Farm Education Manager

ABOUT RED HOOK INITIATIVE (RHI)

Red Hook Initiative (RHI) is a community-based nonprofit working to improve the lives of the more than 6,500 residents of Red Hook Houses, Brooklyn's largest public housing complex. RHI believes that social change to overcome systemic inequities begins with empowered youth, and that change in communities should come from within. In partnership with community adults, we nurture young people in Red Hook to be inspired, resilient, and healthy, and to envision themselves as co-creators of their lives, community, and society.

Youth development, community building, and community hiring are at the core of RHI's approach to strengthen Red Hook's future. Our model gives young people and residents the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to interrupt the systems and barriers that perpetuate historic inequities for the community. Residents lead the way toward a more equitable, hopeful future. Over our 24-year history, RHI's model and dedicated team have been nationally recognized for its innovative, place-based approach to social change.

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JOB SUMMARY

The Farm Education Manager oversees all youth-focused educational programming at our two farm sites: the 2.75 acre Columbia Street Farm and the 1.1 acre Wolcott Street Farm. The Manager develops and leads hands-on programming for youth aged 5-18. The majority of the time is focused on the Youth Farmers teen apprenticeship, while also supervising our school workshop and middle school programming. The position recruits, hires, mentors, and supervises 12-24 youth farmers. In addition, the Manager is responsible for maintaining the education-focused beds on the farms, as well as leading curriculum development, program planning, strategic visioning, and evaluation. This position also supervises seasonal community education work such as culinary workshops, depending on overall staffing and funding. Regular data entry, email correspondence with participants, teachers, and colleagues, and other weekly admin work are critical responsibilities of this position. Other tasks may include communications work and educational signage development.

Spring and Fall schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays (8am - 4pm) are used for in-person school workshops, maintaining education beds, program planning, and occasionally supporting Friday volunteer sessions. Wednesday/Thursdays (11am-7pm) are for morning office work and in-person after-school (early evening) work sessions with the youth farmers. Saturdays are for in-person work sessions with the youth farmers; summer and fall Saturdays also include supervising youth at farm stands.

Summer schedule: Tuesdays are office/admin hours; Wednesday - Friday are in-person sessions with the youth farmers. Saturdays are for in-person work sessions with the youth farmers running Farm Stand.

Winter schedule: Fridays are rotated in person to support with the year round compost operation and volunteering. Otherwise 2 days work from home and 3 days in-person doing admin, curriculum planning, applications. Also encouraged to take vacations (bulk of vacation time should be taken in winter);

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Education Manager include but are not limited to:

• Work with the team to meet the needs of all youth-focused educational programming at the farms;
• Recruit, train, and supervise 12-24 teen apprentices;
• Supervise 1-3 young adult interns (youth farmer alum), focused on leadership and individual projects;
• Supervise 1-2 seasonal staff, focused on school workshops and culinary education;
• Build cohesive education team - schedule regular collaboration meetings with colleagues and seasonal educators, provide ongoing feedback and support development of action plans, identify strengths and challenges of team and strategize collaboratively for areas of growth and leadership;
• Develop and execute curriculum re: best practices in agriculture, foundational topics such as botany and compost, as well as meta topics such as food sovereignty, race and farming, and explorations of identity in the field;
• Design and conduct ongoing evaluation of all youth educational programming;
• Engage in a variety of farm tasks alongside the youth, including seeding, planting, composting, weeding, mowing, mulching, harvesting, processing, building, and repair;
• Maintain education-focused areas on the farms through regular weeding, planting, etc;
• Organize and lead off-site (and potentially overnight) team building trip(s) with youth;
• Develop and execute annual strategic plan to build an engaged cohort of primarily Red Hook youth trained in urban agricultural best practices;
• Serve as primary liaisons with other programmatic teams at Red Hook Initiative;
• Collaborate with peer organizations around the city for conferences, trips, learning opportunities, advocacy campaigns, and other public events or related activities;
• Support with grant proposals and reporting, site visits from funders, elected officials, peer programs, and others;
• Email, data entry, record-keeping, and other administrative tasks;
• Collaborate on special events on the farms such as fundraisers and community festivals;
• Participate in staff meetings, social media outreach, and program planning.
• Serve as primary staff supervising Youth Farmers on the operation of Saturday Farm Stand and CSA
• Plan and lead afterschool and summer programming in collaboration with RHI's middle school program;
• Plan and lead in-person school visits for k-8th graders;
• Outreach to local schools and coordinate seasonal curriculum based on teacher input.

COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes)

• Organized, detail-oriented - sets strong example for staff, volunteers, and youth;
• Ability to work collaboratively with those from various racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds;
• Able to balance being an educator, mentor, and supervisor for youth staff; understanding the unique opportunities and challenges of running educational programs within the context of a production-oriented farm;

• Comfortable using Google Drive;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Proficiency in spoken Spanish and/or Mandarin or Cantonese;
• Carpentry and other building skills;
• Has a valid Driver's License and able to drive a cargo/passenger van;
• Commitment to social justice;
• Able to lift up to 25 pounds;
• Familiar with the Red Hook community as well as NYC urban agriculture community.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• 3-5 years experience working with youth in an outdoor setting;
• 2-4 years in urban growing, vegetable production, or gardening;
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues towards shared goals;
• Versed in anti-oppression trainings and inquiry-based education;
• Experience working outside, in all types of weather.

WORKING CONDITIONS (ENVIRONMENT) & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The Red Hook Farms work environment is outdoors. The Education Manager must be able to work in inclement weather.
• The Education Manager must be able to work Tuesday-Saturday schedule through the growing season as well as lift up to 25 pounds;
• While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of the job the employee will be required to operate various farm equipment as well as a computer and other office equipment.
• This job is based on-site at Red Hook Farms in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The ideal candidate will either be a resident of Red Hook or one of its neighboring communities or will be within reasonable commuting distance to Red Hook Farms.

COMMITMENT TO DEI & EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

RHI is committed to building a culturally diverse community, and we believe in the power of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We understand that every individual brings a unique set of skills and experiences. While our job description lists specific qualifications, skills, and competencies, we also recognize that true potential can often transcend those lines. If you share our commitment to justice and community empowerment, even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

RHI strives to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our core values and commitment to our employees. The salary for this position is $61,000/annually. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, an Employee Assistance Program with 12 counseling sessions per year, a 403(b) retirement plan, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, 20 PTO days of paid time off, and "Summer Fridays" when possible. Additionally, RHI is closed for one week in August and November, and during the last week of the year for a holiday break, ensuring employees have time to rest and recharge.

TO APPLY

Please log on to the RHI career portal at: https://rhicenter.applicantpro.com/jobs/ for further instructions about how to apply for this position. Please be sure to attach your cover letter and resume as one combined pdf.

Date Issued: March 26, 2026