
Program Specialist
SustainEd Farms is a non-profit that addresses unequal access to sustainability curricula and fresh foods for students in the Greater Denver Area. SustainEd Farms is seeking a part-time 1099 independent contractor to lead programming and maintenance at school gardens across Denver. See below for additional information about the application process.
About the Opportunity
Organization: SustainEd Farms
Title: Program Specialist
Employment Type: Part-time 1099 independent contractor (hourly)
Schedule: 20-30 hours per week, Monday - Friday, with occasional weekend events
Contract Duration: March 18, 2025 – November 14, 2025
Pay Rate: $23.00-$25.00/hour, based on experience (bilingual candidates should expect an additional 5% increase to their base hourly rate, based on experience and proficiency: $24.00-$26.00/hour)
Location: Denver, CO
Reports to: Programs Manager & Executive Director
About SustainEd Farms:
SustainEd Farms is a Denver 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses gardens as a way of teaching students about nutrition and environmental sustainability while using the food produced to supplement communities that lack equitable access to fresh, healthy foods. We work with 43 Denver schools, grades pre-K through 12, supporting over 10,000 students. At these school gardens, we anticipate growing over 5,000 lbs of food this growing season, which will be distributed to school cafeterias, food banks, and no-cost farm stands. We are guided by our mission: Growing food. Growing knowledge. Growing justice.
Essential Functions and Objectives:
Throughout the growing season, SustainEd Farms is seeking engaging, enthusiastic, and committed team members to lead programming and maintenance at school gardens across Denver. Contractor will contribute to SustainEd Farms garden initiatives by:
-
Leading sustainability and nutrition programming with students at school garden sites, utilizing a provided curriculum
-
Maintaining school garden sites throughout the growing season, which includes the harvesting, packaging, and distribution of food grown
Responsibilities:
Contractor will work toward SustainEd Farms’ mission and vision, working closely with other SustainEd staff and contractors, stakeholders, and partner organizations. The deliverables that Contractor shall provide include the following:
-
Partner with other SustainEd Farms staff to lead student-centered, hands-on sustainability and nutrition programming at school gardens utilizing a provided curriculum
-
Contractor will arrange regular check-in meetings with the primary contact and submit a written report at the end of each month describing the deliverables completed and organizing activities conducted
-
Weekly preparation for food distribution, including harvesting, packaging, and coordinating crop donations to partner organizations
-
Watering, weeding, and maintaining a number of school gardens throughout the growing season
-
Other programming efforts that may be agreed upon by Contractor and the SustainEd Primary Contact
A Day in Your Life:
Below are hypothetical narratives of what a day in your life might look like as a Program Specialist with SustainEd Farms. They are not literal descriptions but rather meant to give you an idea of what the role may be like based on previous Program Specialist’s experiences.
-
During the school year: You are scheduled to co-lead garden programming at an elementary school from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. You arrive at the school at 8:15 am to check in at the front office and prepare for your first class to come outside. You run an activity (planting seeds with around 15 students while your co-lead makes a recipe with the other 15, then you switch) with six classes of varying grade levels, with a short break after the third class. You wrap things up at 12:30 pm and go home for the day, smiling as you remember how a few of your classes didn’t want to leave the garden and said it was the best part of their day! You enjoyed seeing students try new foods that they thought they wouldn’t enjoy but ended up loving. You are not scheduled for any programming tomorrow, so you decide to check on a few of your assigned school gardens, then watering and weeding the garden beds while you listen to your favorite podcast.
-
During the summer: You are responsible for maintaining four SustainEd Farms school gardens over the summer. Because school is not in session and there is no programming over the summer, you have some flexibility in your schedule. You decide to arrive at a school at 8 am to beat the heat and work until 9 am, watering, weeding, and maintaining the garden. At the whole team meeting earlier in the week, you had fun connecting with other team members, and you learned how to trellis tomatoes, so you applied that new skill to the garden. You then go to another one of your gardens nearby, which needs watering and weeding, as well as adding more seeds to the garden beds. While you are seeding, a neighbor is walking their dog and stops to ask you about the garden. You tell them about the work SustainEd Farms does with students around the city. The neighbor asks if there are opportunities to volunteer, and you direct them to our website, where they can sign up for monthly volunteer opportunities. You work until noon. Tomorrow, you will visit your other two gardens, and the next day, you will harvest what is ready so that you can combine it with other Program Specialists’ harvest and get it to food-insecure community members.
What It Means to Be a 1099 Independent Contractor:
This role is classified as a 1099 independent contractor position. We value and support our contractors by fostering clear communication, providing resources to succeed, and ensuring a collaborative working relationship. While recognizing a 1099 role doesn’t include the same benefits as a salaried employee, we make an effort to pay at or above a living wage in Denver. As a contractor, you will:
-
Be responsible for managing your own schedule and completing tasks as outlined in the contract.
-
Track your hours and work and invoice SustainEd Farms monthly.
-
Be responsible for your own tax withholdings and filings, as no taxes will be deducted from payments made by SustainEd Farms.
-
Not receive employee benefits such as health insurance, retirement contributions, or paid time off.
If you have questions about what it means to work as a 1099 contractor, we’re happy to discuss this during the interview process.
Knowledge, Experience, & Other Qualifications:
We deeply value the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from diverse backgrounds. This includes Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian people, LGBTQ+, gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities, and other cultural backgrounds. SustainEd Farms is an equal-opportunity employer.
Below is a list of preferred knowledge, experience, and other qualifications. However, we recognize that having qualifications does not always correlate to an ability to perform a job well. We encourage all capable, passionate individuals to apply.
-
Proficiency in Spanish (written, spoken, and comprehension); this skill will correlate to an increase in pay based on fluency
-
Prior experience working in an agricultural setting, including knowledge of gardening, farming, and care of chickens and goats, especially within Colorado.
-
Prior experience working with diverse students in a K-12 education setting, especially those within Denver.
-
The ability to lift heavy objects, like bags of compost
Required Qualifications:
-
The ability to be outdoors, regardless of weather, for extended periods of time
-
A high school degree or GED
-
The ability to pass a background check
-
Reliable transportation and the ability to travel between school sites in Denver
How to Apply:
This position is open until filled. Application interviews are anticipated to begin in mid-February 2025. Please send a resume and cover letter that explains your connection to SustainEd Farms’ work and how your experience relates to this position's responsibilities to Programs Manager Maya McDowell at maya@sustainedfarms.org. Please use the email subject line “Program Specialist 2025.”