NOW HIRING: Agroecology and Wellness Coordinator
Appointment: 1 year, full-time (40 hours/week), possibility for renewal
Compensation: $65,000.00 – $75,000.00 annually
Application Deadline: March 15, 2023
About the Berkeley Food Institute: The Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) at the University of California, Berkeley seeks to transform food systems to expand access to healthy, affordable food and promote sustainable and equitable food production. We empower new leaders with capacities to cultivate diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food systems.
Position: This position will serve as project coordinator for Berkeley’s food-producing campus gardens and farms, supporting cooperation between Berkeley Student Farms, Berkeley Food Institute, Basic Needs Center, and the Berkeley Agroecology Lab*. Agroecology is a framework for creating ecologically-based and socially-just food systems through research, farming practices, political action, and social change. Wellness attends to the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of individuals to create a thriving community where all people feel a sense of belonging and wellbeing.
The Agroecology and Wellness Coordinator will integrate and promote these two principles through their work, providing student mentorship, coordination, administration, and logistical support for all campus gardens and their supporting departments, and bolstering their role as sites of research, education, student wellness, and food production. This position will also be responsible for coordinating food deliveries to the student food pantry, improving integration with Basic Needs Center programs, and increasing wellness impacts of Berkeley Student Farms. Overall, experienced coordination between campus food-producing garden sites will serve to uplift student leadership, support student wellness, address campus food insecurity, improve data collection and grant reporting, improve cross-campus and cross-administrative communication, ensure safety and regulatory compliance, and increase agroecological education and mentorship.
Responsibilities:
Project Management and Campus, Farm, and Basic Needs Coordination.
* Assists with assessing and monitoring policies and procedures for Berkeley Student Farms.
* Evaluates and investigates opportunities for improvement, working closely with all project partners to coordinate campus food production and distribution efforts designed to increase food security among students and staff and support the continuity of student leadership and internship opportunities across all campus gardens.
* To those ends, attend regular Berkeley Student Farms meetings, host regular office hours, and maintain direct communication by email, phone or in-person with participants in BSF as well as “Land as Wellness” project partners while respecting each organization’s governance structure.
* Provide best practices for food delivery, group calendaring, attendance tracking, harvesting, COVID safety compliance, and other necessary information.
* Serve as a professional staff liaison to campus colleagues involved in farms and gardens.
Documents activities and follows up in accordance with relevant policies and regulations with Facilities, Grounds, etc.
* Provides research and writing support to grant proposals, meeting summaries and reports.
* Holds check-in meetings to ensure student groups and departments are logging their expenses for the financial reporting requirements of the “Land as Wellness” project.
* Communicates expense progress with grant reporters (Berkeley Student Farms members and Berkeley Food Institute staff).
* Ensures that campus farms and gardens meet university environmental health and safety standards.
Contacts agencies and research partners as needed to coordinate planning.
* Seeks out community connections and partnerships that create experiential, land-based learning opportunities for students.
Participates in training activities on research methods and measurement (approximately three trainings per semester) to student gardeners in seeding and greenhouse management, transplanting, irrigation construction and maintenance, harvesting, pruning, fertilization, and on-farm construction.
* Ensure that materials (tools, seeds, etc.) are well kept and available to all students participating in BSF.
* This may require as needed procurement of supplies with local vendors.
Required Qualifications:
* Thorough knowledge of safety, legal, cultural and regulatory requirements relative to field research responsibility.
* Thorough knowledge of the agroecology or food sovereignty research discipline, principles, concepts, analysis and/or operations.
* Thorough knowledge of and/or can quickly learn local customs and operations at Berkeley Student Farms.
* Experience managing farm and garden operations, including knowledge of crop planning, seeding, transplanting, irrigation, harvesting, pruning, plant care, soil management, etc.
* Ability to source critical farm and garden infrastructure, supplies, and materials.
* Proven ability to develop and maintain strategic relationships and partnerships.
* Excellent communicator, effective facilitator, and good problem solver.
* Cultural competency and humility to work across languages, cultures, styles, and opinions in a diverse public university context and produce results.
* Proven ability to work independently and with a team, and to meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
* Strong attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
* Proficient in basic office management software (Google Suite, Email, Word, Excel).
* Proven ability to work in ambiguous conditions and take relevant responsible action as required.
* Experience working with Indigenous plants, land preparation, and stewardship.
* Knowledge about agriculture, wellness and food justice organizations within the Bay Area and beyond.
* Experience with community building and conflict resolution.
* Must maintain valid CA driver’s license and clean DMV record.
* Bachelor’s degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
Preferred Qualifications
* Master’s degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
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