Program Coordinator
Valley Verde is dedicated to building healthy and resilient communities by providing low-income families educational programs, edible gardens, and micro-entrepreneurship opportunities that create food security and lead to self sufficiency.
Valley Verde is an urban agriculture nonprofit based in San Jose uses home gardening as a catalyst for improving the long-term health of underserved Santa Clara County residents. Valley Verde works with each participant for a year or more, providing a comprehensive set of culturally relevant services and resources to enable families to successfully grow their own organic produce gardens and prepare healthy meals with fresh vegetables.
Valley Verde is seeking a coordinator for the Shared Garden Program to reach low-income families in San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy, CA. Knowledge of the local area and community organizations local to the area would be beneficial for this role.
Essential job functions: Assist with program organization, implementing Shared Garden Program and assist with tracking all program data.
Tasks include, but are not limited to:
Travel throughout Santa Clara County to facilitate monthly organic gardening workshops for participants of the Shared Garden Program
Translate curriculum and facilitate workshops in Spanish
Communicate via email, phone calls, text messages, or in person, on a monthly basis with participants regarding workshops, attendance, and upcoming events
Collect and enter data monthly for participant attendance, home visits, and check-ins
Schedule and conduct monthly check-ins, and quarterly garden visits with participants
Create and upload training videos to online learning platforms, as needed
In collaboration with the Program Manager, review and update curriculum, lesson plans, and programming as needed
Troubleshoot garden issues including diseases and pests using organic methods
Organize and assist with the distribution of garden materials (heavy lifting, 30-40 lb bags)
Assist with Planting Weeks and any other program events
Represent Valley Verde and develop partnerships within the community
Community outreach, recruit and enroll program participants, volunteers and interns through tabling events
Assist customers with sales of seedlings at the site
Assist with the Sow & Grow Gathering
Create Social Media content for the Shared Garden Program
Other duties as assigned by the Program Manager
Skills/Qualifications:
Must have regular/reliable access to a vehicle with appropriate insurance for transportation
Must be detail oriented and accurately report program attendance and other participant statistics
Experience working in a multiethnic community environment
Ability to develop professional relationships with program participants regardless of language barriers, cultural differences, or physical/mental abilities
Ability to lift 30-40 lbs for bed, soil and compost distribution
Must be extremely organized and have the ability to prioritize projects to meet deadlines consistently
Must be able to work independently and collaboratively in a team, show creativity, and ability to initiate and complete projects with limited supervision
Bi-lingual English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese required
At least 1 year of teaching or group facilitation preferred
At least 1 year of experience growing organic vegetables and urban gardening preferred
Strong verbal and written communication skills required
Excellent computer skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite, Mailchimp, and Canva
Must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, bend, and twist to complete garden projects and activities
Experience operating power tools, building, and assembling irrigation systems is a plus
Education:
Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Community Development, or Education strongly preferred.
Master Gardener’s certification is strongly preferred.
Other related coursework or experience can be substituted.
How to Apply
Please email your resume and cover letter to Rita, rita@valleyverde.org
Thank you for considering this opportunity!