Garden Maintenance Manager

The Seattle Urban Farm Company (SUFCo.) specializes in installing and maintaining vegetable gardens and perennial fruit plantings for residents of Seattle and its surrounding neighborhoods. We’re currently seeking an individual interested in urban agriculture to help develop our Garden Maintenance Manager position. The Garden Maintenance Manager will be responsible for the care and maintenance of SUFCo.’s residential vegetable gardens and home orchards. The Manager will communicate directly with clients and develop maintenance plans to meet their individual needs. In some cases, you’ll be working directly with clients to educate them about all aspects of growing vegetables in a home garden; in other cases you’ll be working alone or with a crew of two to three people in the gardens. This position is new to the company, so you’ll have the opportunity to help develop efficient systems for planning, scheduling, and record-keeping. This position is ideal for someone experienced in vegetable production and excited to grow food in the city.

Duties/Responsibilities:
The Maintenance Manager will be responsible for maintaining clients’ vegetable gardens in a productive and aesthetically pleasing fashion. This includes soil fertility management, pest scouting and organic control, organic disease management, weeding, pruning, irrigation management, and harvesting. You’ll be responsible for keeping close record of the clients’ expectations for their gardens and managing them accordingly, and for maintaining weekly phone or email contact with each client to let them know what’s happening in their garden. If the client is interested in learning more about their garden or helping take on garden responsibilities, you’ll be working directly with them to provide an educational experience.
Depending on scheduling, you’ll either be working alone or managing a crew of one to two people. You’ll occasionally be asked to assist on installations (this can involve clearing sod/old landscaping, hauling soil and compost, setting up irrigation systems, and working with timber or rock to construct raised beds).

Qualifications:
Applicants must
-Have experience in all aspects of growing vegetables organically for production on either a farm or home garden scale
-Have ability to communicate basic organic growing concepts to clients for educational purposes
- Be able to interact frequently and maintain good relationships with demanding clients
-Be able to operate pickup trucks with manual and automatic transmissions
-Be able to work independently and manage small crews
-Possess basic computer skills (be able to use email, Microsoft Word and Excel)
-Be able to lift up to 50 pounds onto the bed of a pickup truck
-have excellent record-keeping skills

Other Information:
The Garden Maintenance Manager is a full-time, seasonal position starting January 2010. Compensation is dependent on experience.

To Apply:
Please submit a resume and cover letter to Brad Halm (brad@seattleurbanfarmco.com), or call us at 206-816-9740. Thanks!