Market Garden Outreach Coordinator

About Us: Urban Roots is a Saint Paul organization whose mission is to cultivate and empower youth through nature, healthy food, and community. Urban Roots focuses its programs on the East Side of Saint Paul, MN and our vision is a world where all communities have unlimited access to nature and healthy food.  We place the tools of personal and community development in the hands of young people and families.

Urban Roots, formerly the Community Design Center of Minnesota, was incorporated in 1969. Over the past 50 years, Urban Roots has provided a range of community development services in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and southern Minnesota, including architecture, urban planning, economic development, and organizational development—with a common thread of empowerment, engagement, and innovation. Since 1996, we’ve operated our food and environmental programs on the East Side of Saint Paul, engaging thousands of under-resourced youth in education, training, and work projects that provide service to the community, develop young leaders, and improve health and the environment. We offer three programs to engage and support youth in paid internships—Market Garden, Cook Fresh, and Conservation.

Position Summary:

The Market Garden Outreach Coordinator serves as an ambassador for Urban Roots. We’re looking for someone who is excited about sharing the story of Urban Roots with visiting groups, customers and community members.  To accomplish this, the Outreach Coordinator will staff our farmers market booths, lead visiting field-trips and volunteer groups, and attend community events, with and without the youth in our program. 

Schedule: Seasonal, 40hrs/wk from April-October. During the market season (June – October), work schedule will be Tuesday-Saturday, with early morning Saturday shifts to run the Farmers Market stand. Before the market season, the schedule is Monday-Friday from 8-4, with occasional adjustments for evening or weekend events. 

Compensation: $20.23/hr, 4 paid holidays, and sick time accrued at 1hr/every 30 hrs worked

Essential Functions:

• Lead weekly Farmers Market shifts with Urban Roots youth interns on Saturdays starting in the early morning
• Positively represent Urban Roots at community events
• Run market pop-ups at other events organized by Urban Roots or other community partners, often on weekends and/or evenings
• Research and implement best practices for farmers market sales
• Deliver produce to wholesale partners as needed
• Lead community-based education events within the scope of the Market Garden program
  • Volunteer events
  • Field trips
  • Community events
• Assisting with farm work
  •  Learning best practices of on-farm work is essential to being a leader in the field. When not leading groups, Outreach Coordinator may be working on the farm with other staff or independently
• Attend youth shifts
  • Participate in youth shifts, get to know the youth and understand Urban Roots programming in order to best tell our story

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 years of experience working at farmers markets or similar work
• Experience leading groups and/or teaching
• Confidence speaking in front of groups 
• Passion for building community and connecting with people
• Familiarity with the St Paul East Side
• Experience coordinating events
• Knowledge of youth development best practices
• Eagerness to help build a more equitable food system
• Commitment to Urban Roots’ values: collaboration, inclusion, stewardship, experiential learning, continuous improvement, transparency, diversity, social justice and equity, and fun
• Experience working with community partners in collaborative efforts and programs
• Excitement to work outside
• Valid driver’s license with a proven history of safe driving. Experience driving transit vans and driving with trailers is preferred
• CPR/First Aid Certification or willingness to obtain certification
• Availability to work early mornings and weekends during the growing season.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds

To apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume and three professional references to Marcos Giossi at mgiossi@urbanrootsmn.org. Please include “Market Garden Outreach Coordinator” in the subject line. No phone calls please.

Urban Roots is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to build a staff reflective of our values of equity and inclusion with regard to race, culture, ethnicity, class religion, physical ability, age,  gender identity and sexual orientation. Urban Roots is committed to fostering the leadership of BIPOC individuals (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, and others living in marginalized communities.