Urban Farmer Educator

Green City Growers; Elizabeth, Northern (NJ, KY); Hybrid; USD 33,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

401(k) with 5% matching

ESOP after 1 year

Discretionary bonus program

Job summary

Green City Growers, based in Somerville, MA, hires two experienced farmer educators to run year-round programs with young children. Training occurs in Boston before supporting Elizabeth, NJ schools as programs begin in September, with independent fieldwork and strong community engagement.

The role is full-time (about 40 hours/week). It emphasizes outdoor gardening, indoor hydroponics, and hands-on learning for diverse learners in a school setting.

Qualifications

• Independently manage activities with initiative and reliability.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication with diverse stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented approach to lesson planning and gardening tasks.
• Experience teaching or leading programs for young children (Pre-K).

Responsibilities

• Plan and teach inclusive, hands-on gardening programs for Pre-K.
• Represent GCG on-site with partners and participants.
• Document tasks, lesson plans, and photograph gardens.
• Coordinate transportation to sites and assist with occasional travel.
• Ensure safety and adapt activities for weather and conditions.

Skills

Self-Starter

Time Management

Communication

Attention to Detail

Child Education Experience

Job description

Green City Growers is an employee owned (ESOP), Certified B Corporation, and the premier urban farming company based in Somerville, Massachusetts. People and culture come first here. Our purpose is to provide inspiring shared experiences to connect and educate people to grow food sustainably. We are a Farming-as-a-Service company that transforms indoor and outdoor spaces into thriving urban farms that provide schools, corporations, healthcare facilities, institutions and beyond with hyper-local produce and impactful experiences while revitalizing city landscapes.

This position is part of a pilot program in a school system that involves growing productive and beautiful raised bed vegetables gardens as a part of early education programs during the outdoor growing season, running indoor growing systems and conducting indoor early education programming for the wintertime, under the direction of Green City Growers.

Wage Range: $24-$29/hr

Department: Horticulture

Date of Opening: September 1, 2026

The Role:

Green City Growers, or GCG, has extensive experience with school garden programming and is looking to hire two experienced farmer educators who enjoy working with young children. This position is year round, full time at about 40 hours per week and will be managed remotely out of Boston. This is a perfect position for someone who is motivated by something larger than themselves, someone who loves the outdoors and engaging young children in hands-on growing in the garden, a self-starter with the ability to see their work through with a high degree of independence, a flexible attitude, and is looking for a great opportunity to grow. The ideal candidate will be excited to work with us on piloting this project with a long-term vision and commitment in Elizabeth, NJ schools. This position begins with a week-long training program in Boston, and then continues with ongoing support in Elizabeth, New Jersey as school programs begin in September.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Gardening: We train on a framework for crop planning, planting, maintenance, and harvesting at a variety of raised-bed gardens and indoor hydroponic units, according to GCG’s horticultural practices.
• Education and Programming: Plan and teach inclusive, age-appropriate, hands-on gardening programs for a primarily Pre-K audience, as well as indoor garden-themed sessions during inclement weather, aligned with GCG methods. Programs will include bilingual/English language learners, and students of all abilities. Training and support will be provided.
• Customer Service: Represent GCG on-site with partners and participants. Build positive relationships with school staff and administrators, as well as families and community members.
• Communication: For internal use, documents tasks and lesson plans for each site visit, and photograph gardens and programs. Communicate additional site needs and customer feedback to management as needed for continual internal improvement and for GCG’s communication with customers.
• Transportation: Applicants must have their own vehicle for getting to sites and transporting themselves and goods between sites. Occasional travel to Boston will be company paid.

DESIRED SKILLS:

• The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who will work independently using skills gained from in-house training, possess excellent time management, communication skills, a positive attitude, and maintain a keen sense of personal responsibility. Detail-oriented, with a commitment to high quality work and continuous improvement.
• Must love working with young children, ages 3-5.

DESIRED BACKGROUND:

• At least 2 years of experience leading programs for children or youth in a group setting such as school, after-school, camp, or outdoor/farm education program required.
• At least 2 years of experience in farming or professional garden work.
• Ability to work a schedule that meets school needs: early mornings, occasional nights for school events.
• Ability to perform physically challenging work in all weather conditions and to move up to 50 lbs. on a regular basis.
• Driver’s license and good driving record required. Following a conditional offer of employment, GCG may require a motor vehicle record check on all final candidates.
• Must be comfortable with their image being used on the company website and social media platforms.
• CORI check will be required.
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance for employees, spouses, and children after 90 days
• 401(k) retirement plan with 5% employer matching contribution after 30 days
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) after 1 year
• Discretionary bonus program

Green City Growers does not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.