Environmental Education Assistant

Location: Brookside & Cottage Home

Salary: $14.75/hour

Position Type: Part-Time, Non-Exempt

Role And Responsibilities

Reporting to the Farms Coordinator, the PSOE Environmental Education Assistant will help with the institution’s implementation of the Paramount Schools Farm program to include the maintenance and keeping of gardens, animals, and other ancillary systems; primarily, coverage of the required dairy and animal maintenance tasks over the weekend.

Responsibilities

Site maintenance

• Complete weekend, morning, and afternoon goat milking routines and animal maintenance tasks at both the Brookside and Cottage Home farms
• Complete weekend support tasks, as assigned by the Farms Coordinator
  
  
  

Program participation

• Abide by all PSOE frameworks as approved by the CEO and as noted in the staff handbook.
• Be prepared to assist all staff with elements of the PSOE Farm and organization.
• Assist with operations of onsite farmers markets
• Assist with afterschool classes, when scheduled
  
  
  

Communication

• Identify, assess, and inform the Farms Coordinator of internal and external issues that affect the organization.
• All Urban Farm team members will be prepared to act as a spokesperson for the organization’s farm operations.
• Maintain ongoing, consistent communication with PSOE leadership as noted in the school’s frameworks.
• Actively engage and energize PSOE volunteers, board members, event committees, stakeholders, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Utilize effective systems as delegated to troubleshoot problems, track progress, and regularly evaluate workflow components, to measure progress in a way that can be effectively communicated to the Farms Coordinator.
  
  
  

Human resources planning and management

• Maintain a positive, healthy, and safe work environment by following all appropriate legislation and regulations.
  
  
  

Qualifications And Education Requirements

• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and production.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Multidisciplinary project skills.
• Action-oriented, adaptable, and innovative approach to planning.
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
• Passion, idealism, integrity, grit, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed.
• Annual training and/or professional development is required for all PSOE employees. Job-specific training is identified and scheduled by the School Principal or direct supervisor in partnership with Paramount C-suite.
  
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Physically worked with animals.
• Proficiency in gardening, farming, and both health and wellness and sustainable practices.
• Knowledge of current community challenges and opportunities relating to the mission of the organization.
  
  
  

Additional Notes

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements: 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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Must have the ability to sit, stand, and stoop for extended periods of time; exhibit manual dexterity to milk goats, to make cheese, to garden; to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors and on the telephone; speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors and on the telephone; the physical agility to lift up to 30 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height; and to bend, stoop, sit on the ground, climb stairs, walk and reach overhead.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Environmental Education Assistant usually works in non-standard workplaces and will frequently be required to complete physically demanding tasks in both fair and foul weather. The Environmental Education Assistant works a part-time work week, but additionally may work evenings, weekends, and any additional hours necessary to accommodate activities such as farm maintenance, animal care, public meetings, and representing the organization at public events.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. Paramount Employees will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the Principal or appropriate administrator. Paramount Schools of Excellence reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time.