Organics Community Outreach Coordinator

BACKGROUND

The NYC Compost Project hosted by Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden seeks an enthusiastic individual with compost and outreach experience for a part-time Community Outreach Coordinator position.

The NYC Compost Project, created by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in 1993, works to reduce waste in NYC and rebuild NYC’s soil by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to produce and use compost locally. NYC Compost Project programs and staff are funded and managed through the DSNY Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability (BRS) in partnership with host institutions.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (“Snug Harbor”) offers dynamic programming in the arts, horticulture, agriculture, education and recreation for diverse cultures and all ages, on a historic, welcoming campus that is a unique oasis in New York City.  We envision being a nationally visible yet locally impactful cultural organization beloved by all who visit.  We value artistic vibrancy, stewardship, conservation, inclusion, community, communication, and discovery.  Located less than 1.5 miles from the Staten Island Ferry and easily accessible by public transportation, Snug Harbor welcomes nearly 500,000 visitors each year to explore our gardens, grounds, and galleries.  Our 83 acre campus features 26 architecturally significant buildings and 14 distinctive gardens, including a traditional Chinese garden and a Tuscan garden.  A vibrant cultural hub, Snug Harbor is also home to several non-profit institutions, artists’ studios, and small businesses.  Founded in the 19th century as a charitable rest home for sailors, today Snug Harbor is a growing, must-see destination.  

THE POSITION

The Community Outreach Coordinator is employed by SHCCBG and is managed by the Director of Education & Engagement with support from the Farm Manager.  The Coordinator supports the expansion of community scale composting operations in Staten Island, through the development of community food scrap drop-off (FSDO) and composting sites, group presentations, volunteer engagement, coordinating organics collection, and providing status reports to BRS. This position is also responsible for a wide range of administrative tasks necessary to plan, execute and record the above-mentioned programming.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES

  • Collaborate with Farm and Horticulture to accept and process organic waste collection both on-campus and at community compost sites.
  • Collaborate with Farm and Horticulture to establish organic collection routes (both browns and greens), both on-campus and at community compost sites. 
  • Collaborate with Farm and Horticulture to ensure browns are secured and stockpiled in appropriate locations, both on-campus and at community compost sites.
  • Comprehensively track organics collection both on-campus and at community compost sites and provide regular reports to SHCCBG and BRS.
  • Maintain awareness of local compost operations and stay knowledgeable of best practices in urban composting, with the goal of producing high-quality compost.
  • Comprehensively track the number of people and organizations that have been served.
  • Oversee FSDO collection at the St George Greenmarket, including material preparation, staffing, FSDO management and hauling, and associated reporting.
  • Collaborate with Farm to maintain FSDO composting operations at the NYC Compost Project Demonstration Site at Snug Harbor, including material preparation, staffing, FSDO management and hauling, and associated reporting. 
  • Model best practices in urban composting operations to help affiliated community compost sites develop their composting capacity: conduct site visits, provide technical support, training and resources to sites hosting public FSDOs.
  • Identify and contact at least 20 potential community-hosted FSDO host organizations, and report appropriately to SHCCBG and BRS.
  • Serve as designated DSNY representative to up to 20 community-hosted FSDOs.
  • In collaboration with Farm, provide at least 20 technical assistance visits for community compost sites and non-profit organizations that operate public FSDO sites, including consultations, trainings, site-assessments, material/tool deliveries, browns deliveries, etc.
  • Provide general administrative support such as mailing list updates, respond to email inquiries, event intake and tracking, purchase orders, etc.
  • Recruit volunteers for compost-related activities (technical assistance, outreach, workshops, etc.) in coordination with the Service Coordinator.
  • Work may include ad-hoc group presentations and outreach activities to educate New Yorkers about the different opportunities to divert organics from landfill disposal.
  • Additional duties as determined.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

  • Minimum one year of related work experience 
  • Bachelor’s degree preferred (ideally, in a related field)
  • Experience with diverse computer applications (Excel, MS Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, MS Outlook) 

SKILLS REQUIRED

  • Strong interpersonal skills. Able to work with the public, alone, and in a team
  • Valid NYS driver’s license with clean driving record.  Comfortable driving large vehicles in a city setting.
  • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and to perform physically strenuous tasks in a variety of weather conditions
  • Ability to network with a wide range of persons in a variety of settings (office environs, botanic gardens, schools, community gardens, etc.)
  • Knowledge and commitment to composting and agroecology, food systems, and waste management
  • Bi-lingual preferred, specifically Spanish and English
  • Regular Saturday service
  • Weekend and evening hours as needed
  • Local travel required

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified candidates should complete the employee application form by visiting https://snugharbor.org/jobapplication/. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Snug Harbor celebrates and commits to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion.  We value and seek the strengths of human variety across communities, in programming, with staff, the Board of Directors, volunteers, artists and visitors. Snug Harbor strives to build a culture of diversity of voice and representation, authentically inclusive spaces and equity for all. Snug Harbor is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

For more information on SHCC please visit, www.snug-harbor.org  For more information about NYC Compost Project please visit www.nyc.gov/compostproject