Assistant Grower - Seasonal - 20 hours per week

Position Description

The Assistant Grower is a seasonal position suited for a driven individual inspired by the opportunity to cultivate organically grown produce, community solidarity, and urban agriculture. Assistant Growers work closely with the Farm Manager, Growing Entrepreneurs, and volunteers to complete a wide variety of tasks, including seedling production, field preparation, and fertility management, planting, harvesting, washing and packing, irrigation, cultivating, record-keeping, tools, and equipment inventory management, farm/property maintenance, and supporting farm stand operations. The Assistant Grower interacts with the public and is self-motivated, responsible, attentive to detail, growth-oriented, flexible, comfortable communicating with a wide variety of people, and able to work independently or in group settings and keep up a quick work pace.

The Assistant Grower may work independently or in a team dynamic at any of our six farm sites under the direction of the Farm Manager. Farm sites include the following locations within the city of New Haven: 15 James St., 170 Ward St., 613 Ferry St., 42 Shelter St, 285 James St, and 66 Liberty St.

The Assistant Grower is expected to work no more than 20 hours per week over a 5-month period from June through October 2022.

The ideal candidate for the Assistant Grower position will posses the basic skills for farming or intermediate level gardening. Training will be provided in order to:

• Successfully provide guidance to farm team members and volunteers in the absence of the Farm Manager.
• Help with farm stand operations and produce distribution to program participants.
• Safely operate utilities, equipment, and tools.
• Manage greenhouses.
• Compost.
• Help with farm stand operations.

Preferred Skills/Qualifications

• Bilingual (English/Spanish).
• A minimum of one season’s farm experience, plus two year’s work experience in any field (part-time/
• seasonally while in school is fine).
• Demonstrated ability to follow directions and work independently.
• Enthusiasm for urban agriculture and environmental issues.
• Desire to learn all aspects of small-scale organic vegetable production in a city
• setting.
• Familiar with and culturally and linguistically reflect the New Haven community in
• which they will be working.
• Be in good physical condition and able to lift and carry 40lbs - 60lbs repeatedly and safely.
• Desire to work outside in all conditions (heat, rain, cold, poor air quality), sometimes engaging in
• repetitive tasks.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Inquisitive/ proactive in asking questions to find solutions to obstacles.
• Flexibility to adapt to the frequently changing daily tasks as a part of a dynamic and exciting community-
• based farm project.