Company description

Edible Schoolyard NYC’s mission is to support edible education for every child in New York City. We partner with New York City public schools to cultivate healthy students and communities through hands-on cooking and gardening education, transforming children’s relationship with food. Inspired by the philosophy and model of Edible Schoolyard Berkeley and its founder, acclaimed restaurateur and food activist Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard NYC was founded in 2010 to serve the specific needs of students in historically underserved public schools.
 

If you are passionate about food and making a difference, this is the place for you. While edible education is our core focus, we connect to the food world in many different ways. We work with top chefs and restaurants on partnerships which support our work, and collaborate with diverse brands to increase awareness of our mission. Many of our staff are passionate foodies and cooks, and we enjoy swapping recipes and food whenever possible. We are guided by six core values: 1. Passion and dedication 2. Community 3. Learning and discovery 4 Wellness 5. Collaboration 6. Equity.

Job description

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Garden Manager is responsible for daily garden operations and maintenance for all Edible Schoolyard NYC sites, including greenhouse and hydroponic culture, medium-scale raised-bed vegetable cultivation, chicken care, and composting. The Garden Manager is the primary supervisor for a team of weekly, seasonal garden volunteers at the two larger ESYNYC demonstration gardens.

This full-time, year-round, non-exempt position reports to the Head Garden Manager and works closely with program staff, administrative staff, volunteers, apprentices, and school communities to ensure that gardens:

• meet garden and kitchen program needs for teaching space, food production, student gardening activities, professional development, and community events;
• are well-maintained, safe, secure, and beautiful, year-round;
• support ESYNYC development and outreach initiatives as much as possible;
• demonstrate best practices for environmentally sound, food-producing urban school gardens.

 

This position is based in New York City. The Garden Manager will work independently much of the time and will divide his/her week between East Harlem (P.S. 7) and South Brooklyn (P.S. 216), with occasional visits to network school sites in the Bronx and Central Brooklyn. Weekend days and evening hours are required several times a year for program needs and special events. From April through November, the Garden Manager will spend most of their time gardening with volunteers outdoors, and planning, preparing, and organizing garden work in the office. During the winter, the Garden Manager will focus on planning, record keeping and reporting, tool and equipment maintenance, and indoor growing (greenhouse, hydroponics, and cold frames).

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Include, but are not limited to:

 

GARDEN (65%)

• Identify and address horticultural needs. Maintain up-to-date garden task lists, checklists and daily volunteer job boards.
• Communicate with garden teachers to define shared garden maintenance tasks and student garden jobs, and ensure they are completed.
• With Program Managers, define volunteer needs calendar, schedule and intake process.
• Provide garden orientation for new volunteers.
• Direct garden work and supervise volunteers.
• Participate in all garden tasks including but not limited to: propagation, soil care, composting, plant care, equipment maintenance and repair, garden carpentry, chicken care, etc.
• Solicit feedback about volunteer program and identify areas for improvement.
• Implement systems and practices to facilitate garden maintenance by volunteers.
• Keep garden records (seeding log, harvest log and tally, volunteer log, inventory).
• Receive and process supply and equipment orders.
• Collect input from teaching staff and create a planting plan for each demonstration site, during the winter months.
• Help plan and prepare garden work days, and lead a project team during each work day.




PROGRAM SUPPORT (25%)

• Communicate with garden teachers about garden jobs to be done during classes and after school.
• Be aware of kitchen and garden schedules and plan volunteer work accordingly.
• Work with Head Garden Manager and garden teachers to identify systems, practices and projects that will enhance teaching in the garden.
• Communicate regularly with kitchen teachers about current and upcoming harvests.
• Work with kitchen and garden teachers to keep shared spaces clean and tidy.
• Participate in professional development workshops throughout the year, as requested by the Director of Programs and Education. Lead hands-on garden activities during professional development garden sessions.
• Attend and/or help out with ESYNYC events as agreed in advance (all staff members take turns to support events).

 

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH (10%)

• Welcome visitors to the program. Participate in ESYNYC events and outreach efforts.
• Participate in ESYNYC staff meetings, staff development days, and program development meetings.
• Attend and help out with ESYNYC development events periodically as required.
• Attend relevant conferences and workshops throughout the year. Present workshops as part of the ESYNYC team, at least twice a year.

 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The Garden Manager will be thoroughly committed to ESYNYC's mission, passionate about growing food, and knowledgeable or willing to learn more about current issues around food, education and the environment in New York City. Candidate must be personable, organized, focused and an excellent communicator.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• NYS driver’s license in good standing.
• Two years solid agricultural experience (preferably at an urban and/or teaching farm). Chicken-keeping experience a plus.
• Capable of working with Gmail, Microsoft Word and Excel, on a Macintosh platform. 

 

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Strong people skills and a positive attitude and outlook.
• Able to communicate ideas and information effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Strong belief in ESYNYC’s mission and social impact.  
• Ability to engage comfortably with a wide range of people.
• Confident training and supervising teams of volunteers.
• Energetic, hard worker, with excellent organizational and management skills.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Ability to work with frequent interruptions and simultaneously supervise a variety of tasks.
• Ability to stand, stoop, reach and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects.
• Ability to read small print.
• Ability to stand for long periods and walk for long distances.
• Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds.
• Ability to work outdoors and tolerate varying weather conditions.

 

 

COMPENSATION
Competitive compensation commensurate with experience; benefits package; generous vacation policy. Professional development opportunities supported when feasible.

Because of the needs of the gardens during growing season (May – September) the bulk of vacation days are usually taken during the colder months, but there is some flexibility. Compensation this position is : salaried Application instructions DeadlineJune 11, 2019