Title: Educator, Urban Agriculture

Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Department: Windy City Harvest

Reports to: Manager, Community Education

Year-round Full-time

Supervises: Youth Farm students, seasonal interns, Windy City Harvest Apprentices, Harvest Corps crews, volunteers

Position Overview: For almost 20 years, the Windy City Harvest Youth Farm has served as a vital youth development program for high school students in and around Chicago. Youth Farm exposes youth to various issues concerning local food systems and nurtures leadership and community engagement through paid employment on an urban farm. Windy City Harvest (WCH) is committed to a continuum of job training. We value an innovative, entrepreneurial, and practical approach to sustainable agriculture and education. We hold high shared standards for all staff and participants to foster personal and professional growth.

The Educator, Urban Agriculture, will play a pivotal role in ensuring these general goals are met. This includes working as part of the larger WCH team to ensure the program is of the highest quality and reflects the vision of the program through individual and community empowerment.

The ideal candidate for this position has deep connections to the communities we work in, experience leading youth and/or nature-based programming, and must enjoy working outdoors. The person in this position is part of a collaboration in community engagement, education, and workforce development of the urban agriculture team.

This position’s focus is 60% on education programming and 40% on production farming. The work production schedule will mainly be Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but will include occasional weekend and evening work.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

Program Administration

Train and lead a team including a seasonal WCH apprentice, full-time interns who work for three months, Youth Farmers, and volunteers. Provide regular feedback to all direct reports.

• Collect student documentation, including hiring documents, sign-in sheets, and case notes, and coordinate student pay. Submit documents on time to your supervisor.
• Coordinate procurement and delivery of materials necessary for programming and farm operations (including plants, soil, building materials, student lunches, etc.).
• Report and track program expenditures and support annual budget reports.
• Collect and organize written, anecdotal, and photographic documentation for social media, education, publication, and reporting purposes.
• Participate in all training workshops and other requirements from partner agencies and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Community Education & Engagement

• 
  Work in partnership with area high schools and nonprofit organizations to recruit Youth Farm participants and promote WCH programming.
• Assist with special events with partner organizations and the Chicago Botanic Garden.
• Serve as a resource by delivering or co-leading educational workshops and tours to community members, partners, and outside organizations.

• Act as a supportive program, job, and agriculture resource to program participants, staff, community residents, media, and collaborative partners.

Program Delivery

• 
  Plan and lead Youth Farmers in farm workdays and educational workshops (online and in-person), tours, and field trips during spring, summer, and fall programming.
• Support Chicago Botanic Garden programming by leading workdays and classroom activities with all WCH programs, including Corps and Apprenticeship, as requested.
• Work with the Chicago Botanic Garden team to plan and implement curriculum (online and in-person) focused on developing key social emotional skills and exposure to green careers.
• Maintain current knowledge of industry trends, practices, and policies relevant to department operations and share best practices with the Chicago Botanic Garden team.
• Support WCH programming (i.e. Harvest Corps job club and WCH Apprenticeship classes) as needed.

Farm Production

• Coordinate and work collaboratively on farm production with Growers, Harvest Corps Crew Leaders and WCH Operations team, including (but not limited to), implementing a crop plan, following the production schedule, procuring supplies, planting and maintenance of vegetable production and ornamental areas, and distributing produce through WCH sales channels.
• Participate in seasonal production and food safety farm trainings. Help to train Youth Farm team and students in farm production and food safety.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and report on programming and farm-related updates. Answer emails and communicate in a timely manner.
• Work as part of a collaborative team to support WCH greenhouse and farm production needs at any WCH sites, as needed.

Key Garden competencies/behaviors desired

• Communicates in a manner that gains the trust and support of others at all levels.
• Works effectively with others despite differences of opinion and style; builds alliances.
• Has a tolerance for opposing points of view.
• Strives for collaboration. Works cooperatively, as a positive contributor to the team.
• Demonstrates a positive attitude and shows kindness in all workplace interactions.
• Makes decisions appropriate for level of responsibility.
• Can effectively adapt to change; can shift gears comfortably; is flexible, and embraces change with a “can-do” attitude.
• Is self-aware; knows personal strengths and weaknesses; seeks feedback and is open to negative feedback as an opportunity for improvement.
• Is cool under pressure; can be counted on to hold things together during tough times; can handle stress; is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; is a settling influence during a crisis.
• Recognizes problems, constructively identifies, and articulates solutions.
• Picks up garbage when it is seen regardless of position. Follows safety guidelines to ensure a safe working environment and consistently demonstrates safe work behaviors.
• Is welcoming of new hires.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

Community Education & Engagement

• Willingness to provide programming and outreach to multiple communities throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, and be able to commute to several locations within the week or day. Familiarity with Chicago area a plus.
• A detail-oriented, flexible, dependable, and punctual work ethic.
• Excellent communication skills: email, phone, in-person, etc.
• Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred.

Program Delivery

• Familiarity with issues surrounding local food systems.
• At least one year of experience working with young people in a mentorship or supervisory role and facilitating groups.
• Experience participating in or leading nature-based programming, preferred.
• Strong interest or experience in working with youth development and workforce development.
• Familiarity with structural and cultural contexts, and a desire for personal and community growth in these areas.
• Demonstrated experience working with people from a variety of backgrounds and ability to give clear, constructive feedback.
• Availability for evening and weekend work, particularly from May through October.

Farm Production

• Strong knowledge of urban agriculture with at least one season of vegetable production experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to learn farm production and harvest procedures. Ability to effective train and oversee Youth Farmers in farming and harvesting procedures.
• The ability to work independently to coordinate a developing program and as part of a dedicated urban agriculture training team.

Physical Demands:
This is a diverse role with physical demands dependent on the season. Frequent outdoor work in all weather will be required. Ability to lift more than 50 pounds. Ability to stand/walk for eight or more hours per day. Ability to move from physical tasks to office work and drive significant distances in a day is required.

*The Chicago Botanic Garden requires all existing employees to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated by October 15, 2021; hires after this date must be fully vaccinated upon hire or may request a medical/religious exemption after an offer is extended.*

Why Apply? Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.