Company description

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.

Job description

PRIMARY LOCATION:

Edible Schoolyard NYC’s site in East Harlem is at P.S./M.S. 007, the Samuel Stern Campus. It includes a large greenhouse, a native/pollinator shade garden, a rooftop garden, vegetable beds, and a shade structure that houses our tropical plant collection during the warm months.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Seasonal Gardener is an essential part of the summer garden team at Edible Schoolyard NYC. Their responsibilities include working independently on tasks developed in collaboration with the Director of Horticulture and Operations to ensure that the garden is productive, tidy and supports organizational needs. Effective communication is a critical component of this role as the Seasonal Gardener will communicate regularly across the School Programs team to coordinate garden tasks, harvests, and use of shared spaces. The Seasonal Gardener should have strong organizational skills and a task-oriented mindset.

• All aspects of vegetable gardening, including seed-starting, planting, watering, harvesting, weeding, trellising, and pest management.
• Maintain paths and meeting areas, keep storage areas in good condition, and report any supplies and repairs needed to the Director of Horticulture and Operations.
• Perform summer cleaning on the toolshed, greenhouse, and other shared areas.
• Perform light garden carpentry and tool and equipment maintenance and repairs.
• Prepare the garden for community events and activities as needed.

• The Seasonal Gardener is expected to be on time, task-oriented, and able to work independently.

Qualifications:

• At least one year of gardening and/or landscaping experience is required. A personal interest in urban farming and a willingness to learn is a plus.
• We strongly prefer candidates who live within comfortable commuting distance of East Harlem, Manhattan.
• The Seasonal Gardener must be fingerprinted and pass a background check with the Department of Education.
• Comfortable working around children in garden spaces.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• Vaccination for COVID-19 required

• 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 work outdoors under all weather conditions.
• Ability to travel between sites.

Edible Schoolyard NYC is committed to a diverse workplace. People of color, racial and ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Edible Schoolyard is an equal opportunity employer committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, gender, and/or gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, unemployment status, or any other legally protected basis. Edible Schoolyard NYC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees as required by law. Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation at any point in the employment process.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline