Local food and gardening

Hiring: Garden Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator
Organization: PACT Urban Peace Program
Location: Lawrence Heights and Rexdale Garden allocations, Toronto/GTA

Availability: April 27th, 2026 - Oct 30th, 2026 40 hrs / week
Position Type: Full-time (seasonal)
Compensation: $23.00/hr, 10 vacation days, company benefits plan

Do you have a passion for educating the community and youth about local food systems? Love working outside?

The PACT Urban Peace Program is looking for an Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator!

PACT Grow-to-Learn (GTL) teaches schools and communities about food and gardening. GTL feeds families and seniors in under-resourced neighbourhoods, it creates safe, green spaces for pollinators, and it transforms communities in the Greater Toronto Area.

Our organic school gardens/urban farms provide safe, experiential, and positive learning environments and help to raise awareness of important issues related to healthy eating, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and food security in our schools and local communities.

This position will work closely with all other GTL staff and volunteers at PACT, and reports up to the GTL Acting Director of Operations and Fundraising.

Position Description:

Reporting to the Director of Operations and Fundraising (Acting), the GTL Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator will provide a single point of contact while overseeing, scheduling, coordinating, delivering, promoting and documenting all garden and orchard based educational activities, workshops and programming provided by the PACT Program during the 2026 growing season. Managing an assigned budget, they will be responsible for purchasing, preparing and applying all required materials and equipment to support PACT’s GTL educational activities and workshop delivery. The GTL Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator will actively communicate with the host and feeder school communities to promote the use of the farm as a living classroom and to support the integration of the garden and workshops into relevant curriculums and classroom activities. They will also continue to develop and add to the existing proprietary GTL workshop and educational activities documentation including detailed instructions, teacher notes, and summer programming along with designing new workshops (e.g. food preserving workshops for community members) and activities based on demand and feedback from the various communities PACT serves. The GTL Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator will also work with garden staff to plan and host community events, and assist with the Fresh Food Box Program.

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary diploma or degree in education or teaching, or degree/diploma in a related field of study including environmental science, sustainable agriculture, food systems etc.
• Minimum of 6 months of direct teaching experience (practicum, summer camp, etc.)
• Knowledge and experience delivering hands-on educational programs for children/youth
• Experience documenting, designing, and developing hands-on community and/or school based educational, environmental and/or culinary programming/workshops

Experience:

• Experience managing a small budget and purchasing required materials to deliver educational programming
• Experience collecting and tracking statistics and data
• Knowledge and experience working with young people with various special needs a definite asset
• Knowledge of and experience with organic and school / community gardening an asset
• Knowledge and skills in food safety, healthy cooking and nutrition an asset
• Knowledge of and experience with food insecurity issues and programming an asset
• Demonstrated capacity and sensitivity working with challenging, at-risk and underserved individuals and communities experiencing marginalization, mental health issues and poverty an asset
• Demonstrated ability working effectively in both a self-directed and team environment
• Demonstrated initiative, leadership, flexibility and creativity
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong administrative and organizational skills and attention to detail
• Demonstrated proficiency in the Google Suite of cloud based applications: Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Drive etc.
• Demonstrated ability and discretion in protecting the privacy of others and dealing with sometimes delicate and confidential information

Other requirements:

• Must complete full vulnerable sector police criminal reference check
• Valid driver’s license and access to car an asset
• First Aid and CPR training an asset

Organizational Support:

• Attend periodic GTL and PACT meetings, training and professional development activities as required and requested.
• Help plan, facilitate and attend PACT fundraisers/events and other community based events throughout the year representing GTL as schedule permits.
• Collect and provide periodic case studies, testimonials, photographs, success stories, garden stats etc. to support PACT website, social media channels, annual impact reports, newsletters and funding proposals.

TO APPLY:

Please send your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications for the position to hiring@pactprogram.ca

Deadline to apply is 5:00pm ET February 25th, 2026.

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.