Maple Production Specialist

Trout Lily is hiring a full time maple production specialist for the 2027 maple production season. This role would begin in mid November and end in mid April, but there is the opportunity for year round, full time work for the right candidate. The candidate must have 2 years of maple sugaring experience and be well versed in tapping maple trees and running reverse osmosis systems. They also must meet experience requirements as listed below in the "Experience/Skills" section.

Pay is between $27 and $31.50/hour based on experience.

Overview

Trout Lily is a team of hardworking and attentive tradespeople dedicated to quality in each of our enterprises. We work seasonally and in the summer and fall we run a reputable painting business. In the winter and spring we tap our trees (40,000) and help other producers with their tapping needs. We maintain and install maple tubing systems, run reverse osmosis units, and make organic maple syrup at our sugarhouse in Westford. Our maple sugar bushes are located in Westford, Underhill, Jericho and Bolton and we offer contract tapping within an hour's drive of these towns.

We are innovative and passionate about our work while maintaining positive communication and a healthy work culture. We are hiring an experienced maple specialist for the coming maple season with the opportunity for a full time position to follow. We are hiring for a November 15 start date and this position would end April 15 if a full time position was not desired.

Responsibilities

Work as part of a 3 or 4 person tapping crew using best practices to tap trees and repair tubing as needed
Leak check maple tubing systems during sap runs to achieve high vacuum
Operate ATVs to access work areas
When consistent sap flows begin, you will be responsible for concentrating sap with our High Brix reverse osmosis system at our 13,000 tap woods in Jericho (monitor tank levels, concentrate sap, clean and maintain RO, clean sap tanks, leak check as time allows)

Experience/Skills

REQUIRED - 2 years or more of maple sugaring experience

Candidate MUST also have a minimum of 2 of the following

-Robust experience tapping trees and maintaining maple tubing systems
-Experience running reverse osmosis systems
-Skill in troubleshooting/repairing pumps and plumbing systems found in modern maple systems

Additionally, the following are skills that would be super useful to our business if year round work was desired

-Exterior/Interior painting
-Carpentry
-Basic mechanic skills (vehicle/ATV/small engine repair/maintenance)
-Crew leadership experience
-Basic Spanish skills
-Customer facing experience

Schedule

During tapping we generally work weekdays only and 30 hours per week minimum is expected, though 40 hours or more working Monday through Friday is available.
We recognize maple sugaring is hard work with unpredictable schedules and long hours during the heart of the season, so when tapping, we try to offer our employees opportunities for downtime and flexibility if they desire a lighter workload
When the sap is flowing, the role requires that you can work long shifts 7 days per week, with breaks during cold snaps or lower flow sap days

Additional Information

In addition to hourly pay based on experience, we also offer a production bonus at the end of the season
Brand new housing in a single unit dwelling is available in Westford, VT for the duration of employment

If interested, please respond with a short description of who you are and detail your experience in maple sugaring. Please attach a resume in your response. Please do not respond unless you are qualified for this role. Thank you!

Will Dunkley