Job Details

Position Type:Contract to Permanent (90 daycontract to employment)
Hours: 20-25 hours per week
Location: On-Site at the Farm
Pay: $29.34/hr
Benefits: After contract period, when employment starts: Generous PTO, 50% of health insurance anddental paid on farm plan, or equivalent paid out as stipend,educational and wellness stipends
Reports to: Executive Director, Farm Manager

About Kindness Farm

Kindness Farm is a multicultural, queer-led regenerative community farm in SE Portland, cultivating the flourishing and upliftment of our communities through healing, land-centered work, environmental education, and access to fresh, nutritious food.

We believe that we are all threads of one great tapestry, woven together into one living system through soil, sunlight, water, and air. We care for our land and community as one living body. Our work is an act of love.

We provide the experience of growing food and tending land for kids, adults, and seniors. We focus on environmental learning and teach regenerative, holistic methods that heal the earth, preserve habitat, promote biodiversity, sequester carbon, and create climate resilience. Alongside our educational programming, we grow a large amount of fresh, nutrient-dense produce which is provided, at no cost, to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in our community through partner organizations.

We work with many school districts, immigrant and refugee groups, and other community organizations to provide this important access.

In the last 5 years we've..

• Provided environmental, regenerative education and the experience of growing food to over 5,000 children, adults, and seniors.
• Engaged a large, committed community of volunteers to create a resilient, healing space with 27,000 volunteer hours.
• Grown nutritious, healthy produce for over 80,000 meals, produce-boxes, and free food pantries.

About the Role

*Note: Only Bilingual applicants will be considered for this position.*

We're looking for a bilingual assistant farm manager/educator to join our team!The assistant manager is responsible for managing crop production at the farm, while also assisting with training and delegating tasks to other educators. The assistant manager also leads volunteers and educational groups from diverse cultural backgrounds (adult and youth) through on-farm activities, land-connection exercises, and educational experiences. Our programs center experiential, place-based learning, holistic, regenerative land care, and connection to self and community.

This is a unique opportunity to join a group of talented, passionate individuals creating significant change in our community in many ways. It's also an opportunity to join a workplace where we center openness, humanness, collaboration, personal and communal well being, and shared values – going against the grain of many employer/employee relationships.

*We're seeking someone who can grow with us, starting in a contract capacity with the opportunity for part-time employment after a successful introductory period.*

Diversity and Inclusivity

Kindness Farm is a safe, inclusive, healing space for many different kinds of people. Our founder, staff, students, and volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and include refugees, immigrants, queer and trans folx, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, neurodivergent individuals, people with disabilities, people with PTSD, people who currently or in the past have had a low income, youth, and seniors.

As we grow, we're looking for team members who are committed to honoring and celebrating the differences between us, and feel that they're well equipped to advocate for and elevate the groups we work with.

Key Responsibilities

On Farm

• Implementing planting plan created by farm manager
• Assisting with design and implementation of various farm areas
• Completing on farm maintenance tasks such as weeding, pruning, and watering
• Organizing prop house, seeds, tools, and more
• Cleaning up and organizing farm after groups and volunteer days (and implementing/ enforcing systems of cleaning amongst other land-tenders)
• Tracking data for mulching, native plants, and other specific planting areas
• Helping ensure cleanliness and safety of all farm areas

Leading & training

• Arriving to shifts at the scheduled times and ensuring the farm is prepared for groups or field trips (tools are out, etc.)
• Ensuring all waivers are signed and all visitors are checked in
• Leading, educating, and delegating tasks to volunteer groups
• Leading, educating, and delegating tasks to youth groups
• Leading, educating, and delegating tasks to corporate groups
• Leading workshops
• Assisting farm manager with training of new educators when assigned, including shadowing of new educators when assigned & providing feedback to farm manager
• Assisting farm manager in delegating tasks to educators when they are working on-site
• Communicating with & project managing core volunteers
• Leading, teaching, and delegating tasks to assigned interns & apprentices in farm tasks, and providing feedback to farm manager about progress
• Notifying lead project coordinator if there is a specific / specialized / repetitive task that can be delegated so they can find volunteers
• Taking ample photos during shifts and events and uploading them in appropriate Drive folder
• Facilitating space at the farm that is in line with the farm's mission and conducive to healing, education, and growth.
• Notifying Farm Manager if community conflict arises and/or community need arises to respond to appropriately

Administrative

• Attending weekly farm walks with farm manager and providing updates and feedback relating to roles and responsibilities
• Checking the educator post shift report form to update and assign daily tasks
• Entering harvest data into appropriate spreadsheet by assigned deadline
• Attending meetings and trainings pertaining to roles and responsibilities
• Coordinating pickups with harvest partners
• Coordinating tasks or needs via farm phone
• Coordinating, purchasing, and transporting materials

Skills & Qualifications

As an organization, we care more about your lived experience and what your strengths are vs your qualifications on paper.

• Required: must be bilingual. Spanish preferred, though we are looking for a variety of languages to serve our community.
• Experience farming, plants, and regenerative / holistic land care (at least 2 years)
• Very good working knowledge of plants, including food plants, flowers, weeds, and native plants
• Experience leading education programs and/or working with youth and/or adults in outdoor settings
• Preferred: Landscaping experience / work with native plants
• Preferred: experience delegating tasks and assisting with managing others
• Preferred: Ability and excitement to adjust to shifting needs week to week within the role description
• Meticulous and very detail orientedExperience and comfort with group and behavior management
• Interest in gardening, food, and environmental justice
• Excellent communication skills and enjoyment working with both children and adults
• Understanding and/or lived experience of systems of inequity and oppression, both intentional and unintentional, and system impacts on youth and communities
• Ability to comply with all school district and state requirements regarding COVID vaccinations and background checks
• Ability to work in a farm setting, walk or stand for extended periods of time, and work in inclement weather
• Strong collaboration skills, and working with different kinds of people from different backgrounds
• Self-motivated nature and an ability to work independently and complete your key responsibilities without supervision
• Experience or passion for social justice and equity work.