Lead Aquaponic Farm Coordinator
WellPower’s Dahlia Campus
Denver, Co
apply here: (Job Application for Lead Aquaponic Farm Coordinator at WellPower - All External Jobs)
WellPower provides you with the support you need to help you develop a career in helping others succeed. We innovate, adapt, and leverage the diverse perspectives of the people on our team and the people we serve in everything we do.
WellPower values and is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to ending bias and discrimination in our community and ensuring equity within all aspects of our organization. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, transfer, or promotion opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
The Lead Aquaponic Farm Coordinator is a member of the larger Farms and Gardens Team comprised of 7 full-time staff members and 3 seasonal staff members. The Lead Coordinator is responsible for all operational aspects and functions of the greenhouse growing systems, regulations, and general business functions of the Dahlia Campus Greenhouse. This role will expand the community impact of the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being and provide a connection to the community through food grown on campus. WellPower seeks to achieve efficient and effective operations of the Dahlia Campus Greenhouse to produce healthy food for the community. This position is a multi-faceted role involving the opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art aquaponic greenhouse, collaborating with an integrative health and wellness center. Duties include working collaboratively with the Associate Director of Operations & Farm Services to oversee food production in the greenhouse, maintain a comprehensive operating manual that includes both standard and emergency operating procedures, develop and enforce data collection procedures for tracking purposes, bookkeeping, identify opportunities for performance improvements, supporting the Food Access Coordinator with distribution related activities, and meeting production and financial goals.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
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Team Leadership: The Lead Aquaponic Farm Coordinator organizes duties and tasks, the greenhouse schedule, and the weekly/quarterly/annual tasks, as well as providing mentorship to their team members. The Lead Coordinator is a leader on the Farms and Gardens Team providing thought leadership on food access, DEI, partnerships, farm innovations, and more.
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General Greenhouse Duties: perform general maintenance and cleaning; test, record, and monitor key system parameters of water quality (pH, temperature, nutrients, etc); manage and optimize environmental control system, including seasonal adjustment of computer settings; stock, move, and harvest fish**;** monitor fish health and adjust daily feed schedule as needed; order and maintain appropriate amounts of all necessary inventory including fish food, nutrient additions, and packaging materials; track farm expenses; create and maintain standard operating procedures and appropriate logs; ensure that all farm practices are conducted following GAP, HACCP, and food safety guidelines; oversee proper data collection to track harvest yield; monitor plant health for nutrient deficiencies; identify and manage pests/diseases using integrated pest management (IPM); follow all necessary protocol for application of organic-approved pesticides; identify and lead system improvement projects; identify vulnerability in farm operations and develop, implement, and monitor risk management plans; troubleshoot mechanical, environmental, and biological issues; coordinate with Associate Director of Operations & Farm Services and Director of Facilities to address building-related issues; provide assistance for training volunteers and other individuals.
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Food Production and Distribution: create and maintain schedule for seeding and transplanting crops according to seasonal variations and market demands; create harvest schedule; perform and ensure proper cleaning/sanitizing tasks to meet food safety guidelines when entering the greenhouse and while handling food; harvest/pack greens, lettuces, and fish; participate in food distribution programming; support the Food Access Coordinator in distribution activities.
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Sales: Assist with determining product pricing, discounts, and related revenue in line with farm financials; support organization in accepting SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks; generate deposits following protocol defined by Accounting department.
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Farms and Gardens Partner Engagement: attend special events at or on behalf of the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being; attend weekly meetings with Farm and Gardens Team and outreach team; collaborate with WellPower for PR and marketing to community/customer base.
Pay Range & Benefits:
- $50,800 - $57,970/year
WellPower is committed to fair and equitable hiring with salaries based on relevant factors, such as work experience, education, and certification/licensure (rather than wage history). Toward the principle of equal pay for equal work, we post and hire within defined hiring salary ranges. We ask all applicants to carefully review the hiring salary range for each posted job opportunity, as we will not hire outside the predetermined range.
All full-time, benefits eligible employees will be eligible for WellPower’s benefits plan. For a full description of benefit offerings, please visit: WellPower is a Workplace of Choice.
Requirements and Qualifications:
- BS degree in Agriculture, Aquaculture, Horticulture, Biology, or Environmental Science; alternatively, combination of related work experience and coursework in biology, chemistry, urban agriculture, or related field.
- 3-5 years experience in farming and farm management
- 3-5 years experience implementing, enforcing, and continually improving a whole farm food safety plan
- 2+ years experience in aquaponic or hydroponic production
- Previous controlled environment (greenhouse) agricultural production experience required
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:
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Experience with Deep Water Culture (DWC) aquaponics
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Thorough understanding of biology, chemistry, aquaculture, (agro)ecology, crop planning
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Extremely strong attention to detail and thorough follow-through
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Strong technological and problem-solving skills
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Ability to give, receive, and analyze information, formulate work plans
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Ability to think quickly and respond to situations under pressure
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Experience with Microsoft Office, Square, database management
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Excellent oral and written communication skills; comfortable with public speaking
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Ability to be sensitive to community members and respond to community needs
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Understanding of food safety including GAP, FSMA, and HAACP
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Passion for urban agriculture and food justice
MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT TO BE USED:
- 20,000 gallon deep water culture (DWC) aquaponic system consisting of two 2,800 gallon filtration-in-tank (FIT) raceway fish tanks, 400 gallon media bed system
- Wadsworth Versistep environmental control system
- Refrigerated van
TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
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Lift 50 lbs. and carry awkward, heavy items
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Repeated bending over and extended reaching
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Stand for 5+ hours at a time
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Work long hours (occasionally 10+ if necessary)
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Work efficiently in bright, humid, and wet greenhouse environment
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Withstand extreme temperature variation (58-80 degrees F)
TYPICAL MENTAL DEMANDS:
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Manage a fast-paced working environment
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Frequent multi-tasking under high-risk conditions when biological systems are at stake
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Handle a wide variety of farm elements including: algae, biofilm, fish waste, uneaten fish food, decomposing plant material, bacteria, fungus, dead fish, and plant pests
WORKING CONDITIONS:
- Requires on-call and weekend hours about once a month.
Why else might you want to consider working at WellPower?
- Named Top Workplace - we have been named a Top Workplace by the Denver Post for Eleven consecutive years
- Champion Social Justice Causes - we are committed to ending anti-Black racism in our community
- 9 Paid Holidays – including Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and more
- Robust Benefits Package – our benefits start at 30 hours per week and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, and a retirement match
- Employee Resource Groups – our ERG’s offer a chance to connect, address workplace challenges and get support from individuals who share similar characteristics or life experiences
- Gainsharing – we offer a bonus to employees if the organization meets certain requirements for the year
- $52,000/year minimum wage for all employees – we believe that our employees should earn a livable wage conducive to the cost of living in Denver, Colorado
- Free Licensure Supervision – for LCSWs/LPCs/LMFTs
- Sports Leagues – we offer a variety of activities for our employees, including bowling, dragon boat racing, volleyball leagues, and more