Community Agriculture Program Manager

AfriThrive Inc; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, & vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Paid holidays

Personal days

Mileage reimbursement

Sabbatical opportunity

Impactful community work

Job summary

AfriThrive seeks a Community Agriculture Program Manager to lead its community and school garden programs in Maryland. You will develop workplans, manage curricula, coordinate volunteers, and build partnerships with schools and community organizations.

You will deliver hands-on agriculture education, coordinate workshops, track outcomes and expenditures, and ensure programs align with AfriThrive's mission of food justice and culturally relevant agriculture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in agriculture, horticulture, environmental studies, food systems, education, community development, or related field; equivalent relevant experience considered.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in community agriculture, school/community gardens, agricultural education, food systems, or community-based programming.
• Experience coordinating programs, projects, volunteers, participants, or community activities.
• Strong organizational, project-management, facilitation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage workplans, budgets, schedules, multiple sites, and program deliverables.
• Ability to work effectively with schools, community partners, volunteers, youth, and culturally diverse communities.
• Commitment to food security, health equity, culturally relevant agriculture, and AfriThrive's mission.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly among program sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead AfriThrive's community-facing agriculture programs, with primary responsibility for community and school gardens, education, and related engagement initiatives.
• Develop and manage program workplans, budgets, schedules, goals, and performance measures.
• Coordinate implementation across multiple sites and ensure activities remain on schedule.
• Track participation, activities, outputs, outcomes, and expenditures.
• Provide regular program updates and contribute to reporting to the Board and funders.
• Coordinate volunteers and interns, including onboarding, training, and supervision.
• Develop partnerships with schools, community organizations, and agriculture partners to expand sites and programs.

Skills

Organizational skills

Project management

Relationship-building

Communication

Budgeting & planning

Volunteer coordination

Community engagement

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in agriculture / related field

Equivalent relevant experience considered

Job description

All Jobs > Community Agriculture Program Manager

You are passionate about using agriculture to strengthen communities, educate young people and families, improve access to culturally relevant foods, and connect people to the land. You are an organized and engaging program professional who enjoys working with schools, community members, volunteers, partners, and diverse populations.

You bring experience in community agriculture, school or community gardens, agricultural education, sustainable agriculture, food systems, or related programming. You can turn ideas into organized programs, build relationships, coordinate multiple activities, and take ownership of results.

What You Will Do

The Community Agriculture Program Manager leads AfriThrive's community-facing agriculture programs, with primary responsibility for community gardens, school gardens, agriculture education, and related community engagement initiatives.

Community & School Gardens

• Manage AfriThrive's community and school garden programs, including annual workplans, seasonal calendars, activities, and program goals.
• Coordinate garden preparation, planting activities, educational programming, community participation, and ongoing site needs in collaboration with the Farm Operations team.
• Build strong relationships with schools, families, gardeners, community organizations, and site partners.
• Ensure gardens are welcoming, productive, educational, and aligned with AfriThrive's mission.

Agriculture Education & Community Engagement

• Develop and deliver hands-on gardening and agriculture lessons for students participating in school garden programs.
• Develop and coordinate workshops, demonstrations, and culturally relevant garden-based education for youth, families, and community members.
• Create age-appropriate learning activities connecting gardening with healthy eating, food systems, sustainability, and culturally significant foods.
• Coordinate farm and garden tours, community workdays, educational events, and other experiential learning activities.
• Support the development of beginning-farmer and broader community agriculture education initiatives as the program grows.

Program Management & Accountability

• Develop and manage program workplans, budgets, schedules, goals, and performance measures.
• Coordinate implementation across multiple community agriculture sites and ensure activities and deliverables remain on schedule.
• Track participation, activities, outputs, outcomes, and program expenditures.
• Identify challenges early, develop solutions, and continuously improve program quality and effectiveness.
• Provide regular program updates and contribute to organizational, Board, and funder reporting.

Volunteer & Participant Coordination

• Coordinate agriculture-related volunteers and interns in partnership with the Community Engagement team.
• Lead site-specific volunteer onboarding, orientation, and training on garden activities, tools, safety procedures, and program expectations.
• Develop clear volunteer assignments, schedules, training materials, and work plans based on program and seasonal needs.
• Provide ongoing supervision, coaching, and support to ensure volunteers are safe, engaged, and effectively contributing to community and school garden activities.
• Coordinate volunteer leads and interns, as appropriate, to support larger workdays, garden activities, and special projects.
• Track volunteer participation, training, assignments, and contributions and provide feedback to the Community Engagement team.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen volunteer engagement, retention, leadership development, and community participation.

Partnerships & Community Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with schools, community organizations, garden/site partners, universities, agricultural organizations, local government, and other community stakeholders.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for partners supporting AfriThrive’s community and school garden programs.
• Identify and develop new partnerships that expand garden sites, education, volunteers, technical assistance, resources, and community participation.
• Coordinate partner activities, meetings, site visits, workshops, and joint community agriculture initiatives.
• Represent AfriThrive at relevant community, school, agriculture, and food systems meetings and events.
• Work with the Senior Manager, Agriculture & Food Systems and Development team to identify partnership and funding opportunities that strengthen and expand community agriculture programs.
• Work closely with the Farm Operations Manager to coordinate plants, materials, technical support, site preparation, irrigation, and other production needs for community and school gardens.
• Collaborate with Food as Medicine, Healthy Food Access, Community Engagement, and other AfriThrive teams to connect agriculture with broader organizational programs.
• Work with the Impact & Innovation team to strengthen data collection, evaluation, and learning.
• Support agriculture-related grants and ensure assigned activities, documentation, and deliverables are completed on time.

Requirements

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in agriculture, horticulture, environmental studies, food systems, education, community development, or related field; equivalent relevant experience considered.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in community agriculture, school/community gardens, agricultural education, food systems, or community-based programming.
• Experience coordinating programs, projects, volunteers, participants, or community activities.
• Strong organizational, project-management, facilitation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage workplans, budgets, schedules, multiple sites, and program deliverables.
• Ability to work effectively with schools, community partners, volunteers, youth, and culturally diverse communities.
• Commitment to food security, health equity, culturally relevant agriculture, and AfriThrive's mission.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly among program sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing community or school garden programs.
• Experience developing and delivering agriculture or environmental education.
• Knowledge of regenerative, sustainable, or organic agriculture.
• Experience working with immigrant, refugee, and underserved communities.
• Familiarity with grants, program budgets, data collection, evaluation, and reporting.
• Knowledge of culturally significant crops and community-based food systems.

What Success Looks Like

During the first year, the Community Agriculture Program Manager will:

• Establish strong workplans, calendars, budgets, and performance measures for AfriThrive's community and school garden programs.
• Ensure community and school garden sites are well organized, actively used, and delivering meaningful educational and community outcomes.
• Increase participation by youth, families, volunteers, and community members.
• Build strong relationships with schools, community organizations, and agriculture partners.
• Establish consistent systems for program documentation, data collection, evaluation, and reporting.
• Deliver agriculture education, workshops, garden activities, and community events successfully and on schedule.
• Demonstrate readiness to expand AfriThrive's community agriculture portfolio as organizational capacity grows.

WORK CONDITIONS

This role may require frequent standing, walking, stooping, and lifting objects up to 50 pounds. The employee must be able to stand for up to three hours continuously and perform tasks requiring fine motor skills and vision adjustments. Work often occurs in varying environmental conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, snow, and ice, for periods of up to three hours.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

AfriThrive offers a competitive benefits package, including:

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid vacation, increasing with tenure
• Paid sick leave
• Twelve (12) paid holidays annually
• Three (3) personal days
• Mileage reimbursement for approved work-related travel
• A sabbatical opportunity every six years to support long-term renewal and growth
• Opportunity to help build an innovative, community-centered agriculture program with lasting impact.

About AfriThrive

AfriThrive is a nonprofit organization working to advance food justice, improve access to culturally appropriate and nutritious foods, strengthen community health, and create opportunities for individuals and families to thrive. Through food access, Food as Medicine, sustainable agriculture, youth development, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, AfriThrive works alongside communities to build healthier and more equitable food systems.

AfriThrive is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Employment decisions are made based on organizational needs, job requirements, individual qualifications, and merit without unlawful discrimination.