Foodwise is a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing thriving communities through the power and joy of local food. Our vision is to inspire a world that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth.

Job Description

Foodwise is seeking an experienced, passionate Youth Education Manager to oversee and implement our youth programming for both Foodwise Kids and Foodwise Teens. You will be joining an Education team of two others: the Director of Education and the Education Coordinator.

• Foodwise Teens is a paid youth development program where teens become change agents for a sustainable, equitable, and nourishing food future. Through hands-on experiences in the garden, in the kitchen, and at the farmers market, students learn about food justice, develop important life and job skills, and build community together.
• Foodwise Kids is a free program for elementary school classes (grades 1 through 5) that uses the farmers market as a classroom for empowering the next generation of healthy eaters. Through comparative tastings, exploring the market, and a hands-on cooking lesson, we nurture children’s love for fruits and vegetables, teach them to prepare healthy, seasonal foods, and raise their awareness of their role in a sustainable food system.

You will be primarily responsible for managing elementary schools field trips on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with Foodwise Kids, along with an after-school program teaching Foodwise Teens at two different high school sites, during the school year and summer. This position will also review other existing education programs to improve and enhance their impact. Foodwise’s Education programs include Foodwise Teens, Foodwise Kids & Families, and Foodwise Demos, Foodwise Talks, as well as other educational initiatives as specified.

Foodwise is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our programs and across all aspects of our organization. Foodwise youth education programs prioritize schools with a high percentage of students who qualify for free/reduced priced meals (FRPM) and Title 1 schools and high percentage of BIPOC students, integrating a student-centered, anti-racist, and culturally relevant curriculum and approaches to teaching.
 

Job Parameters

• Position type: This is a full-time, salaried position based on 40 hours/week.
• Schedule: The work schedule is Tuesday through Saturday when FWT is running, approx. 20 weeks of the year; for the rest of the year, the schedule is Monday through Friday, generally 8 hours/day, with evenings as needed. Evening obligations are generally no more than twice a month. Some flexibility in the weekend schedule is possible. This position requires in-person work when running programming at the farmers market, in schools, and school gardens, with remote work approved depending on youth programming schedules.
• Salary: $73,000 - $79,000 depending on experience.
• Benefits: Workers’ compensation coverage, earned sick leave (1 hour earned for every 30- hours worked), paid vacation accrued at 15 days annually to start (increases by 1 day each year to cap at 20 days annually), and 13 paid holidays provided. Medical, vision, and dental care benefits are through Kaiser plan with $15 copay (employer pays 80% and employees pay 20% of monthly cost). Additional benefits include 401(k) plan with company match up to $1430 annually, pre-tax commuter benefit, $60 monthly wellness reimbursement stipend, and professional development allowance.
• Additional requirements: This position works directly with youth and will require a DOJ background check and TB testing, along with COVID-19 vaccination and booster.
• Reports to: Director of Education

Primary Responsibilities

1. Manage and teach Foodwise Teens, a year-long youth development and job training program (45%). The Foodwise Teens (FWT) program runs every semester for 10 weeks on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at two different high schools, one school each day. It also runs for 6 weeks during the summer. The Education Manager will be responsible for implementing the FWT program, with the support of the Education Coordinator and interns, twice a week at the school sites and every Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market while the program runs.

Example responsibilities:

• Manage and support the Education Coordinator and interns.
• Facilitate, implement, and revise curriculum for Foodwise Teens programming focused on gardening, cooking, and job readiness from a food justice lens.
• Plan and manage the program timeline.
• Recruit, interview, and teach 30-35 students each semester for a 10-week after-school program (roughly 15-17 in each school cohort).
• Recruit, interview, and facilitate 20 students for an 8-week Summer Fellowship Program and Summer Program participation.
• Implement Saturday farmers market activities with teens, including cooking lessons and public education table.
• Display ethical and professional behavior with students, families, and school personnel as a primary liaison with school and community partners.
• Recruit, train, and supervise adult interns to support the program.
• Manage program budgets and track expenses.
• Oversee program tracking and evaluation systems such as student surveys to measure program’s impact, collect data, and share stories with funders and stakeholders.
• Work with school garden site coordinators to support maintenance of garden space.
• Support corporate group volunteer days at school site garden (about 3 annually).

1. Manage and implement all aspects of Foodwise Kids programming (45%). The Foodwise Kids (FWK) program runs throughout the school year (about 15 weeks in the fall and 18 weeks in the spring) and summer (9 weeks), every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. The Education Manager will be responsible for implementing the FWK program, with the support of the Education Coordinator, interns, and volunteers, twice a week during the week.

Example responsibilities:

• Coordinate with teachers and administrators to schedule field trips at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market during the school year and community organizations in the summer.
• Manage and support the Education Coordinator and interns.
• Oversee program tracking and evaluation systems such as student surveys to measure program’s impact, collect data, and share stories with funders and stakeholders.
• Manage program budgets and track expenses.
• Update curriculum to deepen education about farmers market and farmers, sustainable food systems, nutrition, and cooking.
• Display ethical and professional behavior with students, families, and school personnel as a primary liaison with school and community partners.
• Recruit, train, and supervise interns and volunteers.
• Supervise Foodwise Teens to support Summer Foodwise Kids field trips.

Other Responsibilities (10%): The manager will work with Foodwise team to support additional educational and general organizational activities, as needed. Examples include:

• Support the Education Foodwise team with larger events/projects such as: Foodwise Demos, Foodwise Talks, and corporate garden greening days at FWT schools.
• Support Foodwise fundraising events such as Summer Bash and Sunday Supper with educational activities.
• Participate in team racial equity work and initiatives to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) framework and work plan, and actively work to advance DEIJ in education programs.
• Consult and coordinate with the Communications team on educational materials, and program storytelling and messaging.
• Support Market Match and food access education in the farmers market.
• Design and pilot additional programming as needed.
• Work with staff to maintain the kitchen, supplies, and pantry.

• Demonstrated expertise teaching youth (elementary and teens) and understanding youth development and socio-emotional learning, and at least 2 years of experience working and teaching youth in kitchen and garden settings
• Ability to establish and maintain great working relationships with a variety of constituents such as students, teachers, school district administrators, fellow educators in the nonprofit space, funders, colleagues, farmers market sellers, volunteers, donors, and event attendees
• Foundational understanding of sustainable food systems, especially food access and food equity issues, with a clear sense of the Bay Area food landscape in particular
• Multi-cultural and/or multi-lingual competency and familiarity working with children from diverse backgrounds, particularly in San Francisco
• Familiarity with equity frameworks and their implementation within nonprofit settings
• Successful track record working with and managing teams and supervising others, including staff, interns, and volunteers
• Proficiency in collaborative decision making
• Excellent public speaking skills
• Enthusiastic personality and a positive, can-do attitude
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail for a variety of correspondence such as professional emails, grant applications and reporting, policies/procedures, informational documents, and contracts
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and emotional intelligence
• Demonstrated experience managing project and program budgets
• Computer and software proficiency: Google and Microsoft Suite
• Reliable, punctual, adaptable, and able to work independently with input from supervisors

• Language proficiency in Spanish or Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) is highly preferred
• Expertise in curriculum development and program evaluation
• Familiarity with grant management, writing, and/or reporting
• Familiarity with design programs such as Adobe Creative Suite
• Significant knowledge of youth education strategies, including youth development, socio-emotional learning, and some familiarity with trauma-informed pedagogy