Specialist, Food Growing

About the Organization

It is an exciting time at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) as we continue to undertake our mission. We know that creating long-term solutions to food security requires more than meals. It requires education, training, and collaboration. We are seeking people with strong ideas and a passion to come together to address the complex interrelated issues of food security, poverty, and equity. We are expanding in multiple ways: providing food for today and addressing the root causes of hunger by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, health care and education. Food has the power to transform lives and move everyone forward. Find out how on our website at capitalareafoodbank.org. Let us discuss how food is at the center of everyone's healthy life!

Description

The Food Growing Specialist maintains, executes, and develops educational programming for the CAFB’s food growing spaces, including its Urban Demonstration Garden. The Urban Demonstration Garden is an on-site, half-acre, hands-on educational space that helps build knowledge around wellness, nutrition, and food growing for the food bank’s partners, clients, and the general public. The garden spaces (indoor and outdoor) and Urban Food Studio are used in tandem to show how to grow food in an urban setting, highlighting low-cost gardening techniques.

The Food Growing Specialist is responsible for managing all food-growing activities, including the gardening education curriculum, garden maintenance and planning, the garden volunteer program, and any associated grants. The Specialist serves as the primary organizational representative for food growing internally and externally but has opportunities to contribute more broadly to the food bank as a member of the Nutrition Education Department.

Essential Functions

• Manage and execute all garden maintenance operations of CAFB’s garden spaces (60%):
• Grow, harvest, distribute fresh produce from the garden through food growing, nutrition education, and CAFB programming
• Responsible for all day-to-day and seasonal garden and outdoor kitchen operations, planning and schedules- mulching, soil amendments, seed starting, planting crop rotation, weeding, etc.
• Responsible for all garden expenses and budget tracking, including funding for partner support and utilizing grants
• Manage food growing and nutrition education interns for garden assistance and program support
• Implement food waste diversion practices and sustainable gardening, practicing waste reduction through composting and educational programming
• Direct individual volunteers and volunteer groups efficiently for operational support; lead multiple shifts of volunteers weekly during growing season (April-Nov)
• Identify and organize day-to-day and seasonal and long-term volunteer opportunities
• Coordination across CAFB to host staff, volunteers, students, donors, partners, and other groups of interest in garden and outdoor kitchen space
• Develop and implement all food growing educational programming and resource support to grow food in an urban setting and expand garden opportunities (40%)
• Direct and implement all nutrition-based garden education & food preparation field trips for students, K-12 and college level visits
• Design and provide educational workshops, open to public & targeted for specific groups such a food pantry partners, at CAFB, at partner sites upon request for services, in-person and virtually
• Program evaluation, tracking, reporting, and research on best practices for nutrition-based garden education in line with CAFB mission
• Support for partner gardens: consultation visits, education, coordination and distribution of resources such as seeds, seed packets, nutrition education and garden education
• Identify and support new garden programming opportunities for CAFB, including at the new NOVA site, write project estimates and proposals
• Collaborate across departments to provide and expand opportunities for garden engagement in line with broader CAFB mission: Volunteers, Operations, CLC, Marketing, Fundraising Development, NOVA, and more
• Initiate and strengthen professional, beneficial relationships with local gardens, non-profits, clubs, agricultural organizations, schools, contractors and vendors, donors, partner organizations, and groups of interest
• Participate in local garden and nutrition events on and off site, presenting internally and externally to different groups of interest
• Assist with performance data review (financial, grant, and activity reports) to monitor and measure productivity, goal progress, and activity levels
• Data entry (when necessary)
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements

• Associate’s degree in food growing, agriculture or related field.
• Minimum of three years’ experience growing organic fruits and vegetables or two-year professional experience independently managing a large urban farm or garden. Including succession planting, pest management and healthy soil management.
• Experience developing evidenced-based educational programming and education for various populations
• Experience working with underserved community members with diverse backgrounds as well as school-aged children
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills
• Experience and competency with various data management systems
• Mastery of Microsoft Office programs

Compentencies

• Experience teaching and creating educational materials.
• Experience and expertise in managing volunteers/volunteer groups and/or interns.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and leadership skills – ability to interact with food assistance organizations, clients, volunteers, and donors of all ages, from all walks of life.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Comfortable speaking in front of groups, including school-aged children.
• Ability to work independently while also engaging in collaborative, team-based work.
• Highly adaptable and creative.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, ability to prioritize and set boundaries.
• Physical ability to do heavy outdoor labor in all weather conditions.
• Experience constructing and maintaining garden facilities, including raised beds and drip irrigation.
• Working knowledge and experience using power tools including but not limited to power drills, circular saws; competent in basic carpentry skills in order to build, maintain or fix garden features
• Ability to drive to different sites throughout the DC, Maryland, Virginia regions.
• Detail-orientated with ability to perform basic data analysis.
• Project management experience, including budgeting and evaluation, preferred.
• Bilingual (Spanish), preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift/carry 30 pounds.

Work Environment:

• This position’s main office will be the DC office in NE, Washington DC
• This position requires the ability to work outdoors in all seasons.
• This position may require occasional Saturday work.
• Ability to travel to our Lorton VA office and partner sites throughout the DMV

Reporting:

• Senior Nutrition Education Manager

Schedule:

• Normal working hours are 9am to 5pm Monday - Friday; Saturdays as needed.

Compensation:

• Compensation is $52,700 to $58,500/annually

NOTE: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

We Offer: At Capital Area Food Bank, we understand that great people make a great organization. We value our people and offer employees a broad range of benefits including competitive compensation and benefits, free onsite parking, complimentary shuttle to metro, professional development, growth, and volunteer opportunities, fun work in a diverse environment

Application Process:

• Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

EOE Statement:

Capital Area Food Bank welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for all our employees. CAFB makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, reproductive health decision making or any other characteristic protected by law. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at CAFB. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.