Farm Educator I

Growing Home Inc. • Chicago, IL

54d

About The Position

This position entails day-to-day farm and site maintenance, harvesting and
processing of produce, daily training of all Production Assistants (participants in
our transitional job program), and record keeping/farm data entry. The Farm
Educator I reports to the Director of Urban Farms. All farm site workflows and
work with Production Assistants are additionally managed and supervised by the
Farm and Program Coordinator.

Growing Home operates USDA-certified organic farms that produce 35,000
pounds of vegetables and herbs annually. We use our farms as a platform for our
12- week job training program serving up to 80+ individuals facing barriers to
employment on an annual basis and as a source for affordable healthy produce in
the Englewood neighborhood.

Requirements

• At least one season of farming experience, organic preferred
• At least one year removed from Growing Home's employment training program
• Experience working on a team
• Ability to connect with a variety of audiences
• Positive attitude
• Great communicator
• Detail-oriented, dependable, and punctual
• Attention to quality control
• Valid Illinois Driver’s License strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Bed preparation, transplant production, transplanting, direct seeding
• Cultivation of planted beds – irrigating, weeding, fertilizing, trellising, thinning, pruning
• Harvesting, processing, and packing produce
• Product deliveries and supply runs as needed
• Maintaining quality, sanitation, and freshness standards
• Record keeping and farm data entry support
• Basic carpentry and repair work; examples include irrigation line installation and repair, fabricating trellises, repairing raised beds
• Assist with food distribution and farmers' markets and Growing Home events which includes some weekends
• Treat all customers respectfully and courteously
• Take part in a weekend watering rotation during spring months (split among staff)
• Assist with snow removal in the winter and other general site maintenance tasks to keep the farm as a presentable, educational space
• Other duties as assigned
• Provides direction to Production Assistant working groups (crews of up to 10 PAs) during morning and afternoon work periods with assistance from more experienced Farm Team members
• Take responsibility for group work performance and outcomes of work crews under their direction
• Conduct farm-skills training for Production Assistants and consistently review skills as needed in the field
• Ensure that Production Assistants are courteous and helpful to all those on-site, immediately addressing and correcting problems
• Model and demonstrate excellent communication skills with other staff and participants, especially under challenging conditions
• Communicate any notable issues and/or successes to supervisors as needed
• When needed, transport Growing Home Production Assistants using a company vehicle
• Participate in program-related activities such as workflow meetings; staff and departmental meetings
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Growing Home offers competitive compensation packages based on experience.
• All compensation packages include health insurance coverage and generous vacation benefits.
• All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, current employment status, or prior record of arrest or conviction.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees