Job: Sustainable Food Systems Production Director, Virginia

Job: Sustainable Food Systems Production Director, Virginia Tech, 2013 The Department of Horticulture within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and Virginia Tech Dining Services have partnered since 2008 to grow produce that is directly sourced to the university’s dining halls. The Department of Horticulture’s emphasis on small-scale sustainable and organic food production systems in partnership with Dining Services is seeking someone with outstanding farming, leadership, and management skills to guide the development of the 6 acre Kentland Farm Dining Garden (fruit and vegetable production) and the management of controlled environmental production (hoop house and greenhouse production) at the Urban Horticulture Center, as well as teach classes within the Department of Horticulture focused on sustainable and/or organic food production methods. This CALS-Dining partnership is designed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and scholarship focused on investigating, demonstrating, evaluating, and communicating sustainable agricultural and farm-to-institution practices and evaluating their potential to enhance community food systems and sustainable horticultural enterprises through research, extension, and education.

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Responsibilities

• Lead development and planning for the Kentland Farm and Urban Horticulture Center Organic Garden Projects. Includes budgeting, inventory, supply purchasing, and greenhouse/cold frame planning/construction, field map planning, crop rotation, succession planting, seeding and planting schedules/ propagation, bed preparation and soil development, equipment use and storage, daily operations, harvest planning and implementation.

• Coordinate with Dining Service’s Sustainability Coordinator to increase food procurement of Virginia Tech grown foods to campus dining facilities and ensures proper food safety standards.

• Coordinate with Kentland Farm and the Urban Horticulture Center staff equipment needs/ maintenance.

• Supervise Dining Services Garden Staff during summer months.

• Demonstrate a commitment and sensitivity to issues of diversity in the campus community.

• Lead initiative on acquiring Good Agricultural Practices Certification and Organic Certification for the gardens.

• Collect evidence to evaluate farm-to-institution production practices.

• Participate in department, college, university, and professional service and outreach activities.

• Teach at least two courses in support of the Environmental Horticulture major (e.g., Organic Gardening/Farming) per academic year.

• Participate in collaborative team teaching in the interdisciplinary Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) minor within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and serve as a community partner.

• Advise and mentor undergraduates and perform university service and outreach as appropriate

• Advise students interested in pursuing careers and experiential opportunities in sustainable food system production, civic agriculture, and farming.

 

Required Qualifications

 

• Earned Masters in Horticulture or an agriculture-related field.

• Demonstrate teaching expertise in higher education with knowledge of conventional and sustainable and/or organic food production methods;

• Effective organizational and communication skills including grant writing;

• Experience in sustainable or organic food production and farm-to-table evaluation.

• Experience supervising differing levels of employees (student, wage, staff, and/or faculty).

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Horticulture or an agriculture-related field

• Experience in grant writing

• Success in securing extramural research and or program funding

• Excellent interpersonal skills that facilitate working with a variety of audiences including faculty, staff, students, administrators, and the general public

Application reviews begin July 15, 2013.

Posting # TR0130033, Horticulture Department, Virginia Tech. For further information and to apply for this position, please visit this posting on www.jobs.vt.edu

Virginia Tech is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer

If you have further questions, contact either Roger Harris, Dept. Head, Horticulture (rharris@vt.edu, 540.231.5451) or Holly Scoggins, Search Committee Chair (hollysco@vt.edu, 540.231.5783)