Program Manager

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Edible Schoolyard NYC (ESYNYC) is on a mission to make edible education accessible for every child in New York City. We believe edible education—where kids experience hands-on cooking and gardening—helps kids gain the skills to contribute to a healthy and sustainable food system for us all. We believe in a future where all children are empowered to make healthy choices for themselves, their communities, and their environments. Together with public school communities across the city, we’re building spaces for kids to flourish.

During the 2024–25 school year, we partnered with 33 New York City public schools through our Core Schools, Mobile Education, Professional Development, and Technical Assistance models. Together, we delivered 1,167 hands-on edible education lessons and led 276 extracurricular activities, including after-school clubs and family cooking nights. Our programs reached 4,000 students, trained 410 educators to bring food and garden education into their own classrooms, and engaged 368 volunteers. Across our school gardens, students harvested more than 1,766 pounds of produce — from cilantro and figs to watermelon and collards.

Established in 2010, Edible Schoolyard NYC is a nonprofit organization committed to bringing Alice Waters’ vision to New York City public schools. As the first official “Founding Edible Schoolyard” in the Northeast, Edible Schoolyard NYC has created a curriculum and a vision to fit the unique needs of New York City public school children and communities. Now in our 15th year, Edible Schoolyard NYC is excited to continue deepening our impact at our Core School Sites as well as supporting schools and communities across New York City through our Mobile Education and Educator Professional Development Programs.

As an organization, the Values we live by include:

Community: We believe the greatest impact can only be realized by centering the community in our work.

Equity: We commit to cultivating and advancing a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging as we strive for equitable opportunities for all.

Stewardship: We know it is our duty to respect and care for all around us: our environment, our community, and ourselves.

Adaptability: We listen, learn, and act in response to the ever-changing needs of those around us

ABOUT THE POSITION

The ESYNYC Program Manager (PM) works onsite Monday - Friday from 8 am - 4 pm at PS/MS 007 in East Harlem. PMs teach fun, hands-on cooking and gardening lessons to elementary/middle school students alongside their ESYNYC Co-Program Manager. PMs plan and execute daily classes, maintain their classroom and garden spaces, and help to foster a love of learning and exploration among students. PMs also occasionally deliver lessons at mobile education sites throughout NYC, facilitate professional development workshops for educators, and run schoolwide extracurricular and family engagement opportunities (e.g. family cooking nights, after school garden clubs etc.). PMs are also responsible for managing all administrative tasks to ensure the effective functioning of their Core School site (e.g. ordering supplies, inputting student data, disseminating stakeholder surveys etc.). PMs serve as the main ESYNYC liaisons at Core Schools. In collaboration with the Director of School Programs, PMs are expected to manage relationships and communicate with school staff (e.g. teachers, Principal, Parent Coordinator, etc.) to maintain effective program operations.

This position is ideal for someone who is passionate about supporting NYC public school children and their communities, and who has an interest in education, health and nutrition, cooking, or gardening.

The PM is directly managed by the Director of School Programs, with dotted-line reporting and functional guidance from the Director of Education and Quality and the Director of Horticulture and Operations. This position is for the Program Manager at PS/MS 007 in East Harlem.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION

• Plan and teach daily hands-on garden and kitchen classes for NYC public elementary and middle school students in collaboration with Co-Program Manager.
• Create a strong classroom culture centered around consistent routines, positive reinforcement, and respect for one another and our educational space.
• Serve as the primary ESYNYC liaison and point of contact with the Core School administration and staff.
  • Work with school staff and the Director of School Programs to create a weekly teaching schedule and regular calendar of program events such as family cooking classes, family garden days, after school clubs, cafeteria distributions, etc.
  • Attend relevant school meetings and events as needed, including faculty meetings, PTA and SLT meetings and grade level or department team meetings
• Support and develop relationships with other community based organizations (CBOs) in the school and neighborhood as appropriate to support ESYNYC’s partnership with the school.
• Maintain functional safe and welcoming classroom and teaching spaces, including ordering, proper handling, and storing of equipment and ingredients.
• Manage the ordering of supplies to ensure effective programming.
• Teach and participate in Professional Development training in collaboration with the Director of Education & Quality to help other educators learn how to bring edible education to their own school sites.
• Teach mobile education classes at schools throughout NYC.
• Support program evaluation initiatives, including accurately tracking program information in online databases on a weekly basis and supporting implementation of student, parent, and staff surveys when relevant.

SCHOOL GARDEN SUPPORT

• Work with the Director of Horticulture and Operations, Garden Manager, and Co-Program Manager to support students and the greater school community in the planning, construction, planting, cultivation, and overall maintenance of the garden.
• Ensure the garden is maintained year-round to support classes, food production for the kitchen, school community, and special events. Monitor and care for the garden consistently to support its ongoing health and usability.
• Ensure that the garden is properly prepped for classes, and properly cleaned up after classes, including storing all garden tools and equipment properly.
• Maintain facilities and equipment in good working order, including: tool shed, greenhouse, irrigation system, and tools.
• Support year-round propagation, soil fertility, composting, harvesting, crop rotation, pruning, irrigation, and pest and disease management.
• Support all garden events and activities, including family and community programs, food distribution events, and Corporate Workdays.
• Maintain accurate records of garden activity, including ensuring that all harvested produce is properly weighed and logged for program tracking and reporting purposes.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Be an active and engaged collaborator in Edible Schoolyard NYC’s work, participating in events and supporting organizational goals and priorities.
• Participate in ESYNYC staff meetings, professional development opportunities, and contribute ideas to strengthen program delivery.
• Execute all responsibilities with an anti-racist/anti-oppression lens, that centers student voices and culturally responsive teaching practices.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Passion for Edible Schoolyard NYC’s mission.
• 3-5 years of experience teaching in a nonprofit and/or education setting serving NYC public school communities preferred.
• Experience with and committed allyship to students and communities of color.
• Strong organization and communication skills.
• A proactive problem solver who demonstrates flexibility, especially in a school setting.
• Interest or experience with gardening, cooking, or food education is a plus.
• Ability to converse in Spanish is a plus.

You don’t need to meet every qualification to be considered! If you’re excited about this role and believe you could succeed in it, we encourage you to apply.

This role involves physical activity, including standing for extended periods, working outdoors in various weather conditions, and occasionally lifting objects up to 50 pounds. This is a unionized position with CWA 1180.

LOCATION:

This position will work primarily out of PS/MS 007 in East Harlem and will at times be asked to travel within NYC to support our mobile education program and for meetings or events.

TO APPLY:

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter addressed to Dan Feder, Director of School Programs to jobs@esynyc.org with your name and “Program Manager” in the subject line. All applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to be considered for this position. In your cover letter, we’d love to hear why you’re excited about joining the Edible Schoolyard NYC Program team and how your skills make you a great fit for this position.

We will review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please note that we are unable to accept phone calls regarding this position.

Edible Schoolyard NYC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable law. We seek to build a diverse staff representative of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

COMPENSATION:

$60,000 annually with generous benefits. This is a full-time exempt position.

Highly competitive benefits package:

• 100% health and dental insurance coverage; able to purchase vision insurance.
• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 3% employer match.
• Pre-tax Transit Program.
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Plan.
• Life and ad&d insurance.
• 4 weeks paid vacation.
• 8 sick days and 3 personal days annually.
• ESYNYC is closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day and closes for all federal holidays.