School Gardens Support Staff

Job Title: School Gardens Support Staff

Compensation: $18.50/hour

Supervision: This position reports to the School Gardens Coordinator.

Status: Non-exempt

Category: Part-time / Temporary

Start Date/End Date:  Start Date: June 10th, End Date December 15th

Hours: Up to 20 hours/week 

ABOUT US

The Regional Environmental Council (REC) is a 501c3 non-profit food justice organization that has been working for environmental sustainability and social justice in Worcester since 1972. Our mission is to bring people together to create a just food system and to build healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities in Worcester, MA and beyond. Our programs include Community and Mobile Farmers Markets, our youth employment urban agriculture program (YouthGROW), and our Community and School Gardens Network (UGROW).

The focus of this position is the REC Community and School Gardens Network (UGROW). UGROW supports 60+ member gardens in the city of Worcester, including neighborhood gardens, school/learning gardens, organizational/institutional gardens, and urban farms. We provide direct resources for gardeners, technical assistance, and educational and community building programming. This position will specifically support school gardens, with a focus on partner sites serving children between the ages of 3 and 5. 

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a School Gardens Support Staff to help support basic garden maintenance at partner school garden locations, support and lead garden based programs during the summer months at Worcester area Head Starts, support teen participants in the YouthGROW program to complete garden maintenance and improvement projects, and deliver garden based programs at school partner sites during the academic year.

Responsibilities: 

• Support with summer garden maintenance at school partner sites, including general watering and weeding, harvesting produce, and installing signage, drip irrigation and trellising. 
• Collaborate with teen members of our YouthGROW program and outside volunteer groups to support the coordination and completion of larger scale school garden improvements.
• Deliver summer garden programming at Worcester Head Start locations.
•  Lead classroom and garden based workshops at school garden partner sites during the academic year. Training and shadowing with experienced staff as well as curriculum materials will be provided. 

QUALIFICATIONS AND JOB SKILLS

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with program staff 
• Basic familiarity with home gardening
• Strong verbal communication skills in a group setting, with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds 
• Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the REC 

Additional Preferred Skills: 

• Background experience with early childhood or adolescent age group
• Bi/multilingual (Spanish, Nepali, etc.)  

REQUIREMENTS: Must have consistent access to a car and be willing to drive to garden sites in Worcester as part of regular job duties. Mileage reimbursement provided. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work will be “hands-on” at a variety of garden site partner locations and primarily outdoors. Candidates can expect a mix of independent garden maintenance tasks, co-leading educational garden programs, and independently offering garden based curriculum. 

SHIFT AVAILABILITY: Some flexibility in shifts due to seasonal changes in tasks and the school schedule but candidates must have availability between 9 AM and 3 PM at least 3 days per week. Occasional weekend required. 

HOW TO APPLY: To be considered for this position, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@recworcester.org. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, with decisions made by June 10th. If you need to confirm a position prior to that date, please indicate in your cover letter. Please use School Gardens Support Staff as the email subject. 

EQUITY STATEMENT: The REC is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace and actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. The REC does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sex, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran or military status. The REC is committed to building a team that represents diverse cultures, perspectives, skills, and experiences in order for our employees, our programs, and our community to thrive.

Studies have shown that women, trans people, non-binary people, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. We encourage candidates to apply, even if they don't believe they tick all the boxes.