Position:
Garden Coordinator
Job details:
Working hours: 15 hours / week
Salary: 9000 SEK (gross) / month
Location: Suderbyn Ecovillage, Gotland, Sweden (no remote work allowed)
Context:
The Garden Coordinator works to ensure Suderbyn Ekoby’s capacity to provide a meaningful learning experience for ESC (European Solidarity Corps) volunteers in organic and permaculture gardening as a means to provide as much home grown food as possible for the inhabitants of the ecovillage. It also acts as an integral member of the community, being involved in structural, organisational and social aspects of Suderbyn.
The Garden Coordinator will be part of the Suderbyn community, which includes not only employees and volunteers, but other permanent residents.
As the NGO RELEARN Suderbyn is recruiting, its RELEARN Council has the ultimate employer responsibility.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Coordinating the garden activities within the frame of the ESC volunteering programme.
- Contributing directly to the practical garden work: sowing, bed preparation, planting, harvesting, plant care, watering, fertilizing, fixing and building garden infrastructure, designing, purchasing supplies etc.
- Involving volunteers and community members in daily garden work and management as well as educational activities to ensure that the community is connected to the garden.
- Planning and evaluating the season and coordinating daily work, instructing and delegating to volunteers and community members
Creating a process-oriented, pedagogical work environment with learning opportunities related to permaculture and sustainable food production. - Documenting learnings and developments and sharing them regularly with the community and eventually with the next garden coordinator.
Contributing to the maintenance and development of the required infrastructure, acquiring the equipment and ensuring their maintenance.
Communicating current harvest potential with the food order team to adjust to the purchasing requirements in terms of food. - Mandating the building/infrastructure team for big building/repairing projects connected to food production, storage and processing.
Defining a yearly budget with the Cooperative board based on available resources, other projects and current ambitions.
Defining yearly objectives with the Cooperative board and the food ordering team to increase Suderbyn’s self-reliance step by step and to reduce food imports and purchasing costs. - Defining yearly objectives with the Foundation board for the long term development of the land of Suderbyn regarding biodiversity, water holding capacities and general resilience.
Requirements and qualifications:
- Living in Suderbyn, integrating into the community, participating in its daily activities and contributing to essential tasks shared by all residents and volunteers
- Willingness to be part of a team and to coordinate volunteers. Past experience is an asset.
- Ability to plan, organize and structure work processes.
- Practical experience of sustainable food production and permaculture. A minimum experience of 1 year/growing season is required.
- Pedagogical competence ; Proactive and responsible attitude.
- Ability to work in an English speaking environment. Swedish is an asset
- Driver’s license (B) is an asset.
- WIllingness to work outside of a 9-17 schedule, with frequent extra hours depending on the needs of the season (compensated by less working hours during the winter)
- Committing to at least two/three growing seasons and committing to ensure the transition of the garden activities with the next garden coordinator.
How to apply:
Please send your CV or Bio and a Motivation Letter to info@suderbyn.se. The deadline is the 30th of September.