What are the responsibilities and job description for the Temporary Sales Assistant (Farmers Market) position at City of Somerville?
Statement of Duties
The City of Somerville seeks a Temporary Sales Assistant for The Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market. The market is led by The Office of Food Access and Healthy Communities (OFAHC) within the City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department. The market supports OFAHC’s mission to improve equitable access to healthy, affordable food. Local farm produce is purchased each week from July through October and then sold at low prices during 2-hour markets held in four neighborhoods of Somerville. The Market accepts many forms of payment, including nutrition benefits, such as SNAP/HIP and Farmers Market Coupons. The temporary sales assistant plays an integral role in preparing and operating the market each week. Necessary team member for the function of the market
Essential Functions
Knowledge: Retail or customer service; understanding of food systems, awareness of and sensitivity to cultural and linguistic diversity; produce knowledge (cooking, farming, health, etc.)
Abilities: Flexibility; working with many types of people; teamwork; comfort driving van preferred
Skills: Accounting; technology and computer literacy to learn and utilize Square, debit/credit/EBT card processing software; bilingual or multilingual skills preferred
Work Environment
Work requires some agility and physical strength, such as standing or walking most of the work period. This work requires lifting heavy objects and carrying them. There may be need to stretch and reach to retrieve materials. Usually, the work will require extended physical effort over a significant portion of the work day. Duties generally do not present occupational risk. Injury could occur, however, through employee failure to properly follow safety precautions or procedures. Examples of injury include bruises from falls, cuts or burns, or muscular strains from lifting, pushing or carrying heavy equipment or work materials. May be exposed to wet/humid conditions, extreme temperatures, oils, moving mechanical parts, and/or potentially hazardous agents/chemicals. May be exposed to elevated noise levels.
Physical And Mental Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.
Physical Skills
Work effort principally involves standing, reaching, bending and walking to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of sitting. May be required to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, and push/pull up to 95 pounds.
Motor Skills
Must be able to frequently talk/listen, grasp, push, reach, stoop/kneel/crouch, and use repetitive
wrist/hand/finger movement. Must be able to regularly move and operate mechanical equipment. Minimal motor skills are also required for activities such as operating a telephone, personal computer and/or office equipment.
Visual Skills
Visual demands include clarity of vision, three-dimensional vision, precise hand-eye coordination, and ability to identify and distinguish colors. Employee will also require visual skills to constantly read documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.
Hours: Thursdays - 11:00am - 7:00pm, Fridays 10:00am - 6:00pm, Saturdays 9:30am-1:30pm
Salary: $21/hour, 20 hours per week
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Date Posted: April 27,2026
The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.
Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:
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The City of Somerville seeks a Temporary Sales Assistant for The Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market. The market is led by The Office of Food Access and Healthy Communities (OFAHC) within the City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department. The market supports OFAHC’s mission to improve equitable access to healthy, affordable food. Local farm produce is purchased each week from July through October and then sold at low prices during 2-hour markets held in four neighborhoods of Somerville. The Market accepts many forms of payment, including nutrition benefits, such as SNAP/HIP and Farmers Market Coupons. The temporary sales assistant plays an integral role in preparing and operating the market each week. Necessary team member for the function of the market
Essential Functions
- Help with the set-up and break down of every market
- Serve as lead cashier
- Assist customers with any Benefits related questions, engaging market manager when needed
- Keep cash, receipts, and sales data organized at the market for easy reconciliation after the market
- Spot-check and reconcile cash after each market site to limit discrepancies
- Guide other volunteers and staff at the check-out counter
- Assign roles for weighing of produce, bagging of produce, and more as necessary
- Keep check-out processes streamlined
- Provide excellent customer service and ensure a positive, dignified shopping experience for customers
- Help the market manager with accounting and sales reconciliation when necessary
- Help the market manager adopt mobile market model to adhere to any weather or safety protocols
- Other related mark
- Ability to drive market van a plus
- Comfortable and confident with leadership and delegation roles
- Cash Management and basic accounting
- Experience with point-of-sale technology
- Experience with database management
- Customer service experience
- Familiarity with and knowledge of Food Assistance Programs (SNAP, HIP, Mass Farmers Market Coupons)
Knowledge: Retail or customer service; understanding of food systems, awareness of and sensitivity to cultural and linguistic diversity; produce knowledge (cooking, farming, health, etc.)
Abilities: Flexibility; working with many types of people; teamwork; comfort driving van preferred
Skills: Accounting; technology and computer literacy to learn and utilize Square, debit/credit/EBT card processing software; bilingual or multilingual skills preferred
Work Environment
Work requires some agility and physical strength, such as standing or walking most of the work period. This work requires lifting heavy objects and carrying them. There may be need to stretch and reach to retrieve materials. Usually, the work will require extended physical effort over a significant portion of the work day. Duties generally do not present occupational risk. Injury could occur, however, through employee failure to properly follow safety precautions or procedures. Examples of injury include bruises from falls, cuts or burns, or muscular strains from lifting, pushing or carrying heavy equipment or work materials. May be exposed to wet/humid conditions, extreme temperatures, oils, moving mechanical parts, and/or potentially hazardous agents/chemicals. May be exposed to elevated noise levels.
Physical And Mental Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.
Physical Skills
Work effort principally involves standing, reaching, bending and walking to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of sitting. May be required to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, and push/pull up to 95 pounds.
Motor Skills
Must be able to frequently talk/listen, grasp, push, reach, stoop/kneel/crouch, and use repetitive
wrist/hand/finger movement. Must be able to regularly move and operate mechanical equipment. Minimal motor skills are also required for activities such as operating a telephone, personal computer and/or office equipment.
Visual Skills
Visual demands include clarity of vision, three-dimensional vision, precise hand-eye coordination, and ability to identify and distinguish colors. Employee will also require visual skills to constantly read documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.
Hours: Thursdays - 11:00am - 7:00pm, Fridays 10:00am - 6:00pm, Saturdays 9:30am-1:30pm
Salary: $21/hour, 20 hours per week
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Date Posted: April 27,2026
The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.
Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:
- MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
- Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees
- 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
- Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
- Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
- Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
- Long term disability through Sun Life
- Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
- Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
- Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
- Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
- Annual cancer screening & wellness release
- Somerville Retirement Pension System
- Tuition reimbursement
- MBTA pass program
- FREE Blue Bikes membership
- Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
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Salary : $21