POSITION OVERVIEW

The Garden Coordinator’s primary focus is Oxbow’s 1-acre Kids’ Farm, the Living Playground, and other landscape features throughout Oxbow’s public engagement zone. This zone is a centerpiece of Oxbow’s public engagement activities, including environmental education programming, regular events, and volunteer opportunities.

The Garden Coordinator is a member of Oxbow’s groundskeeping team as a part the larger Site Team but will work closely with key staff members from other teams. The ideal candidate must have experience in balancing priorities across a diverse set of stakeholders. The Garden Coordinator partners most closely with staff in the following areas:

Education – this team develops and delivers diverse programs that help participants directly experience and relate to the natural world through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell – the Kids’ Farm and Living Playground are central teaching tools in their programming.
Events & Public Engagement – this team drives Oxbow’s events and the creative vision for the site, as part of Oxbow’s strategy for engaging people to experience nature and learn about healthy food and a sustainable environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Farming & Landscaping (85%)

Plan, plant, and maintain the Kids’ Farm using sustainable agricultural practices that include, for example: intensive and successive planting, companion planting for pest and weed management, composting, crop rotation, and other practices deemed integral to an organic learning garden.
Plant and maintain the Living Playground and other landscape features as engaging and aesthetically inviting spaces, ensuring that all cultivated spaces are safe, highly productive, visually appealing, cultivated in an environmentally sound manner, and supply year-round interest.
Conduct and help triage general maintenance tasks such as planting, weeding, mulching, pest and disease management, seed-saving, fertilizer needs, watering, and upkeep of farm tools, hoop houses, and storage spaces.
Keep detailed calendar records of plantings, plant growth and health, harvest yields, produce donations, etc.
Harvest Kids’ Farm crops for programming and donation, ensuring minimal food waste.
Ensure crops and layouts meet the organization’s needs for programming.
Establish and oversee schedules for staff and volunteer assistance on farming tasks.
Assist groundskeeping team with landscaping and other garden projects.

Collaboration with Other Teams (15%)

Work to ensure the Kids’ Farm meets the diverse needs of the organization and serves as Oxbow’s outdoor classroom, where all learners and guests feel empowered and confident while learning about, caring for, growing, harvesting, and cooking produce.
Oversee volunteer projects in the Kids’ Farm and Living Playground.
Serve as an occasional “special guest” for Oxbow’s education programs—including summer camp, field trips, family farm adventures, and other farm-based lessons.
Assist in preparing for and supporting public engagement events with Kids’ Farm tours and workshops, which may involve occasional pre-scheduled weekend work.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s Degree in horticulture, agriculture, or a related field or at least 2-3 years of experience in the following areas:
Organic vegetable farming, preferably in the Pacific Northwest.
Creating visually appealing garden-based teaching spaces which demonstrate a variety of cultivation methods/practices.
Safe use of farm equipment, including tractors, plows, tillers, and backhoes.
Use of irrigation systems, as well as soil management and soil fertility.
Ability to work with a wide array of personalities in a complex environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, and planning skills.
Public speaking, community engagement experience.
Flexibility and adaptability; ability to thrive in a highly dynamic work environment.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all qualifications.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Working in all kinds of weather, including smoke (wild-fire potential), cold, heat over 90 degrees.
Working in an environment that may have allergens—dust, mold, grasses, etc.
Wearing and working in personal protection (e.g., masks) when appropriate or necessary.
Working frequently with walk behind tractors (BCS), and hand tools (rakes, hoes, shovels).
Working after-hours or on weekends for pre-scheduled events and on an as-needed basis, especially during early season when watering seedlings is needed.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITMENT

Oxbow is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity and inclusion. We value the individual differences, life experiences, and knowledge that our staff bring to their work and their communities. Valuing diversity is a significant part of our culture, our values, and the success of Oxbow’s mission.

Oxbow provides equal employment opportunities to all staff members and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

COMPENSATION

This is a regular, full-time position, with benefits that include 100% employer paid life insurance, healthcare, dental, and vision plans, and competitive PTO. Additional benefit information is available upon request. The pay rate for this role is $24-26 per hour, depending on experience.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after this date until position is filled.

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