Urban Garden Coordinator

We're Hiring!

Urban Garden Coordinator

About Haley House: Haley House uses food and the power of community to break down barriers, open opportunities, and strengthen neighborhoods. Founded in 1966, Haley House has grown to include four interconnected branches: direct services (soup kitchen, food pantry, meal for elders), permanent affordable housing, urban agriculture, and social enterprise (Haley House Bakery Cafe). Our direct services and housing are located in the South End, and our social enterprise is located in Roxbury; our urban agriculture is in both neighborhoods.

This is a part-time position (20-30 hours week) that offers a competitive hourly rate of between $22 and $25 per hour based on the successful candidate’s background and experience

Role:

Manage school gardens & garden education at Melvin H. King Academy’s three campuses and work with low-income gardeners in Roxbury; provide hands-on garden services, education and resources to the community at the Mel King Academy; empower low-income gardeners with resources, expertise and support for their personal garden plots; create bridges for Mel King students & Roxbury gardeners to access other Haley House programs, including Take Back the Kitchen & Thornton Street Farm.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing school gardens at Mel King Academy, including designing culturally relevant crop plans & creative garden design; seed starting and transplanting; all relevant crop care & garden management and general aesthetic upkeep; and distributing crops to student & neighborhood communities to minimize waste
• Coordinating with teachers and program directors to provide culturally-relevant and engaging learning experiences for special needs youth at Mel King Academy at their on-site school gardens and in other Haley House programs, including experiences at Thornton Street Farm & Take Back the Kitchen cooking classes
• Maintaining records of programming & budgets for organizational grant-related purposes; communication with BPS, Mel King Academy leadership, and Grow Boston as necessary
• Working with other Haley House staff including the Volunteer & Soup Kitchen Manager to support garden programs as necessary
• Providing culturally & community relevant educational programming on gardening topics for new & experienced gardeners in the Roxbury neighborhood; providing resources & materials for low-income gardeners & public facilities as needed, including garden tools, seeds, plants, soil tests and more
• Acting as a liaison and point of contact for Roxbury urban gardeners; sharing & facilitating opportunities to connect with other Haley House programs as necessary & where beneficial, including Take Back the Kitchen, LiFT and Thornton Street Farm.
• Stock & supply the food pantry at Mel King Academy – working with organizational resources, the soup kitchen pantry and Soup Kitchen Manager to acquire food donation items and distributing them directly to the family liaison at the school
• Work closely with neighborhood based organizations and committees as needed

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of sustainable production farming experience
• 2+ years of teaching and educational experience in an ecological or farm setting
• Demonstrated community engagement/organizing experience
• Strong understanding of agricultural practices, crop planning, crop rotation, soil management, soil science and general ecological principles
• Ability to organize and run youth programming, particularly with special needs youth
• Expertise in balancing physical labor, administrative duties and planning/guiding farm expansion
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organizational and computer skills
• Experience at an organization that works youth development, community engagement and/or urban agriculture preferred
• Ability to work some late afternoons, early evenings, and weekends
• Committed to Haley House’s mission and challenging the existing systems of privilege and injustice.
• Ability to lift at least 50 pounds
• Ability to stand and/or kneel for extended periods of time

Hiring Practices:

We encourage you to apply if you are committed to strengthening the mission of Haley House. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our hiring practices..

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to Operations Director, Alex Bezek at abezek@haleyhouse.org.

Note: Because the successful candidate will be working directly and without supervision with students any job offer will be contingent upon submitting to and completing a successful CORI background search.

Haley House is committed to cultivating a diverse and welcoming community where everyone feels respected and valued. Haley House fosters a culture of inclusion that celebrates and promotes diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, partnered status, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.