ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Edible Schoolyard NYC (ESYNYC) believes that all New York City students deserve access to an edible education — hands-on gardening and cooking classes as well as family and community engagement activities - that connect students to food, their communities and inspire them to create change in the world around them. We do this by partnering with NYC public schools to lead classes with their students and school community; supporting educators to implement food education in their classrooms; and advocating for long-term, sustainable changes for a better future for New York City. In the 2021-22 school year, we served 3,500 NYC public school students at our direct service sites in Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx and over 200 educators through professional development, who in turn reached thousands more students.

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. As an organization, we are guided by core values of Community, Equity, Stewardship, and Adaptability.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Program Manager (PM) is Edible Schoolyard NYC’s primary point person, overseeing programming at two to three school sites across New York City & Brooklyn. We are currently looking to fill two Program Manager positions. We are looking for candidates with great interpersonal skills who have interest and/or experience in a supervisory capacity in community organizing, food systems, education, and/or social justice. The position reports to Edible Schoolyard NYC’s Director of School Programs. This is a unionized position with CWA 1180. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

PROGRAM SUPPORT 

• Manage all aspects of kitchen and garden program operations at their schools including supporting class scheduling, maintaining the program calendar, budget, supply ordering, and overseeing maintenance of ESYNYC facilities and equipment. 

• Provide guidance to the onsite ESYNYC teaching staff, Department of Education teachers and administration to develop a shared vision of kitchen and garden programming at the school. 

• • Supervise ESYNYC teaching staff and/or FoodCorps service members jointly with the Director of School Programs and Director of Education and Quality. 

  • Mentor FoodCorps service members and/or ESYNYC teachers, teaching or co-teaching when needed.

• Work with the Director of Education and Quality to provide logistical support and coordination for professional development programs hosted by ESYNYC and to teach occasional professional development workshops. 

• Participate in all FoodCorps site supervisor responsibilities including the management of service member hours, attendance at site supervisor meetings and trainings, and FoodCorps performance management requirements. 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH 

• Establish and maintain effective communication & relationships with ESYNYC staff and volunteers, parents, teachers, administrative staff and the extended community.

• • Work with the Director of School Programs to manage, develop and oversee logistics for a robust community outreach and extracurricular programs. 

  • Stay informed of school events and activities. Be an active presence in the school community. 

• Participate in ESYNYC development events, community outreach efforts, and conferences,including occasional evenings and weekends. 

• Support and develop relationships with other community based organizations (CBOs) in the neighborhood. 

OPERATIONS, FACILITIES AND GARDEN MANAGEMENT 

• Work with ESYNYC’s Garden Management team to support service members, teachers, students, and the greater school community in the planning, construction, planting, cultivation, fertility and overall maintenance of the garden.

• • Work with the Head Garden Manager to oversee the maintenance of facilities and equipment.

• Coordinate office services, supplies, repairs and requests as needed. 

ORGANIZATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

• Along with all ESYNYC staff, participate in organization-wide activities 

• Track and communicate all in-kind donations to ESYNYC’s Midtown office. 

• Manage corporate workdays in coordination with the school, the development team, the Garden Manager, and the service member and/or program staff. 

• Support the development team on grant proposals, occasionally taking the lead on drafting, submitting, and reporting on grants. 

• Coordinate and welcome visitors to the schools

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM 

• Develop and implement site-based volunteer programs ensuring an engaging and rewarding experience for volunteers.

• Conduct outreach and recruitment for volunteers

• Develop and implement policies and procedures and documentation for volunteers 

Please follow this link for a complete list of responsibilities

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Experience building collaborative partnerships with diverse groups and in a variety of settings. 

• 2-5 years experience in teaching, community outreach and/or program management. 

• Strong people skills including a creative, collegial, and collaborative work style and the ability to work individually and as part of a team with diverse groups of people. 

• Organized, upbeat, and flexible self-starter. 

• Strong belief in ESYNYC mission and social impact. 

• Excellent organizational and management and time management skills. 

• Ability to think critically and to effectively deal with unique problems as they arise. 

• Communicate ideas and information effectively, both orally and in writing. 

• At least one year of supervisory experience is preferred. 

• Gardening experience preferred. 

• Culinary experience preferred, including teaching cooking classes. 

• Basic Spanish conversation skills preferred. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS: 

• Vaccination for COVID-19 required 

• Ability to work with frequent interruption and simultaneously supervise a variety of tasks. 

• Some evening and weekend work is required. 

• Ability to stand, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects. 

• Ability to stand for long periods. 

• Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds. 

• Willingness to smell, taste and eat with students in a kitchen classroom setting or family engagement event (if conditions allow). 

• Willingness to work outdoors under all weather conditions. 

• Ability to travel between sites. 

Compensation: The salary range for this role is $60,000-$63,000 annual with generous benefits. This is a full-time, exempt position.