Food and Agriculture Assistant

About the role

The Food and Agriculture Assistant supports day-to-day farm operations and site maintenance at New Roots Farm and Garden, facilitating training activities, community engagement, and supporting production and garden projects.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to overall site maintenance: weeding, watering, filling up water tanks, picking up trash, organizing tool shed and greenhouse
• Create crop plans, planting schedules, and maintain shared/public areas
• Coordinate work-day activities with community members and support volunteers on site
• Coordinate seed saving for successions and the garden’s seed library
• Provide suggestions for and implement natural pest management
• Aid with harvest and distribution
• Conduct community outreach; develop and maintain community partnerships
• Track quantifiable measurements to assess project effectiveness via Excel and/or Farming Concrete, and ensure data is input into IRC's main database
• Support the farmers market and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and supervise Market Stewards and Apprentices
• Supervise Land Stewards, interns, and volunteers
• Promote other New York Resettlement programming taking place at the garden and that can benefit clients and community members
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Requirements

• Passion for and knowledge of food sovereignty and food justice
• Physical ability to carry out gardening and farm-related activities required
• 1-2 years’ experience in sustainable agriculture/urban farming/gardening projects is desired
• Experience in community organizing, engagement, or training, particularly with disadvantaged communities
• Experience working in a diverse and non-traditional setting with a diverse client base
• Demonstrated success working and communicating effectively in a multicultural environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications
• Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills combined with the proven ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written; strong preference for bilingual candidates, preferably in Spanish, Bengali, or Filipino

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Ability to work independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional team structure
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels
• Proven ability to work through change proactively and positively

Compensation

(Pay Rate: $22.50 - $23.15). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements)

U.S. Benefits

• 10 sick days
• 10 US holidays
• 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure
• Medical insurance starting at $163 per month
• Dental starting at $6.50 per month
• Vision starting at $5 per month
• FSA for healthcare and commuter costs
• A 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching
• Disability & life insurance
• An Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles

Equal Opportunity Employer

The IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.