Butcher Shop Associate

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

Don't check all the boxes? Don't worry! We know that there is no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. Walden Local is committed to building a team that brings passion for our mission and a diverse set of experiences and opinions. Feel welcomed to bring your whole and authentic self and please apply if this is a role you feel passionately about! We read cover letters and encourage you to share your unique experience and interest in this role and our mission.

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'll 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!