wide range of available advisors, experienced staff and co-op members, you will steer Food Next Door Co-op into a new phase of increased opportunity, working with our project funding bodies and partners, including a two year project in conjunction with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC), titled Nourish Sunraysia, aiming to create a sustainable food hub to sell culturally appropriate fresh local produce.

About you

You have well-developed skills in governance, leadership and project management and can plan time and budgets, meet deadlines and use different communication strategies for diverse project stakeholders, politicians and bureaucrats, Board, staff and our farmer and volunteer members.

Your work with people from diverse backgrounds has provided you with skills to sensitively manage relationships and achieve outcomes. Able to creatively find solutions, construct funding applications and acquit grants while overseeing operations at our community demonstration farm, where farmer members use regenerative farming techniques and some basic equipment to grow the food they love to eat and share, your qualifications or practical experience in horticulture will be highly valued.

About our team

Food Next Door seeks to increase the farm footprint and country of origin of our farmer members, who are mainly east African at present and love working with other farmers and volunteers, training youth and learning how to grow food in their new home. With donated land and permanent water, Food Next Door is poised to expand and include more farmers to secure Sunraysia’s local, fresh, clean produce variety and availability.