Job Openings

We are currently hiring! We are looking for a part time gardener to join our team.

 

Common Ground Garden Farmer Position

Common Ground Garden (commongroundgarden.org), a project of Ecology Action (www.growbiointensive.org), is seeking a part-time (starting at 30 hours/week) Gardener to manage our sustainable education and demonstration garden using the GROW BIOINTENSIVE® (GB) system. The Gardener will coordinate maintenance of the garden, the volunteer program, and will share responsibilities with the Education Program Manager for the adult education program, yearly events, fundraising activities, and other items as needed.

GB produces high yields, while using a fraction of the water, nutrient and energy resources per pound of food produced per area, compared with standard food-growing practices—and grows soil at the same time—in an increasingly resource-scarce world that is rapidly losing farmable soil. Find out more about GB here: http://growbiointensive.org/grow_main.html

Job duties include:

Garden Coordination (60%)

• Assemble and oversee execution of 52-week GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden crop plan (considering the needs of volunteer, youth education, and research programs): starting seeds, pricking out, double digging, compost building, turning & sifting, transplanting, harvesting, watering, crop rotations, companion planting, succession planting, seed saving, crop maintenance etc.
• Ensure garden tasks are achieved in a timely manner.
• Utilize volunteers to accomplish many of the tasks and perform the remainder personally, with support from the Education Program Manager.
• Perform soil fertility (including a yearly soil test) /pest & disease management.
• Track & document crop planting dates and growth patterns.
• Order seeds & manage inventory.
• Work to further develop and improve the garden.
• Assist the Education Program Manager to run student garden classes (as needed),
• Help organize/maintain sheds and garden grounds

Program Management / Fundraising (30%)

• Coordinate, run, and further develop the volunteer program to train and work with volunteers on GROW BIOINTENSIVE farming practices.
• Co-coordinating and co-hosting the Saturday adult gardening class program
• Co-planning the Edible Garden Tour and other events
• Coordinating plant and seed sale program
• Assisting with grant writing

Media (10%)

• Marketing/publicity for periodic events and ~bi-monthly Saturday gardening (adult) classes
• Assisting with the monthly newsletter (writing short pieces as needed)
• Acting as a community-facing contact point for the garden

Desired Skills, Experiences, and Qualities:

• Experience in organic and/or GB food growing desired. Training in the GROW BIOINTENSIVE farming method will be provided.
• Experience managing volunteers desired.
• Experience working at a small non-profit desired (including fundraising, event planning, interacting with/supporting the community).
• Having a desire to improve one’s GB gardening skills and teach others to grow sustainably.
• Works well both under supervision and independently.
• Applicants with a long-term interest and commitment to sustainable food growing will be given extra consideration. Ecology Action is growing organizational and food-growing GB memory for its 44-year-old GB program which is a key resource for gardeners locally, in California, nationwide and internationally.

Salary and Benefits

The position is a long-term, part-time staff position (initially ~30 hours per week, with an hourly rate $18 per hour.) Benefits are pro-rated for part time to 75% of the following:

• Holidays: Full-time employees have the following nine days off: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (2 days), and Christmas (2 days).
• Pro-rated Vacation time received is 120 hours, and pro-rated Sick time is 7.5 hours annually.
• Medical Reimbursement/Vacation/Sick Time/Family Emergency Leave: After completing one year of employment, full-time employees will receive up to $600 reimbursement per year for dental, vision and medical, plus a $200/month stipend to be used towards medical insurance, preventative care, etc., plus four weeks of paid vacation annually, and up to two weeks of paid sick days and/or family emergency leave. Exceptions can be made by the Ecology Action Director.

How to Apply

Please send the following to education@commongroundgarden.org :

• A current resume
• Three reference contacts (include name, title, email address, phone number)
• Answer to the 5 following questions in ~150 words each:

1. What drew you to this position and what do you hope to gain from it?
2. What is your long-term goal (i.e. What do you envision doing in five years time)?
3. Share an example of when you were expected to manage a task/project with little oversight and structure; what was your response?
4. Share an example of a time when you had to manage a group of volunteers to accomplish a task (if you have never dealt with volunteers, use any group of people); what was your response?
5. What are your professional values in working independently and also in working as a team?