Butcher Shop Associate

Walden Local Meat Co.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Health coverage

Dental & Vision

Paid time off & holidays

Employee discounts

Free meat benefits

Job summary

Walden Local Meat Co. in Boston seeks a skilled Butcher Shop Associate to join our traditional, hands-on shop in the South End. You’ll work directly with whole animals, performing custom cuts and engaging customers.

This full-time role features a 12pm–8pm schedule Wednesday through Sunday, lifting up to 250 lbs, and a pay rate of $19 per hour. Benefits include health coverage, retirement plan, paid leave, and employee discounts.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of customer-centric work experience for a premium brand.
• Ability to lift and move heavy loads (up to 250 lbs) repeatedly.
• Interest in learning or expanding butchery skills with knives and saws.
• Excellent verbal communication and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Traditional whole animal butchery with professional tools and custom cuts.
• Handle heavy lifting of beef quarters and product receiving.
• Educate customers on meat industry, our mission and cuts.
• Maintain shop safety, cleanliness and prep for opening/closing.
• Promote home delivery meat share and manage inventory planning.

Skills

Physical strength

Customer service

Technical interest

Communication

Mission-driven

Job description

Title: Butcher Shop Associate

Employment Type: Full Time (40-45 hours per week)

Schedule: Wednesday-Sunday, 12pm-8pm

Pay Rate: $19 per hour

About Walden Local

Join our 2021 "Best of Boston" award-winning team at Walden! We are seeking a skilled Butcher for our South End location who thrives in a traditional, "old-school" environment. Forget the industrial assembly line-here, you'll work directly with the product from the moment it arrives. This is a hands‑on opportunity for a dedicated professional ready to take on the physical and technical challenges of authentic, whole‑animal butchery.

What You'll Do

• Traditional Whole Animal Butchery: Utilize professional tools, including knives and bone saws, to perform whole animal butchery and provide custom cuts for our customers.
• The "Old School" Heavy Lift: Because we operate a traditional shop without a rail system or loading dock, you will manage the physical receiving of our product. This involves lifting beef quarters (up to 250 lbs) from delivery trucks onto wheeled carts, and again onto butcher blocks or hanging hooks. While this heavy lifting is usually concentrated on one day a week, it is an essential part of our workflow.
• Customer Engagement: Provide excellent service by educating customers on the meat industry, our mission, and specific cuts.
• Shop Operations: Safely handle products, maintain shop cleanliness/safety, and prepare the store for opening and closing.
• Growth: Promote the Walden home delivery meat share program and manage inventory planning.

What You'll Bring

• Physical Strength: Ability to lift and move up to 250 lbs (beef quarters) and the stamina to move up to 50 pounds repeatedly throughout a standard shift.
• 2+ years of customer-centric work experience for a premium brand.
• Technical Interest: A strong appetite to learn or expand your skills with butchery tools (knives, saws) and whole‑animal breakdown.
• Communication: Excellent verbal communication skills and a team-oriented attitude.
• Mission-Driven: A passion for sustainable agriculture and a "hands‑on" willingness to jump in where needed.

Bonus points if you have...

• Professional kitchen experience
• Food industry experience
• Butchery or meat cutting experience

What We Offer:

• Financial: 401k (starting at 90 days)
• Health & Wellness: Medical, Dental & Vision
• Time Off: Paid Sick Days, Paid Time Off, 9 Paid Holidays, Paid Parental Leave, Volunteer Time Off
• The Fun Stuff (starts from your first day): up to 5 lbs of free meat weekly, 25% off up to 2 Walden monthly meat subscription memberships, 25% discount at our South End Boston butcher shop

When You Join Walden...

You will be contributing to a mission-driven company committed to reinvigorating agricultural economies, in support of healthier communities, animals and soil. Walden is the leading brand of sustainable, locally‑raised meat, connecting families with farmers by distributing directly to thousands of households across the Northeast. We believe in simplicity, doing ridiculous things for our members, and that the little things matter. We're building a diverse team that shares these passions. If you're inspired by ambitious missions and working hard to solve complicated problems, we'd love to meet you!