Apply Now for the Farm Program Director!
Farm Program Director 
Position Overview
About the Leichtag Foundation
The Leichtag Foundation (“Foundation”) is a private independent foundation located in Encinitas, California, with a strong interest in advancing the North County coastal region of San Diego where our founders Lee and Toni Leichtag, of blessed memory, lived and worked. The Leichtag Foundation also supports programs in Jerusalem, Israel. The Foundation currently holds approximately $134 million in assets and has granted about $90 million since its inception in 1991—more than half of this since becoming independent in 2008. The Foundation focuses its philanthropy on combating poverty and increasing self‐sufficiency for residents of coastal North County; supporting and inspiring vibrant Jewish life in coastal North County; stimulating renewal, service, and social activism in Jerusalem, Israel; and building strong connections and relationships between San Diego and Israel.
In 2012, the Leichtag Foundation purchased the former Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California. The Foundation’s goal for this 67‐acre agricultural property is to create a physical platform for the advancement of the strategies listed above and a cultural and community resource for the San Diego region. With breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, a network of greenhouses, barns and other structures, and easy access to the public, the Ranch is situated in an ideal North County location.
About the Farm at the Leichtag Foundation Property
The Farm is a community farm program that integrates the practices of Jewish tradition and sustainable agriculture to grow and share healthy food, care for the land, and help and strengthen connections between neighbors. Through hands‐on educational experiences and produce donations to neighbors that need it most, the Farm is fostering a vibrant and sustainable community that grows, seeds, and shares.
The Farm consists of mixed gardens, an orchard/food forest, animal pastures, and a vineyard, all in various stages of development. It is also adjacent to a botanical garden, school farm, YMCA, senior retirement village and is one mile from the beach and downtown Encinitas.
Ultimately, this program which is incubated by the Foundation will spin off to become a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Once the Farm is its own independent organization, it will be funded through a diverse revenue mix, including philanthropic partners and social enterprise.
Responsibilities
The Farm Program Director is responsible for and oversees the development of the following program areas:
Youth Group Programs:
- Develops a series of group programs that are designed for youth of a wide range of ages, who will come to the farm in pre‐organized groups from schools, camps, synagogues and other organizations
- Teaches, along with the Program Associate, in most of these programs
- Serves as the primary contact for group leaders from outside organizations
- Hires outside educational staff as needed
Summer Day Camp:
- Develops a Jewish farm based summer day camp for children ages 5‐10
- Serves as the Summer Camp Director
- Hires and trains all staff
- Interfaces with parents
Holiday Celebrations:
- Develops a calendar of open‐to‐the‐public community events around major Jewish holidaysincluding but not limited to Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot and Tu B’shvat
- Facilitates and liaises with local Jewish organizations to co‐sponsor events and brings in outsideeducators, song leaders, etc. to create high quality programs
- Serves as the lead creator, facilitator and implementer of these educational events
Farm Tours:
- Gives regular farm tours to outside groups and to the general public
Farm Apprentices and Interns:
- Assists with management of the farm apprenticeship and internship program
- Coordinates with farm team on developing educational programs for interns and apprentices
- Integrates interns and apprentices into educational programming for outside groups both as supportstaff and/or participants.
- Assists with the integration of interns and apprentices with neighbors and partners, such as theadjacent public school farm (FarmLab), San Diego Botanic Garden and Seacrest Retirement Village
Administrative/Management Duties:
- Serves as a key member of the farm management team.
- Develops evaluation plans and mechanisms for all programs.
- Works with the farm staff to ensure the development of necessary farm infrastructure to supporteducational programs
- Works with the farm staff to ensure that appropriate farm‐related activities are available forprogram participants
- Works with marketing and communications staff of the Foundation to develop print and digitalcollateral to market programs
- Works with administrative staff of the Foundation to develop the appropriate event, database,marketing and financial software to manage and track programs, participants and payments
Qualifications / Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in related field required
- Master’s degree in Jewish education or related field preferred
- Passion for Jewish education, sustainable agriculture, community development and engagement and interacting with people of all backgrounds and ages
- Significant Jewish literacy and experience facilitating high quality Jewish and farm‐based programming
- At least four years of experience managing Jewish and environmental/farm‐based experiential programming
- Experience working on organic/biodynamic farms preferred
- Significant experience with supervision and management and outstanding management skills
- Highly entrepreneurial, adaptable and creative
- Ability to build and nurture relationships with a wide variety of people, including colleagues, the general public, youth, seniors, funders, etc.
- Flexible and willing to work simultaneously on a wide range of tasks and projects and ability to prioritize tasks
- Exceptional listening and communication skills with sensitivity to cultural communication differences
- Cooperative, service‐oriented attitude
- Strong team player and leader
- High level of self‐motivation and at ease working independently
- Superior and consistent attention to details
- Works well under pressure and in a fast‐paced environment
- Able to work with urgency and meet or beat deadlines
- Skilled in Microsoft Office and Web‐based computing
Reports directly to the Director of Agricultural Innovation and Development.
Directly supervises Program Associate and programmatic support staff as well as seasonal staff.
Compensation:
Salary commensurate with experience. The Leichtag Foundation offers a competitive benefits package and may assist with relocation expenses.
Typical Working Conditions:
The Program Director will work inside an office, as well as outside on the farm. The position must be capable of moving objects and vehicles as needed. There will be exposure to Southern California outside temperatures, agricultural operations and loud noises.
Essential Physical Tasks:
Continual walking, standing, climbing, stooping, bending, kneeling, reaching, lifting and carrying.
To Apply
If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your resume and optional cover letter to: jobs@leichtag.org
The Leichtag Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.
Stacie and Jeff Cook understand commitment. They live it.
Black, Jewish and Queer. These three identities weave the fabric of who I am, but it took a long time to believe that they could exist together.
Lee and Toni Leichtag established the Leichtag Foundation in 1991 following the sale of their business. Lee and Toni were lifelong entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and for supporting talent. They believed that only with big risk comes big reward. Both born to families in poverty, Toni to a single mother, they strongly believed in helping those most in need and most vulnerable in our community. While they supported many causes, their strongest support was for young children and the elderly, two demographics who particularly lack voice in our society.
Lifelong Baltimoreans, Rabbi George and Alison Wielechowski and their sons, 11-year-old Lennon and 9-year-old Gideon, are more than pursuing the good life in Southern California. Having moved to San Diego more than three years ago, they are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
You would think that as the executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, Fernando Zweifach López Jr., who uses the pronoun they, has done all the coming out they possibly can. A queer, non-binary individual who has worked for many years on civil rights issues, López also speaks openly and often about their father’s family, Mexican-American migrant workers who tilled the fields of rural California.