Career Center

Princeton Day School is seeking a part-time, 12-month non-exempt Garden Assistant and Cook Teaching Kitchen Coordinator.

The successful candidate will have a varied weekly schedule depending on the time of year and season; this is a great and fun opportunity for the right candidate who can be flexible and dependable. The 2023 hours requirement for this position are as follows:
-25 hours per week for the academic year (mid-August-mid June)
-10 hours per week (mid-June-mid August)
The Director of Sustainability and Environmental Education (DSEE) will be the overarching supervisor. The Garden Assistant and Cook Teaching Kitchen Coordinator will report to the Garden Coordinator/Educator for all garden related activities on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and report to the DSEE for all Teaching Kitchen related duties and responsibilities.

Responsibilities in the garden area include: (Percent of workload: 80%)

-General garden, compost, meadow and chicken maintenance
-Organization and cleanup of the garden, outdoor classroom and barn area
-Assist with planting and harvest schedule planning
-Planting and harvesting as needed
-Teaching support with classes in the garden
-Help with prep and clean up for classes/camps/after-school programs and creation of materials
-Running errands such as obtaining supplies for garden, classroom, and barn
-Independently manage the upkeep of the garden/chickens/compost for one weekend a month (Saturday and Sunday - weekends may vary)
-Assisting with the Harvest Festival on the day of the event (held Saturday, Oct. 14 2023 from 1:30-6:30 pm)
-Assisting with two Community Garden Days on the days of the events (Saturday, April 15, 2023 from 9-12 am and a Saturday in fall TBD, 9-12 am)
-Garden backup: Substitute teaching for garden coordinator and completing necessary garden tasks when the garden coordinator is sick or absent from campus

Cook Teaching Kitchen Coordinator (Percentage of workload: 20%)

-Keeping the kitchen safe and well-organized
-Daily cleaning and maintenance of the kitchen such as sweeping, loading and unloading the dishwasher, cleaning out fridge, restocking items
-Requesting/ordering consumable and non-consumable supplies
-Maintaining a digital list of consumable supplies and non-consumable supplies available for use
-Managing the kitchen calendar and helping teachers schedule classes in the kitchen
-Obtaining recipes and lesson plans from teachers who use the space
-Assisting faculty as needed who are using the space
-Offering one monthly kitchen-use training session for teachers

Goals for first 30 days of employment -
1. Learn how to drive a tractor
2. Learn how the PDS compost system is organized
3. Learn how to care for the chickens and begin to care for the chickens independently
4. Observe LS garden classes
5. Learn how to do general upkeep on the weekends
6. Attend a kitchen training led by the DSEE
7. Learn how to use Google Calendar to schedule classes
8. Perform daily maintenance in the garden and daily cleaning/organization tasks in the kitchen
Goals for Days 30-90 of employment -
1. Begin to manage the compost system independently
2. Hold one teacher kitchen training with the DSEE
3. Hold one teacher kitchen training independently
4. Co-teach a garden class with the garden coordinator in preparation for future substitute needs for those classes
5. Begin weekend chicken/garden care independently (Saturday and Sunday)
6. Create a list of supplies needed for the teaching kitchen and send lists with links for purchasing items to the DSEE. Begin managing the Google Calendar for the teaching kitchen independently.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess:
-Great communication skills
-Is comfortable working with students PreK-12
-Works independently
-Has a basic understanding of growing vegetables, flowers and herbs in New Jersey
-Good organizational skills
-Good with time management
-Must be able to lift at least 40 lbs. or greater
-Can comfortably work outside in the heat as well as colder temperatures
-Is available during PDS school hours 8:00 am-3:20 pm. (evening and weekends are required as needed)

Princeton Day School aspires to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive community in which all members are seen, challenged, affirmed, respected and valued. We believe that in actively cultivating such an environment, we foster intellectual, social and emotional growth for all of our constituents.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hr@pds.org.