"Coordinator, Student Gardens"

Coordinator, Student Gardens

Company: Salt Lake Community College

Job Location:

Category: Grounds and Landscaping

Type: Full-Time

Salary: $45,559.36 - $47,056.32 Annually

Location: Various SLCC locations, UT

Job Type: Non Exempt Staff Full Time

Job Number: 202500518

Division: Student Affairs

Department: Thayne Center

Closing Date: 1/21/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

FLSA Non-Exempt

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

All employees are expected to maintain a permanent residence within the State of Utah as a condition of employment. New employees must provide a valid Utah residential address within 30 days of their start date.

Job Summary

The Coordinator for Student Gardens is responsible for the overall management, operations, and program of the college's community gardens. This position oversees the care, maintenance, and seasonal planning of the gardens while developing and implementing programs that engage students through experiential learning and leadership opportunities. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Community Engagement, this role's primary responsibilities include oversight of the Student Gardens. While focused on students, this role supports numerous stakeholders, including Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) staff, faculty, and community-based organizations. The long-term success of this role is measured by student engagement, program visibility, peer leader retention and graduation, and fulfillment of student learning outcomes.

Applicant must have scheduling flexibility to accommodate attendance at occasional early mornings, late evenings, and weekend programming.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities & Knowledge Skills & Abilities

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Student Gardens Management

• Provide care and maintenance to the community garden network at Taylorsville Redwood, Jordan, and South City campuses.
• Oversee planting, weeding, mulching, watering, grooming, mowing, trimming, edging, and debris removal.
• Collaborate and document formal agreements and procedures with facilities and grounds staff on garden infrastructure projects and issues.
• Oversee seasonal preparation, winterization, and re-establishment of gardens annually.
• Provide guidance and instruction to garden users to successfully cultivate plots.
• Plant, transplant, and maintain designated plots for partnership with the Bruin Pantry.

Student Gardener Education, Support, and Management

• Plan and implement annual garden information sessions, gardener orientations, social events, volunteer projects, and educational workshops for students and the broader campus community.
• Update and manage an online reservation system for students, staff, and faculty to reserve plots.
• Develop marketing and promotional materials for garden events.
• Plan meaningful reflection activities and events for participants based on established programmatic learning objectives.
• Collect, synthesize, and share student and participant learning outcome, engagement, and attendance data.
• Ensure safety and accessibility in all garden programming and operations.
• Work with Assistant Director to maintain positive working relationships with community-based organizations.

Organizational Leadership

• Align work with departmental and institutional strategic plan including following learning outcomes, program map.
• Participate and meaningfully engage in Community Engagement Functional Team meetings.
• Manage peer leaders as a cohort and support students in their academic progress which includes checking grades and developing academic improvement plans.
• Work individually and in a team.
• Communicate effectively and maintain good working relationships effectively with peers and students across the college.
• Participate in and contribute meaningfully to team meetings and Thayne Center's programs.
• Maintain updated and accurate records of operational and programmatic procedures for continuity.
• Adapt to changes in technology, policies, and organizational structure.
• Attend meetings and programs on multiple campus locations and sites.

Budget Management

• Oversee budgets ethically and thoroughly for the case management program.
• Uphold responsibilities outlined in the cardholder agreement and purchasing card training.
• Seasonal responsibilities may be assigned during off seasons that may include support additional programs within the Thayne Center.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of best practices in community gardens programming in higher education.
• Familiarity with greenhouse management, irrigation systems, and native or pollinator-friendly plants.
• Understanding of social issues surrounding environmental sustainability, food insecurity, or community engagement principles.
• Prolonged work outdoors, including during inclement weather.
• Ability to help students, staff, and faculty with basic gardening skills.
• Ability to travel to multiple sites and campuses.
• Promoting programming and resources to ensure programmatic visibility among student across the institution.
• Works successfully whether independent or collaboratively.
• Excellent written communication, including email and writing external facing documents.
• Excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills with a demonstrated ability for public speaking.
• Tailoring communication to different constituents including students, staff, faculty, and community partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Zoom, and other telecommunication platforms. Strong technology skills.
• Creation of surveys, forms, and use of an online engagement platform.
• Tracking expenses and following a budget.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt quickly.
• Strong decision-making, problem solving, and collaborative partnership skills.
• Strong organization skills, ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• Ability to strategically build relationships and connect with campus partners.
• Ability to partner with community organizations, non-profit agencies, and social change stakeholders.
• Ability to recruit, hire, train, and supervise students for a peer leader role.
• Create and implement an agreement of peer leader responsibilities.
• Document and address performance issues.
• Maintain accurate rosters and contact information for engaged students.
• Knowledge of effective marketing and recruiting strategies.
• Knowledge of student leadership development theories and practices.
• Proven skills in program coordination, including program management, needs assessment, strategic planning, procedure development, evaluation, critical thinking, programmatic development, participant learning outcomes, and budgeting.
• Ability to create agendas and incorporate multiple sources of information to facilitate meetings.
• Plan and lead trainings and developmental conversations.
• Skilled in volunteer communication and management.
• Supervisor may be remote or at a different campus location.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of people with a variety of abilities and backgrounds, to maintain good working relationships across the College.
• Ability to work with all groups from a variety of academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, and with community college students, faculty, and staff, including those with disabilities.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in environmental studies, horticulture.
• Zero (0) to two (2) years of direct, full-time, paid professional experience in community or educational gardens.

Trade off 1:1 in experience/education requirement.
Part time experience may be considered on a prorated basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in environmental studies, sustainability, horticulture, urban agriculture, public health, or a related field.
• Direct experience coordinating educational programs, coordinating volunteers.
• Bilingual or multi-lingual.
• Experience working with college students.
• Assessment - designing, implementing, and measuring learning outcomes.

Apply Now