Company description

We conserve and promote America's culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants. 

Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit (501(c)(3) status) organization dedicated to saving and sharing seeds.

Seed Savers Exchange takes threats to biodiversity seriously. We maintain a collection of more than 20,000 heirloom and open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and plant varieties, including over 1,000 varieties of heritage apple trees. We take great care to ensure the health and viability of our collection for generations of growers to come. We keep the bulk of our collection in a freezer vault at Heritage Farm.

Each year, we grow out select varieties in gardens at Heritage Farm to refresh our seed supply. To maintain accurate records of each variety’s traits, our Evaluation Team grows out other varieties and keeps careful track of them, updating descriptions, and checking for inconsistencies. Our seed historian researches the story of each variety, documenting its history and the lives of the people who brought it to our collection.

Job description

Summary:                                

Leadership position encompassing all aspects of seed production, packing, and order fulfillment.

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Assist the Field Manager in performing all garden activities including garden preparation, seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, mulching, staking, fencing, harvesting, and garden clean-up.
2. Lead a team of field crew members daily during the growing season to carry out garden installation and maintenance.
3. Maintain accurate records of seed production, processing, packaging, and shipping.
4. Hire and train seasonal and permanent staff as needed.
5. Monitor, schedule, and perform seed processing activities including drying, cleaning, and conditioning. Assist with managing pests and diseases (scouting, pesticide application, other organic pest control methods) utilizing certified organic practices.
6. Assist with bulk and/or retail packet filling as needed.
7. Assemble orders and prepare for shipment.  May also involve understanding of shipping software and operation of shipping computers/equipment.
8. Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications:

Ag/horticulture experience with proven leadership abilities required. Experience with organic vegetable crop seed production preferred. All applicants must possess a valid driver’s license.

Additional Qualifications:

Ability to communicate effectively with other staff

Ability to work well in a fast paced environment with changing day to day needs

Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Ability to operate small farm equipment including tractors, pickups, wagons

Ability to lift 30 lbs routinely, 50 lbs occasionally

 

Compensation

this position is: hourly, under $15/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

October 31, 2017