Alae Postharvest Facility Manager

Alae Postharvest Facility Manager – Position Description

Start Date:

Immediately (August 2025)

Position Title:

Alae Postharvest Facility Manager

The Alae Postharvest Facility Manager will be responsible for overseeing and implementing operations at the Alae Postharvest Facility in Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island, where farmers deliver their produce, the co‑op manufactures ʻulu flour products, several other agricultural organizations rent commercial kitchen space, and local customers pick up orders throughout the week. The ideal candidate has excellent interpersonal and communication skills, is diplomatic with a problem‑solving orientation, possesses basic mechanical skills, and is capable of independent critical thinking and organization/execution of multiple tasks in a dynamic environment.

The Alae Postharvest Facility Manager will be expected to build and maintain positive relationships with other co‑op employees, farmers, customers, community members, and the general public.

HUC Operations Director (OD)

Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Co‑op (HUC) is a farmer‑owned business working to revitalize ʻulu or breadfruit as a viable crop and dietary staple by empowering farmers as change‑makers in Hawaiʻi’s food system. Formed in 2016 with 9 small, diversified growers on Hawaiʻi Island, HUC has grown to over 180 member‑farms across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, and is now the foremost breadfruit farmer organization in the islands.

By working together, HUC farmers are able to offer consistent, high‑quality ʻulu products that are nutritious, versatile, local, accessible, and sustainable. The co‑op is committed to the revival of ʻulu to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s food security and to the value of mālama ʻāina – care or protection of the earth – by using environmentally responsible production methods. Our vision is a thriving cooperative that sustains and uplifts producers, consumers, and society as a whole.

• Be the primary contact and on‑the‑ground staffer at the Alae Postharvest Facility where week‑to‑week activities include:
  • intaking farmer harvests
  • recording lots and transfers
  • coordinating logistics
  • scheduling and supervising ʻulu flour production
  • managing inventory including keeping supplies stocked
  • coordinating pickups and deliveries
  • overseeing other facility users
  • fulfilling customer orders including SNAP‑EBT transactions
  • maintaining food safety compliance requirements of a commercial aggregation and kitchen environment
  • following and updating SOPs and policies pertaining to the Alae Postharvest Facility
  • maintaining excellent cross‑facility communication in order to support efficient co‑op operations

• implementing basic facility administrative functions such as issuing monthly SNAP reports
• using basic mechanical skills to troubleshoot equipment and appliance issues, making simple repairs directly, and/or contracting with technicians on more complex facility repairs
• overseeing capital improvements in collaboration with co‑op leadership to scale facility capacity
• helping to conduct R&D on equipment and infrastructure upgrades
• improving production efficiency with improved process flow, staffing, and mechanization
• occasional customer visits in East Hawaiʻi to check on or deliver products and to strengthen customer relationships

Moreover, this position is expected to continuously help the co‑op grow by identifying improvements to current policies and procedures that can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of Alae Postharvest Facility operations.

• Excellent personal and communication skills, both verbally and in writing.
• Stellar organizational capacity with both digital and physical tasks, files and folders.
• Diplomatic and able to work through conflicts.
• Technical capacity with Microsoft Office and Google Drive, as well as basic facility repair and maintenance.
• Basic mechanical skills to troubleshoot and repair common equipment issues, and work with specialized technicians as needed to address more complex ones.
• Ability to use standard power tools to troubleshoot,…