Greenhouse Coordinator

Department: Facilities

Classification: GMU Worker

Job Category: Part-Time / Hourly Wage

Job Type: Part-Time

Work Schedule:15-30 hours per week, year-round, with occasional weekend and evening work required

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason’s Facilities & Campus Operations department is committed to providing a safe, functional, and clean community experience at the university.

About the Position:

Are you ready to settle into a new opportunity for 2025 on a beautiful college campus with 677 acres of wooded land? Then start a new job working for our committed sustainability team. We’ve got the work. We have a great team. Now, we need an additional team member to contribute to our busy environment. We want someone who is reliable, takes pride in their work, and will make a noticeable contribution to the educational facilities at George Mason. Your manager can trust that you will get the job done.

This is a part-time, hourly position, 15-30 hours per week, year-round, with occasional weekend and evening work required. 

The Greenhouse and Gardens program within University Sustainability at George Mason University is hiring a Greenhouse Coordinator to help maintain the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse and supervise volunteers. It will occasionally support the multiple garden sites and events, as well.  

The Greenhouse and Gardens program is a non-profit, educational effort that maintains four major sustainable food production sites: the Innovation Food Forest, the Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden, the Foragers’ Forest, and the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse. Each year, the program hosts thousands of volunteers, dozens of interns, and numerous special events to teach the community about sustainable agriculture.

Through multiple sites and a dedicated team, the program provides on-campus, year-round educational opportunities for Mason students and visitors to learn about small-scale, sustainable agriculture operations

Responsibilities:

This position will ensure the continued successful operation of the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse by coordinating all grow operations, leading the regular volunteer shifts and actively engaging in outreach and research to highlight and improve the program. Occasionally, the Greenhouse Coordinator will provide support to the gardens on-campus, other sustainable landscaping sites, and sustainability-related events.

About 70% of the coordinator’s time will be spent in-person, on-foot, performing the following actions in the greenhouse:  

• Arriving on time and ready to host weekly volunteer shifts and tours according to the schedule;
• Teaching and directing visitors, volunteers and interns about sustainable agriculture while ensuring the completion of daily tasks;
• Planning and caring for crops; sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, applying organic pesticides, cleaning & monitoring hydroponic & aquaponic equipment, and harvesting produce;
• Ensuring proper sanitation and adherence to established safety and recordkeeping protocols;
• Supporting other aspects of the greenhouse such as housekeeping, compost operations, inventory, storage and equipment repair, etc; and
• Providing group tours, and assisting with promotion and events, such as tabling and cooking events.

About 30% of the coordinator’s work time will be spent conducting administrative work, such as:  

• Meeting biweekly and corresponding as needed with the Greenhouse & Gardens Program manager and team to discuss goals, scheduling, tasks, projects, events, performance, etc;
• Responding to emails and messages in a timely manner from the supervisor, the team and participants; and
• Supporting the preparation of weekly emails and harvest estimates to Sodexo, our dining partner. 

On an occasional basis, this position will serve as additional staff support for garden site maintenance and occasional events, where they will engage in: 

• Planning, preparing and hosting events; and
• Pulling weeds, planting, mulching, etc.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Punctuality and reliability;
• Prior experience in horticulture or food production;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Strong organizational skills, particularly prior experience with inventory management;
• Prior experience coordinating, leading, and training volunteers; 
• Prior experience using Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Outlook; and
• Ability to lift ~50 lbs.  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience volunteering or interning at the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse; 
• Prior experience managing plant pests and disease;
• Prior experience with hydroponic food production and food safety; and
• Prior experience working remotely.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for GMU Worker - Greenhouse Coordinator at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: February 10, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  February 24, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes