Vacancy - Growing Assistant & Veg Box Co-ordinator
Teign Greens CIC is looking for a committed, practical and well-organised Growing Assistant & Veg Bag Coordinator, to bolster our growing team and lead on ensuring excellent veg bags reach our 100 members every week.
Teign Greens is a not-for-profit CIC providing weekly organic vegetable bags to local people in the Teign Valley, South Devon using a CSA model. It was established in 2020 to provide a resilient local food system in response to the Covid Pandemic and has grown quickly since.
The market garden is based on about four acres of south sloping land at Oxen Park Farm in Lower Ashton, and shares many resources, buildings and machinery with the wider farm. The farm is certified organic and biodynamic, and producing vegetables in a way that supports nature and biodiversity is a key priority. We have a brilliant Massey Ferguson 165 tractor that we use to cultivate the land for our larger plots as well as a pedestrian tractor that is used in the intensive areas, though for both machines we try to cultivate only where necessary and follow the minimum tillage principles. We maintain soil health principles through use of green manures and cover crops and grow our crops in an agroforestry system alongside top fruit and soft fruit.
Although a separate enterprise, Teign Greens works in partnership with the wider farm and alongside On The Hill, an education social enterprise also based on the land. As a result the farm is a busy, sociable place, especially in the summer, and we share lunches, check-ins and work exchanges with the other organisations based here.
We currently produce 100 weekly veg bags using a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, meaning members commit to buying the veg over a whole year. Volunteers are a key part of the growing and harvesting of the vegetables through weekly Tuesday volunteer days, and monthly Saturday volunteer mornings. We also host residential trainees and WWOOFers in the Summer.
Growing Assistant & Veg Bag Coordinator Role Description
Start date: August/September 2025
Contract type: fixed term 12 months, with hope to extend conditional on funding.
Hours: 4 days per week, including occasional weekend working
Pay: Real Living Wage, £12.60 p/h (the same as everyone working for Teign Greens) with a weekly veg box in addition
Responsible to: Leonie, Head Grower
Onsite accommodation is potentially available in a beautiful newly renovated vintage caravan, by arrangement with Oxen Park Farm.
This is a hands-on and varied role combining physical fieldwork and harvesting with responsibility for ensuring our members receive fresh, quality, varied veg bags every week. Our founder and usual Veg Bag Coordinator Holly is currently on maternity leave, and will not be returning fully until Spring 2026. You’ll be stepping in to cover this role around 2 days a week over the Autumn & Winter, and assisting our Head Grower Leonie in all aspects of the growing the rest of the time. From Spring 2026 onwards, your role will be fully based in the field supporting the team as the Assistant Grower. You’ll be a key part of our small, passionate and talented team, helping ensure our CSA scheme runs smoothly week-to-week.
The right person will be practically skilled, reliable, good at working with others, and happy to take initiative in both field and packing work. We’re especially keen to find someone who is a great team player, enjoys holding systems and who takes satisfaction in getting things done efficiently and well.
This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about local food, already has some experience in growing or physical outdoor work, and wants to get experience in community-scale food production.
Duties:
Veg Bag Packing and Distribution (2 days per week maternity cover until Spring 2026)
Work with the Head Grower to plan the contents of our veg bags using our Veg Tracker spreadsheet, ensuring quality and variety each week of the year.
Communicate harvest requirements to the growing team each week
Coordinating buying in top up veg from other local organic growers during the Hungry gap
Leading and motivating our amazing regular volunteers in the packing of weekly veg bags every Tuesday
Taking initiative and dealing with quality or quantity issues during packing
Keep the packing shed tidy, organised & well stocked- reordering supplies when needed
Organise distribution of wholesale veg during gluts
Holding relationships with collection point and community fridge partners
Coordinating delivery of veg bags to our 7 collection hubs every Tuesday afternoon. We have lots of help from volunteers but you will likely need to do some of the delivery runs
Contribute ideas for improving packing systems, efficiency and quality
Growing Support (2 days per week increasing to 4 days per week from Spring 2026)
Assist the Head Grower with weeding, bed prep, sowing, transplanting, tractor & pedestrian tractor cultivation, harvesting and general crop care
Support with the care of tools, machinery, polytunnels, irrigation and general infrastructure
Facilitate volunteers during Tuesday or monthly Saturday morning sessions
Contribute to weekly planning meetings, crop walks and our annual crop plans
Coordination and Communication
Providing a clear handover for other team members when required for holidays
Contributing veg updates for quarterly directors meetings,
Communicate with our Administrator about final box numbers or changes
Participate in weekly team meetings and crop walks to plan the contents of the veg bags and growing tasks with the head grower.
In discussion with the team, other duties could include:
Writing the weekly ‘What’s in the Bag’ email telling the story of the bag contents to all members
Helping with social media and marketing
Managing our Level 3 Sustainable Land Based Systems Apricot Centre trainee
Helping with seasonal events like open days or local fairs
Required Skills and Experience:
Growing skills – 6 months+ working in a commercial market garden/farm environment
Communal attitude and people person
Open communication style – able to provide regular updates, willing to ask questions and work in harmony with the rest of the team
Exceptionally organised and detail-oriented, with a love of systems and getting things right
Ability to multitask, prioritize, and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
Competent ICT skills, especially Google Drive & Sheets
Passion for local food, CSA, regenerative agriculture, volunteering and the local community.
Clean driving licence
Own vehicle (mileage reimbursed) and laptop
Preferable Skills and Experience:
Competence in operating a compact tractor and cultivation implements
Competence in operating a BCS or similar walking tractor
Knowledge of organic growing principles
Experience of working within partnership projects.
Experience packing veg bags
Experience leading and managing people, especially volunteers
How to apply:
Please send a CV and 1-page cover letter outlining your relevant skills and experience to teigngreens@gmail.com by Sunday the 3rd August. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the post may be filled before the deadline. We’re planning on inviting shortlisted candidates to a selection day at the farm on Monday the 11th August so please let us know any availability constraints when applying.