Company description

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is the result of more than four decades of restoration and development to convert a 19th century charitable rest home for sailors to a regional arts center, botanical gardens, and public park. It is a place where history, architecture, gardens, agriculture, visual and performing arts, and education come together to provide a dynamic experience for all ages. Snug Harbor consists of 28 buildings, fourteen distinctive botanical gardens, a two acre urban farm, wetlands and park land on a unique, free, open campus.

Job description

The Position:

The Snug Harbor Heritage Farm Training Coordinator helps grow and maintain our 2.5-acre production farm with fellow farmers, volunteers, and local workforce development programs.   As one of the largest urban farms in NYC, we grow over 100 varieties of crops for our 20-week CSA, as well as on-site farm stands and institutional clients.

Snug Harbor sees volunteer engagement as a crucial component of our organization’s vision, seeking to meaningfully engage and develop our community, building civic mindedness through transformative experiences in the arts and sciences. Annually, the farm hosts over 150 individual volunteers and workforce development participants. This role will support training and overseeing these groups in all aspects of farming, from field preparation and starting seedlings in our greenhouses to spreading compost, cover cropping, and everything in between. The Farm Training Coordinator role is central in volunteer management at Heritage Farm. Experience leading, motivating and working with diverse groups of people is highly preferred.

This is a highly physical role. Team Members work standing, bending, crouching, pulling, pushing, and using basic hand tools in all weather conditions (including rain and extreme heat) while maintaining a fast and efficient pace working with volunteers. 

This position reports to the Manager, Heritage Farm as part of the Community Impact Team. 

Responsibilities:

Farming and Land Management

• Perform various farm labor tasks with a constant improvement mindset
• Transplant, thin, propagate, direct seed, cultivate, trellis, prune, weed, harvest, and wash produce, track production in coordination with Manager
• Support CSA and market days
• Support processing and usage of compost as it pertains to building healthy soils community wide, including organics collection and compost processing
• Perform landscaping tasks such as weed whacking, mowing, and mulching, pruning, and other site management tasks as needed
• Perform snow removal, with expectations of availability during inclement weather

Volunteers and Education

• Embody and communicate Snug Harbor’s mission, vision and values, fostering a welcoming work environment for all
• Work closely with the Service Learning Coordinator and the Education Department to deliver programs and report impact. Participate in volunteer outreach and identify and assess volunteer skills needed to ensure effective outreach efforts
• Train farm volunteers and workforce development participants in meaningful agricultural work, motivating volunteers to complete tasks in a timely manner with attention to detail while following all safety measures according to relevant OSHA standards
• Create work plans and schedules. Provide logistics and support to volunteer groups and communicate volunteer agendas to the Service Learning Coordinator
• Track farm volunteer service, collaborating weekly with Community Impact team members to assess individual volunteer experience and skills acquisition and impact on farm production
• Identify opportunities to recognize volunteer contributions and analyze volunteer surveys to recommend program improvements.
• Review, identify, and develop resources for volunteers, including training materials, checklists, manuals, etc.
• Create volunteer information sessions for potential volunteers to learn more about the roles volunteers can play at the Heritage Farm

Community Impact Team Support

• Drive company vehicles offsite to make purchases and deliveries, as well as support programming initiatives, local partners, and site operations
• Coordinate with Community Impact team members to provide weekly checks on all Community Impact Team vehicles, including the bobcat. Checks consist of fuel levels, warning lights, tire pressure, fluid levels, registration and inspection expiry dates, mileage, insurance, running hours, and other issues associated with vehicle care
• Update and advance the Farm Training Manual, which includes standard operating procedures, policies, and references.  Complete administrative paperwork, including daily and weekly agendas, work orders, purchase orders, inventories, and crop plan updates

Qualifications:

• Experience working outdoors with physically demanding work for extended periods of time in all weather conditions (including rain and extreme heat) while maintaining a fast and efficient pace
• Ability to lift 50 lbs regularly and be able to stand, squat, kneel, bend, and crouch for extended periods of time in all weather conditions
• Interest in actively engaging community members in small-scale production agriculture and the techniques used in organic, low-till farming and teaching others the importance of this type of work
• Able to manage multiple tasks at once while managing time well
• Ability to learn and teach new tasks quickly and execute them immediately, including the use of hand and power tools
• Ability to follow all safety protocols
• Exemplary communication skills and workplace professionalism, including appropriate work attire, positive attitude, timeliness, and adaptability 
• Enthusiasm and commitment to being an active and flexible member of a small team
• A valid driver’s license is required
• Food handling certification preferred
• English facility required; Spanish facility preferred

Salary:

The salary range is from $18.00 – $20.00 per hour, depending on experience. This is a full-time position, generally working a 35-hour work week. Weekend work will be required for this position. Typical hours are 8:30 am-4:30 pm, but dependent on weather and business needs. Snug Harbor offers a generous vacation/holiday schedule and participation in the Cultural Institutions Retirement System pension plan.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $18.00 - $20.00

Application instructions

Deadline

March 15, 2024