FARMINGTON — A Kingfield woman is the first female to be named to the top Farmington postal position.

“Even as a child, I always wanted to work in the post office. It just looked like a fun job,” new Postmaster Susan Jones said. “And I love Farmington and really wanted this job.”

Jones, who has been Kingfield’s postmaster for 13 years, has been interim postmaster in Farmington for seven months following the retirement of Richard Knight.

In the lobby of the Farmington Post Office, large portrait photos of the town’s prior postmasters grace one wall.

Tom Rizzo, spokesman for the Northern New England District of the U.S. Postal Service, confirmed that Jones is the first woman to hold the post in Farmington.

“It is not that odd considering Farmington is not that large an office,” he said Thursday. “The postal service has many opportunities for advancement and has so many female postmasters that it is not an issue.”

“We also have female vice presidents, district managers, post office operations managers and district managers,” Rizzo said. “The opportunities for women are abundant. The fact Sue is first in Farmington might be new to people in Farmington, but it is an exception.”

Jones was selected from a field of seven candidates for the job, he said.

A Saco native, Jones has been with the U.S. Postal Service for more than 30 years. She began as a mail clerk when she was in the U.S. Navy, went to work for the small Lancaster Post Office in California after her discharge, and returned to Maine to take a job in the Portland Post Office, she said.

Her career covered a variety of jobs, from mail carrier to supervisor and eventually, to postmaster. She said she always took advantage of the postal service’s many training opportunities.

“I knew I wanted to move up,” she said.

Taking the new job is bittersweet, she said. “I love the Kingfield crew and in Farmington, the employees are super — hardworking and so dedicated. I am blessed to have this opportunity.”

A postmaster’s job includes supervising and managing the work force, making sure deliveries are on time, overseeing operations and working with the public, she said.

Jones believes in being visible in the community. She makes a point of visiting businesses to explain the different services and programs available and to find out what their shipping needs are. She is also a troubleshooter, getting patrons’ questions answered and issues resolved.

“If there is a problem, I want to see it through to the end and get an answer,” she said.

She also encourages her staff to further their educations and to seek promotions.

“The postal service has great training opportunities and people can move up,” she said.

She views her crew as a team and rewards them for going that extra mile. She hands out “Whoopie Awards” — whoopie pies, her favorite sweet — during daily employee meetings first thing in the morning.

When an employee is recognized, co-workers, busily sorting mail at their stations, yell, “Whoopie!”

Looking at the fresh bouquets of flowers on the counter, donated regularly by gardener Carolyn Jensen of Strong, Jones said she is reminded of her favorite maxim: “Bloom where you are planted.”

Rizzo said he had spoken to Jones many times and had gotten feedback from co-workers on her performance.

“Sue is a very valuable asset to the Postal Service and a very valuable member of her community,” he said. “We had a recognition program in which employees were nominated based on their community service. Sue won one of the awards.”