Position Type:
Central Office Operations

Date Posted:
4/30/2018

Location:
Educational Service Center

Date Available:
Upon Hire

Hours per Day:
8 hours per day ; $49,647 annually

Days of the Week:
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday

Shift Times:
8 am to 4:30 pm

Days per Year:
260

First consideration will be given to applicants that apply by midnight of May 14, 2018.

POSITION SUMMARY: The School Gardens Specialist will be responsible for developing a district-wide K-12 school gardens program. This program will support Goals 2 and 4 of the Strategic Plan by nourishing the whole child through developing calming natural spaces, providing produce to families in our community, and by supporting content mastery in multiple subjects through hands-on and engaging learning experiences. The primary responsibilities of this position include developing systems to support and maintain existing school gardens in Federal Way Public Schools, collaborating with content facilitators to develop lessons that integrate school gardens into curriculum guides, and forming partnerships with community organizations to support the gardens and distribute produce.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. This list is meant to be representative, not exhaustive. Some incumbents may not perform all the duties listed while in other cases related duties may also be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Create and maintain a detailed inventory of existing school gardens.Develop a school garden program infrastructure including:
  • Expectations around maintenance and managementPositions/task descriptions for volunteersGarden coordination and trainingVolunteer management and trainingDistrict water usage and resource management parametersProcesses and procedures regarding new school gardens
  Support lesson development in partnership with content facilitators to integrate the school gardens into curriculum guides for multiple subjects with a focus on STEM/STEAM.Develop and maintain partnerships including
  • Teaching for Learning to develop and implement garden-based lessonsMaintenance and FacilitiesCommunity-based organizations for support, volunteers, and fundraisingDecatur's CTE Agriculture Program to deepen the partnership between the high school scholars and other school gardens
  Support garden summer learning programsSupport the Storming the Sound with Salmon program by assisting with fish tank set-up and maintenanceWork with schools and Teaching for Learning to coordinate grant opportunitiesPerform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Education and Experience
Associate's degree in a related field
Three (3) years of experience in Pacific Northwest or comparable sustainable/organic gardening

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree in related field
Experience working with diverse populations and food cultures
Training and Experience in Outdoor Education
Teaching experience with scholars and adults
Experience designing and facilitating trainings
Experience in Curriculum and lesson development
Experience in Program Management and Development
Master Gardener Certification

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:
Criminal background clearance
Work scheduled hours on a consistent basis
Valid Washington State Driver's License

KNOWLEDGE OF:
Pacific Northwest sustainable/organic gardening
Pedagogy for youth and adult learning
Outdoor Education programs
Program management and development
Community gardens and food cultures

ABILITY TO:
Excellent communication skills both verbal and in writing
Demonstrate basic knowledge of technology and willingness and ability to increase knowledge to proficiency
Be able to work well under pressure and communicate concisely with individuals via the telephone, in written document or face to face.
Work in an environment with minimal supervision accomplishing the goals and objectives of the program
Follow written and oral directions and instructions
Maintain excellent customer service skills
Manage a variety of projects at the same time demonstrating excellent organization skills
Establish and maintain a cooperative and effective working relationship with a diverse community consisting of the public, staff, students, co-workers and supervisors

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES RELATED TO CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND EQUITY:
Knowledge/awareness of own cultural identity and how this influences behavior, and desire to learn about the cultural identity of others.
Ability to establish and nurture an environment that promotes cultural competence and equitable treatment of staff, students, and patrons of the District.
Ability to understand and hold self and others accountable for promoting the Federal Way Public Schools' commitment to "Each Scholar: A Voice. A Dream. A Bright Future."
Ability to recognize that each person is a unique individual even as we celebrate their group cultural heritage.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will regularly stand and walk, bend neck and back, use hands for repetitive grasping and pushing/pulling. The employee will occasionally be required to sit for extended periods of time and use a computer screen and keyboard. The employee may regularly be required to squat, kneel, and use hands for fine manipulation, climb stairs/ladder, lift and reach overhead, and lift/carry. The employee must constantly lift/carry up to 5 pounds and must frequently lift /carry up to 20 pounds. The employee will occasionally lift/carry a maximum of 35 lbs. The employee is occasionally required to push/pull a maximum weight of 150 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in indoor and outdoor conditions. Work near a video display. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This position may experience flexible hours and regular interruptions. Will occasionally deal with angry and frustrated people. The employee may be required to work flexible hours including weekends.

WORK SCHEDULE
This position typically works, 8 hours per day, Monday through Friday, 260 days per year

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP
This position reports to, and is evaluated by Executive Director for Teaching for Learning

REPRESENTATION
Unrepresented

LEVEL OF COMPENSATION
Specialist - $49,647

CLASSIFICATION HISTORY
New position 3.2018

Disclaimer
The preceding list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary. The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the scope of responsibility and the level of knowledge and skills typically required, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements, skills or duties so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside their normal responsibilities from time to time as needed.

All employment open positions are made available on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or veteran status.

Job descriptions are written as a representative list of the ADA essential duties performed by the entire classification. They cannot include, and are not intended to include, every possible activity and task performed by every specific employee.