Job Summary

Under the direction of the assigned supervisor, The HCOE School Garden Technician will support Humboldt County schools to create and sustain school gardens. Learning Support Services employees must be available to work varied hours and days Monday through Saturday, depending on department needs.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This position will build Humboldt County School Districts’ capacity to grow, maintain, and leverage school gardens for the benefit of student learning and wellness. The School Garden Technician will facilitate a peer network in the form of the Humboldt School Garden Collective and provide multiple tiers of support, including workshops and other professional development opportunities, a school garden internship, and one-on-one technical assistance.

Essential Duties:

• Perform regular outreach and communication to school garden leaders
• Assist with planning and design of school gardens and school garden programs
• Purchase and distribute school garden materials and supplies
• Oversee a school garden internship in partnership with the College of the Redwoods and/or Cal Poly Humboldt and connect college students with school gardens
• Organize workshops, gatherings, and workdays for school garden educators
• Provide one-on-one technical assistance to school gardens with identified need
• Share professional development opportunities and disseminate garden-based education resources to school garden leaders
• Work with HCOE staff to reinforce existing HCOE programs such as Harvest of the Month
• Collaborate with community partners to enhance Farm to School efforts at local school districts
• Be aware of and communicate about community, regional, state, and federal school garden and Farm to School resources
• Help develop a web presence for the School Garden Collective and associated resources
• Work with HCOE Nutrition Staff and Program Director to ensure program and grant deliverables are met
• Carry out tracking and evaluation tasks as needed
• Prepare progress reports for grant reporting

Employment Standards:

Knowledge of:

• Basic gardening and farming practices (e.g. soil management, composting, crop production, pest control, irrigation, etc.)
• Current practices and applications of garden-based education in the realms of nutrition, STEM, social emotional learning, and culturally responsive education
• Best practices for both adult and youth instruction

Ability to:

• Work well with and outreach to diverse groups of people in agricultural and educational settings
• Facilitate learning for small and large groups of both children and adults
• Work effectively independently, with minimal supervision, as well as collaborate with others in a team setting
• Research, design, and make oral presentations to small and large groups
• Engage youth in the garden
• Manage volunteers
• Ability to travel throughout the county to deliver programs and training
• Demonstrate competency in various computer skills including MS Office and Google Suite
• Demonstrate strong writing and public speaking skills
• Demonstrate strong project management and organizational skills
• Manage task priorities to meet deadlines

• Follow oral and written directions
• Adapt to changing work demands
• Exercise good judgment and seek assistance when appropriate

Education And Experience

Minimum Qualifications

Must possess the equivalent of a high school diploma, and 2 years of related experience

OR

Possess a BA or BS degree in education, ecology, environmental science, food systems or related field

Preferred Additional Qualifications

• Other related garden, farming, culinary, or education experiences that are relevant to this position and that would distinguish the candidate
• Demonstration of successful grant writing, grant management, implementation of a grant, and evaluation experience
• Multi-lingual

Working Conditions

With or without accommodation, this position includes prolonged periods of standing or sitting, frequent walking, and occasional bending, stooping, and reaching. The employee must be able to lift, push, and pull objects up to 50 pounds. Visual and auditory abilities are required to perform essential job functions.

Other Requirements

• Must be fingerprinted and a satisfactory Department of Justice records check must be received by HCOE prior to employment
• TB testing and/or risk assessment will be required upon employment
• Other requirements as appropriate for the job responsibilities

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

SALARY: Range 12 on the adopted salary scale for classified employees.