Garden Manager (Full-Time)

(Paid Opportunities) Return to Paid Opportunities

 Compensation: $45,000-$50,000 per year

Edible Schoolyard NYC (ESYNYC) supports 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. ESYNYC manages seven school gardens across three boroughs.

The Garden Manager is responsible for daily garden operations and maintenance of the Edible Schoolyard NYC gardens, which include greenhouse and hydroponic culture, medium-scale raised-bed vegetable cultivation, chicken care, fruit trees, and composting, over seven sites. The Garden Manager is the primary supervisor for a team of weekly, seasonal garden volunteers. This full-time, year-round, non-exempt position reports to the Head Garden Manager and works closely with program staff, administrative staff, volunteers, and school communities to ensure that gardens: 

  • meet 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; 
  • 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 their week between uptown and Brooklyn school sites. 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, supporting our teaching staff at all sites, and completing office work to plan, prepare, organize, and document garden work. Approximately 60% of the time will be spent at two ESYNYC sites in South Brooklyn and East Harlem, the remaining 40% will be at smaller gardens in the Bronx and Central Brooklyn. During the winter, the Garden Manager will focus on crop planning, record keeping, and reporting, purchases, tool, and equipment maintenance, and indoor growing (greenhouse, hydroponics, high tunnel, and cold frames). 

We work hard at working together. The Garden Manager will be asked to keep their mind, ears and heart open in order to collaborate closely with Edible Schoolyard NYC staff, school personnel, and community members. The ideal candidate is an experienced gardener and food grower; adaptable; able to engage comfortably with a wide range of people; punctual, organized, and tidy; and happy to work both independently, and as part of a team.

Responsibilities/Duties

Include, but are not limited to: 

GARDEN (65%) 

  • Identify and address horticultural needs, including soil fertility, irrigation, and pest management. 
  • Carry out garden tasks including but not limited to: propagation, soil care, composting, plant care, pruning, equipment maintenance and repair, garden carpentry, chicken care, etc.
  • Maintain up-to-date garden task lists, checklists, and daily volunteer job boards, in close communication with site staff.
  • With Program Managers, define volunteer needs, calendar, and schedule.
  • Train and supervise volunteers during regular scheduled volunteer days. Check in with volunteers and identify areas for program improvement. 
  • Keep garden records (seeding log, planting map, harvest log and tally, volunteer log, equipment inventory). 
  • Collaborate with teaching staff to create spring and fall planting plans for each site and compose plant and seed orders.
  • Help plan and prepare garden work days for outside groups, and lead a project team during each work day.
  • One to two days per week during the growing season, visit smaller garden sites and provide gardening support to ESYNYC teachers. 

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 teachers about current and upcoming harvests. 
  • Work with teachers to keep shared spaces clean and tidy. 
  • Participate in professional development workshops throughout the year, as requested by the Director of Education & Quality. Lead hands-on garden activities during garden sessions. 
  • Attend and/or help out with community events as agreed in advance.

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH (10%) 

  • Welcome visitors to the program. Participate in ESYNYC events and outreach efforts. 
  • Document garden projects and highlights, and share with External Affairs team.
  • Participate in ESYNYC staff meetings, staff development days, and program development meetings.
  • Enter harvest and volunteer data on a regular basis.
  • Attend and help out with ESYNYC development events periodically as required.


 

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Minimum 2 years of hands-on agricultural experience (preferably at an urban and/or teaching farm): knowledge of general plant health, crop planning, IPM, soil fertility, irrigation systems, basic carpentry, and hand tools. Chicken keeping experience a plus. 
  • Minimum one year of experience directly supervising volunteers.
  • Driver’s license in good standing.
  • Capable of working with Gmail, Google Drive, Microsoft Word and Excel, on a Macintosh platform. 
  • Must be fingerprinted and pass a background check with the Department of Education. 

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.


 

Additional Information

To Apply: To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@esynyc.org with your name and Garden Manager in the subject line. We will not consider incomplete applications.

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.


 

Contact Information

Edible Schoolyard NYC
Contact Name: Mirem Villamil, Head Garden Manager
Email: jobs@esynyc.org
Phone: 347 565-0100