Genesis Gardens Coordinator

Mobile Loaves & Fishes; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Mobile Loaves & Fishes seeks a Genesis Gardens Coordinator to join Community First! Village. The role coordinates volunteers, supports day-to-day garden operations, and fosters hospitality and connection through gardens.

You will work with the Gardens Steward and Sr. Programs Manager, organize planting plans, harvests, and logistics, and help create a welcoming, beautiful space for neighbors, volunteers, and visitors.

Qualifications

• Multiple years of gardening, horticulture, landscaping, or related field experience.
• Hospitality, nonprofits, church ministry, education or related fields a plus.
• Bachelor's degree preferred but not required.
• Must have a valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate volunteers with the Gardens Steward to provide information, resources, and opportunities for meaningful engagement.
• Cultivate connections between volunteers, neighbors, and the Community First! Village community.
• Empower volunteers and neighbor contractors by creating a welcoming, valued, equipped environment.
• Facilitate opportunities for volunteers to work together, fostering connection, dignity, and purposeful work.
• Coordinate day-to-day needs of neighbor contractors with information, materials, tools, and resources.
• Coordinate harvest and Farmers Market logistics, ensuring good food is harvested and distributed.
• Organize garden supplies, tools, materials, and inventory for the Gardens' care.
• Identify operational needs and solve logistical problems to sustain mission-aligned work.
• Maintain gardens as beautiful, welcoming spaces and address maintenance needs.

Skills

Gardening knowledge

Hospitality experience

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Suite

Asana

Job description

Genesis Gardens Coordinator

Scope & Purpose

The Mobile Loaves & Fishes Genesis Gardens program exists at Community First! Village to cultivate connection in a beautiful and hospitable environment by inviting all to the banquet table, serving opportunities for engagement, dignity, and good food. The Genesis Gardens Coordinator is a key member of the Gardens team who works in partnership with the Steward to coordinate volunteers and neighbors, facilitate meaningful engagement, and support the day-to-day care and operation of the Gardens.

The right candidate is a dependable team player who takes ownership of day-to-day work, has a love for gardening, and is passionate about sharing that love with others. They connect easily with a wide range of people, create a welcoming environment, and take pride in keeping the Gardens productive, beautiful, and inviting while contributing to a collaborative and supportive team.

This is a full-time, non-exempt position reporting to the Sr. Programs Manager. Due to the nature and requirements of the position, hours are 8am-5pm Tues-day-Saturday during the winter months and 7am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday in the summer months. Some nights and weekends may be required. The Genesis Gardens Coordinator will office at Community First! Village located at 9301 Hog Eye Road, Austin, TX 78724.

Duties & Responsibilities

Community Engagement and Empowerment

• Coordinate volunteers, working with the Genesis Gardens Steward to ensure they have the information, resources, and opportunities needed for meaningful engagement.
• Cultivate connections between volunteers, neighbors, and the broader Community First! Village community.
• Empower volunteers and neighbor contractors by creating an environment where people feel welcomed, valued, equipped, and encouraged to contribute.
• Facilitate opportunities for volunteers and neighbor contractors to work together, fostering connection, dignity, and purposeful work.
• Coordinate the day-to-day needs of neighbor contractors, ensuring they have the information, materials, tools, and resources needed to succeed.
• Facilitate communication with volunteers, neighbors, and partners, ensuring information is clear, timely, and consistent.
• Welcome guests and tour groups, communicating how Genesis Gardens cultivates connection through beauty, hospitality, purposeful work, and good food.
• Collaborate with the GG Steward, Volunteer Team and other MLF teams to create opportunities for engagement, service, and connection.
• Contribute to a culture of hospitality and empowerment, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to contribute, connect, and find a place at the banquet table.

Garden & Program Operations

• Coordinate daily Gardens operations in partnership with the Steward, ensuring people, resources, systems, and information are in place for productive and mission-aligned work.
• Work with the Steward to organize daily priorities, schedules, and work plans, taking ownership of assigned responsibilities and ensuring follow-through.
• Support planting, harvesting, pest management, garden maintenance, and other growing activities.
• Work with the Steward to coordinate the resources needed to implement the seasonal planting plan, including plants, seeds, materials, labor, and schedules.
• Help translate the seasonal planting plan into day-to-day garden operations, identifying adjustments needed based on weather, crop performance, available labor, and other conditions.
• Apply and continue developing practical knowledge of vegetable production, seasonal growing, pest and disease management, soil health, irrigation, and garden maintenance.
• Coordinate harvest and Farmers Market logistics, ensuring good food is harvested, organized, documented, and distributed to Community First! Village neighbors.
• Organize garden supplies, tools, materials, and inventory, ensuring the team has what it needs to care for the Gardens and carry out meaningful work.
• Identify operational needs and solve logistical problems, ensuring Genesis Gardens has the systems and resources necessary to cultivate connection, dignity, hospitality, engagement, and good food.
• Ensure the Gardens are maintained as a beautiful, welcoming, and inspirational space, identifying maintenance needs and ensuring they are addressed consistently.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Principles

MLF is a faith-based organization whose ideals and philosophy come directly from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an organization, we strive to reflect this precept in our communications, both internally and externally.

Who You Are

• Committed to serving those who have experienced homelessness and have a personal alignment with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build positive working relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of experience.
• Desire and ability to continually improve the experience of volunteers, neighbors, guests and donors.
• Demonstrates integrity, strives for excellence, and takes personal responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of their work.

What You Know

• Multiple years of experience in gardening, horticulture, landscaping, farming, or a related field. The ideal candidate combines practical gardening knowledge with strong organizational, interpersonal, and project-management skills.
• Experience in hospitality, nonprofits, church ministry, education or related fields a plus.
• Bachelor's degree preferred but not required.
• Must have a valid driver's license.

How You Work

• Skilled in customer service and hospitality practices.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Skilled with emails and spreadsheets for communication and record-keeping.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Asana preferred.
• Ability to safely operate hand tools, power tools, and heavy machinery.
• Ability to maintain safety standards and enforce policies with consistency and professionalism.
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and solution-oriented under pressure.
• Experience in scheduling, organizing and leading groups of people.
• Ability to work collaboratively on a team while remaining self-motivated and dependable.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, shifting needs, and competing demands.
• Willingness to take ownership of responsibilities and identify creative solutions, even when limited information and resources are available.
• Ability to anticipate needs, identify potential challenges, and take initiative to address them before they become barriers to effective work.
• Comfortable teaching others and giving guidance.
• Comfortable navigating conflict.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Able to work outdoors for extended periods in varying weather conditions.
• Ability to frequently lift, move, and transport up to 50 lbs. throughout the day.
• Ability to move about all phases of Community First! Village properties freely and comfortably.
• Must wear attire that is presentable but suitable for messy, outdoor, hands-on work; close-toed shoes required for safety.
• Ability to learn how to operate a golf cart, ATV, and heavy machinery.

MLF PURPOSE / VISION

We empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

MLF MISSION

We provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

GOALS

• Transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless.
• Reconnect the homeless to self, family and community.
• Help the chronically homeless rediscover and utilize their God-given talents to do purposeful work.
• Connect human to human, heart to heart through the fellowship of food and hospitality.
• Inspire people into a lifestyle of abundance by giving their best first.

BELIEF STATEMENTS

• God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.
• By virtue of being created by God in His image, we are all called to live in community and relationship with Him through each other.
• The family is the original cell of social life.
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
• All members of the human family are equal in dignity.
• The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Gen 2:15.

CORE VALUES

• Faith: We define Faith as the foundational belief thatour world and all our work belong to God. This allows us to engage our work withjoy and lightheartedness, knowing that we are not ultimately in control.
• Humility: We define Humility as rightly viewing oneself as a single piece of agrander story. This humility leads to a view of oneself that is neither too high nortoo low.
• Generous Spirit: We define a Generous Spirit as a readiness to give more grace,mercy, and hospitality than is necessary or expected. This posture allows us to seeothers for who they are, not what they do.
• Integrity: We define Integrity as a wholehearted commitment to doing right byGod, ourselves, and others. This wholeheartedness shows itself in consistentlychoosing honesty, responsibility and ownership in all actions and decisions.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MLF is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen based on ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation in accordance with federal and state law.