Farmers Market Support

City of Evanston; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 19,320 - 27,517; Full time

Job summary

The City of Evanston is seeking a seasonal Market Support staffer for the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, on Saturdays from May through November 2026. The position provides administrative support for the Link Match Program under the Farmers Market Manager and assists with compliance and reporting.

Responsibilities include market setup/breakdown, customer assistance with SNAP/EBT and Link Match, processing transactions, enforcing market policies, and supporting events.

Qualifications

• At least one year of work experience in retail, a farmers market, or event coordination.
• High school diploma, GED, or higher.
• Able to work on Saturdays during the market season.
• Able to greet and interact with the public professionally.

Responsibilities

• Assist with market setup and breakdown and manage materials.
• Explain SNAP/EBT and Link Match to customers.
• Process purchases using EBT/Link transactions and track usage data.
• Enforce market policies for the Link Match program.
• Support other market activities and special events.
• Communicate with attendees in the manager's absence.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Scheduled Hours: Saturdays 4:30am 2:00pm, additional hours and shifts maybe required.

Pay Range: $17 per hour

Nature Of Work
This seasonal position will be on-site at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market on Saturdays from May November 2026. Under the direction of the Farmers Market Manager this position provides administrative support for the Link Match Program. The Farmers Market Support contributes to the administration, compliance and reporting obligations for the Link Match Program. Additionally, occasional support with other market needs may be required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assists with market set up and breaks down. Maintains the market items and communicates any needs in regard to those materials.
• Communicates with customers about the Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, and EBT/Link Match Program.
• Processes customer purchases using EBT/Link transactions, and tracks customer usage data.
• Adheres to and communicates to market attendees about the market policies and procedures for the Link Match Program.
• Supports the implementation of other market activities, including special events.
• Communicates to market attendees in the absence of the manager.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements Of Work

• Must possess at least one (1) year of work experience with retail, a farmers market, special event coordination or similar field
• Must possess a high school diploma, GED, or higher
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form; to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in or from standardized situations.
• Must be willing and able to work on Saturdays during the market season.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, co-workers, and the public.
• Ability to greet and communicate with the public in a courteous and professional manner.

Physical Requirements Of Work

Work is performed both inside and outside with possible exposure to extreme temperatures. Work may require frequent walking.

Ability to work in confined spaces and to work safely around operating equipment.

Ability to exert up to 75 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 50 pounds frequently, and up to 20 pounds of force constantly in order to move objects

Ability to work outdoors, occasionally, in a variety of weather conditions such as extreme cold, high winds, rain, snow, sleet, high temperatures and humidity.

Ability to perform heavy manual labor including, but not limited to, lifting heavy objects, climbing, sitting or standing for long periods of time; bend, crawl, identify or distinguish colors, recognize depth of objects, focus on small or distant objects, talk and hear.

Supervision

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Work is performed under the general direction/supervision of the Farmers Market Manager or designee. The employee receives projects and assignments which will vary from season to season and day to day. Assignments can be either verbal, written or through email, phone call or text message with the employee determining proper procedure and work methods and is responsible for completing the work according to City work rules and safety regulations. Work is reviewed through ongoing observation, written and verbal communication, meetings, and feedback from supervisors and other department employees. Guidance is provided through rules and regulations, policies and procedures, Unified Work Rules, Union Contract, Personnel Rules and OSHA. Work is evaluated at least annually for the safe and skilled operation of equipment, quality of tasks, adherence to work rules, and performance in accordance with classification standards.

SELECTION METHOD

TYPE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST

LIFE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST

Structured Oral Interview

The City of Evanston is an equal opportunity employer and ensures against discrimination in employment on the basis of a person's race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, housing status, or gender identity. The City of Evanston is also committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Any person needing mobility or communications access assistance should contact the Facilities Management Office at 847-866-2916 (voice) or 847-448-8052 (TTY).