Garden Systems Director

Position Description
This person is responsible for managing and maintaining our 1.5-acre garden, two greenhouses and additional perennial systems. They will work closely and collaborate with the Animal Systems Director, the other Farm Directors, and at times other members of the QS Team to support the vitality and resiliency of our small scale subsistence farm, host farm tours on-site and run community and volunteer work parties both on- and off-site.

Primary Responsibilities
GARDEN CROP MANAGEMENT

• Create, manage, and execute crop plan/calendar (seeding, transplanting, harvesting)
• Manage seed-saving projects & small seedbank
• Tend and prune perennials and plantings
• Troubleshoot and mitigate crop pests with non-toxic and IPM solutions

WATERING AND IRRIGATION

• Manage and implement irrigation schedule
• Hand-water nursery greenhouse
• Conduct maintenance and repairs of drip irrigation systems for annual garden beds, greenhouse, and perennial systems

FARM TEAM & COLLABORATION

• Orient co-Farm Team members, community members & volunteers in the garden. Share facilitation of team/community work-parties in the garden with co-Farm Directors.
• Lead garden projects, plantings and harvests
• Collaborate with Animal Systems Director and co-Farm Directors to support integration of plant and animal systems
• Contribute to animal systems farm chores, as needed

RECORD-KEEPING

• Document garden production, health, and crop plan
• Plan and track expenditures within budget

GENERAL/MISCELLANEOUS

• Act as kitchen-garden liaison, keeping the community informed with the available produce in the garden, supporting harvesting & food preparation.
• Attend 2-4 meetings per week, on average

Location
Quail Springs is based near Ventucopa, California in the Cuyama Valley, 1.5 hours from the nearest urban/suburban center.

Working & Living Conditions
This position is approximately 30hr/week, with some weeks being less, and others being more. The successful candidate is self-directed and maintains flexibility with a shifting workload. We all share in community responsibilities, in addition to our paid work. The Garden Systems Director will live and work in the Quail Springs community setting, where there are anywhere from 10-25 other people living and working on the mission of the organization. The site is remote, with limited communications (cell phones do not work, and the internet and phone service are limited to the office area). We have two small offices as our indoor working environment. Our staffing accommodations range from yurts to earthen tiny homes. This will be discussed during the interview process and depends on availability.

ABOUT YOU
Successful applicants are flexible, open to learning, and have an interest in equitable and resilient community structures. A collaborative and playful spirit as well as strong  communication skills and an orientation towards leaning in during conflict will serve the successful candidate in this position. Quail Springs Farm Team 2022 is committed to working at the intersections of food, justice, and community health. The Farm Team is invested in projects that support land access, knowledge sharing, and community building. The ideal candidate is actively engaged or committed to collaborating on these efforts.

QUAIL SPRINGS Background
Founded in 2004, Quail Springs (QS) is an educational non-profit that resides on a 450-acre permaculture demonstration site in the Cuyama Valley. Quail Springs is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of sustainable living in collaboration with our ecosystems, through practice and teaching. We believe that land health is human health, and that the lessons of simple living provide direction towards a thriving Earth and society.

RESIDENTS & STAFF
The residents and staff of the QS site and nonprofit are a group of makers and thinkers who work together to create regenerative land and community systems. The residents and staff of QS strive to create a vibrant community and balanced workplace through passion, collaboration, and celebration.

STRUCTURE
Prospective candidates will embrace simple, remote rural living in a community while working in a nonprofit organization. Quail Springs has recently adopted a new organizational structure with the aim of empowering all employees with decision-making power in their areas of work and supporting a more equitable, efficient and engaging work environment. We are excited about this new structure and a successful applicant will have an interest in, or knowledge of, non-hierarchical workplace structures and a commitment to grow with us. Part of this practice is a commitment to weekly Town Hall and Business Circle meetings, where we discuss, problem solve, and come to consensus on relevant needs and topics related to community living and nonprofit functions. All staff are requested to participate in these weekly meetings and are welcome to join any other circles that have specific functions and purposes.

Application Process
Please take care to fully fill out our online application so we may best get to know you. If your application is approved, we will set up interviews. We are hard-working folks, so please be patient with our response time! But also don’t hesitate to check back in on the status of your application.

The application will close February 28th. We will subsequently host zoom interviews and will invite candidates who have been welcomed to the third round of interviews for an on-site interview at QS, likely in March. We highly recommend that third-round interviewees come out for a day or an overnight stay to see if it feels like a good fit. We hope to welcome the new Garden Systems Director to join our community by April 1st.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to reviewing your application!

Link to apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDgkpM-wgqF16iFTvCKeW2wMEx731_YVAc-P3n2qogecGHeA/viewform