Good Food Project Community Gardens Manager

Objective of Job:  Maintain, manage and implement the expansion of our comprehensive community garden network that feeds, educates and connects Food Bank clients and the broader CENLA community, empowering people to achieve better health through sustainable organic gardening and access to nutritious food.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Develops and maintains garden areas to teach gardening techniques to the public, grow produce for the agencies we serve and maintain the gardens.
2. Plans gardening schedule for seasonal harvests      
3. Maintains hoop house, irrigation systems, and other structures associated with gardening.      
4. Ensure that the following basic needs of the demonstration garden including but not limited to: planting, watering, weeding, pest control, harvesting produce and moving produce to the dock area, are being met in a timely manner.      
5. Maintains support systems such as composting structures and other gardening related systems.      
6. Maintains tools and purchases new tools when they require replacement or new tools are needed – to include power equipment.   
7. Assists with recycling of Food Bank waste by composting usable waste.    
8. Maintains worm herd to compost waste into soil amendments.    
9. Attends local, state and national conferences and workshops, as needed.    
10. Researches new and better gardening techniques that will benefit the program.    
11. Supervises volunteers, Master Gardeners, Ameri-Corps workers and inmate labor assigned to the garden area.    
12. Maintains files and develops budgets for the programs gardening activities.    
13. Maintains chicken flock and bee hives (for pollination) for the educational program.    
14. Develops curriculum for classes that will be offered at and away from the Food Bank.     
15. Instructs students through lectures, demonstrations and hands on workshops.  
16. Assists new gardens on their ground breaking to provide guidance and direction.  
17. Visits gardens to check progress and to learn of needs.          
18. Serves as an advocate for the Good Food Project.      
19. All other duties as required. 

Educational Requirements:  BA/BS preferred or equivalent experience in horticulture
Minimum Requirements/Experience:

• Demonstrated personal leadership ability.
• Strong analysis, planning, team building and communication skills.
• Excellent consultant/vendor management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Committed to organizational mission to alleviate hunger in Central Louisiana
• Must consistently deliver legendary customer service to all.

This is a full-time position.  Salary + Benefits package.