Garden and Culinary Program Manager

JOB SUMMARY: Under the direct supervision of the Director of Community Health Initiatives, the Garden and Culinary Program Manager will be responsible for managing, maintaining, and developing Community Health Initiatives Garden and Culinary programs for our in-school and out-of-school programs. Our department takes a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to Health justice in the Mount Eden neighborhood through Garden, Culinary, and Health based education services. It embeds hands-on health education into local institutions, develops community leadership, and creates opportunities to improve the social factors that influence health.

Job Duties include but are not limited to:

Program Management & Development: The duty of the Garden and Culinary Program Manager is to supervise CHI’s current garden and culinary projects and initiatives as planned, ensuring they are responsive to our students and community needs. The Garden and Culinary Program Manager is to directly oversee the New Settlement Community Garden and all programming based out of it, as well as partner with our various schools to assist and facilitate their programs and ensure we are providing a social and vibrant experience for hands-on learning about seasonal eating, gardening, and composting.

Secondary responsibilities are to assist CHI’s other programs in providing guidance and staffing when needed.

Team Development & Staff Supervision: The Garden and Culinary Program Manager will oversee a part-time educator as well as a rotation of student interns, and ensure their team has the expertise, resources, direction, and support to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

Community Organizing & Partnership Relations: Engaging community members, community partners and school partners through outreach to build our garden programs and increase enrollment in our out-of-school programing.

Strategic Planning: The Garden and Culinary Program Manager is responsible for providing direction and feedback to the Director to ensure our programs are adequately prepared to begin, stay on track, and capable of responding/adapting to opportunities and challenges that arise.

Advocacy & Coalitions: CHI works collaboratively with partners, allies, and community members to achieve programmatic goals, advance vision in Mt Eden and beyond, and create a powerful community food movement in NYC. The Garden and Culinary Program Manager will be asked to participate in some of these meetings for information and as an advocate for our community.

Administrative Tasks: Assist in tracking spending and managing budgets and administrative tasks in line with program outcomes. Activities are tracked and success is monitored to ensure that projected outputs and outcomes are achieved; adjust accordingly. Assist program in assessing needs, opportunities and threats.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 2-3 years’ experience working with children in formal settings required; school-based experience strongly preferred
• Experience planning lessons and facilitating hands-on education through cooking, gardening, or composting required
• Experience with grants, expense tracking, general reporting is highly preferred
• Experience working in or engaging with a low-income community-based setting required
• Undergraduate degree in relevant field preferred
• Must have previous supervisory or leadership experience

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES INCLUDE:

• Strong interpersonal communication skills and proven ability to coordinate with partners including schoolteachers and administration
• Knowledge of or enthusiasm about food issues as related to healthy living and uplifting diaspora culinary traditions as an alternative to western diets; personal experience facing the negative aspects of the food system preferred
• Committed to principals of racial, social, and economic justice
• Bilingual English/Spanish speaker strongly preferred
• Organized, upbeat, and flexible individuals strongly preferred.
• Knowledge or experience with Popular Education theory of learning a plus
• Solid written communication skills
• Ability to work with frequent interruption, to make the best of limited space and supplies, and to simultaneously supervise a variety of tasks.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, problem solve and be flexible
• Bronx or Upper Manhattan native or resident preferred
• Intermediate computer skills including Microsoft Office and web-based applications

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Candidates must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be considered for employment. Proof of vaccination is required upon hiring. Applicants may seek medical or religious exemption from this requirement in accordance with applicable law.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

• The ability to sit, stand, walk and use hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone to talk and hear.
• The ability to frequently sit and reach with hands and arms.
• The ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

Working Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Must be able to utilize office equipment such as desktop/notebook computers, copiers, printers, scanners, telephones, and calculators.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Must be able to utilize digital communication platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Employment is at will and employees will undergo 45- and 90-day check-ins during their 90-day probationary period.

NOTICE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the environment and level of work being performed by this job. This job description in no way states or implies that the duties and responsibilities listed are the only tasks to be performed by the employee in this job. The employee will be required to follow other instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. This job description supersedes prior job descriptions. When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the job description will be reviewed and subject to changes of business necessity.

New Settlement is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions expected of an employee. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of you as an employee. You may be asked to perform other duties as required.

Full-Time

SALARY

$45,000.00 – $55,000.00 per year

POSITION

Garden and Culinary Program Manager

EXEMPT/NON-EXEMPT

Exempt

REPORTS TO

Stephanie Cataquet

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.