Hiring: Production Assistant – Real Pickles

Position available: Production Assistant
32-40 hours per week / Reports to Kitchen Supervisor

Introduction:
Real Pickles is a worker-owned co-operative in Greenfield, MA, producing organic fermented vegetables from Northeast-grown produce. Our mission is to promote human and ecological health by providing people with delicious, nourishing food and by working toward a regional, organic food system in the Northeast. As a cooperative, each worker has the opportunity to become an owner of the business and participate in shaping its future. We are committed to the work of racial justice and to creating good jobs that support the dignity of all workers.

We are seeking to hire a well-qualified individual to join our production team as a Production Assistant. We are looking for someone with a strong interest in organic food production and Real Pickles’ mission, and with a desire to explore worker-ownership in our co-op. The work location is our facility in Greenfield, MA.

Job duties:
The Production Assistant position involves working as a member of our production team to produce safe, healthy, and delicious fermented foods for sale to our customers throughout the Northeast. The work is physically demanding, repetitive, and requires standing for long periods of time. During the harvest season, the production team prepares fresh ingredients for fermentation in barrels, with tasks including (but not limited to): washing, peeling, and cutting vegetables by hand; operating food machinery; and using a pallet jack to transport large vegetable bins. Throughout the year, the production team packages finished product into jars and buckets for sale, which includes a mix of manual and machine-oriented tasks. Duties also include facility and distribution tasks. Production shifts run from 8am to 4:45pm, Monday-Friday.

Qualifications:
• Experience with commercial food production and/or farming is strongly preferred.
• Able to do physically demanding and repetitive work (while standing) for a full 8-hour shift.
• Easily able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• A collaborative and respectful team player with good verbal communication skills.

Compensation and Benefits:
• Starts at $17/hour (with 50¢ raises twice annually for 4 years, followed by annual cost-of-living adjustment).
• Paid time off benefit.
• SIMPLE IRA retirement plan with 3% company match.
• Employer-sponsored health insurance plan available (for 36+ hour/week schedule).
• Eligibility after one year to become a worker-owner in our co-op.

To apply:
Please email a resume, letter of interest, and 2-3 references. (Send email to jobs@realpickles.com.)
This position will remain open until it is filled.

RP is committed to an equitable, inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone is treated as a respected member of the team. We value having a diversity of life experiences and perspectives on our staff. Applicants who identify as people of color and/or trans are especially encouraged to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer.