SUMMER JOBS & STUDENT JOBS

Position: Site Assistant
Organization: Compost Education Centre
Location: Victoria, BC

The Compost Education Centre is Hiring a Site Assistant

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) promotes composting, soil stewardship, local food production, and ecological conservation by providing information and resources on composting and waste reduction strategies, organic gardening, and conservation practices. Our vision is to cultivate resilient communities where all living beings thrive.

The majority of the CEC’s work is conducted throughout Lkwungen, Esquimalt, W̱SÁNEĆ, T’Sou-ke, and Scia’new Territories also known as the Capital Regional District. The CEC teaches a wide variety of educational workshops for children, youth and adults, in community spaces and at the CEC’s urban gardens in Victoria. The CEC integrates volunteer support into all aspects of its work, and we attend a wide variety of community events to share our educational resources broadly. The CEC offers a school's program, adult education workshop series, Healing City Soils program, free factsheets, and an information hotline. We are committed to supporting residents of the CRD with ecological knowledge of waste diversion, sustainability, composting, and soil health.

Job Title: Site Assistant

Work Week: Wednesday-Saturday, 9:00am – 4:30pm (28hrs per week; 56 hrs per pay period) with some evening and weekend work required.

Wage: $26-29 per hour starting wage commensurate with experience. Vacation starts at 3 weeks per year. Extended health and dental benefits begin upon employment.

Job Description: The Site Assistant reports to the Site Manager. The Site Assistant is responsible for the garden stewardship at the CEC’s demonstration gardens and various other urban gardens in the Victoria area in partnership with the CEC’s Site Manager as well as the coordination of the volunteer program across the organization.

Responsibilities:

Urban Garden Stewardship (40%)

• Assist the Site Manager in maintaining and managing the CEC’s demonstration site (including organic vegetable and perennial gardens, composting systems, pathways, educational site signage, aquaponics system, rainwater catchment system, greenhouse growing), Gonzales boulevard garden network, Alexander Park Fruit Tree project, Chambers Street Allotment and Earthbound Allotment Garden.
• Recruit and supervise volunteers to participate in urban garden maintenance.
• Maintain mutually beneficial relationship with community gardeners.

Volunteer Coordination (35%)

• Communicate with all staff to identify available opportunities and needs for volunteers.
• Recruit, screen, train, and supervise volunteers.
• Act as primary contact person for volunteers, maintain the volunteer database, and track information related to volunteers and volunteer hours.
• Draft and maintain guidelines, best practices, and procedures for volunteer program.
• Coordinate garden work parties, volunteer tasks, and supervise volunteers where needed.
• Plan and coordinate the annual volunteer appreciation event.

Adult Education (15%)

• Teach core adult workshop content (e.g. Composting, soil health & gardening workshops, depending on knowledge level).

General/Other Tasks (10%)

• Respond to hotline calls, emails, and site visitors. Answer composting and gardening questions, sell composting supplies, and promote the Centre’s services
• Assist with other general tasks of the Centre (newsletter articles, strategic planning, special events, etc.)
• Participate in office/site chores (weekly)
• Assist with other ongoing programs and priorities

Minimum Requirements:

• Driver’s license and clean driver’s abstract.
• Access to a vehicle for work use OR eligibility to join the CEC’s Modo Carshare Membership:
• Be 19+ years of age or, if younger than 19, join as a Green Member.
• Have an N licence or better or the equivalent from another jurisdiction (non-BC licences are welcome) — you have to be allowed to drive alone in the car.
• Have had no licence suspensions or prohibitions within the past two years
• Have not received six or more driver penalty points (or equivalent demerit points) in the past two years
• Have not been charged with, or convicted of, any Major Traffic Violation
• Ability to work evenings and weekends.
• Physical ability to shovel material, move heavy wheelbarrows, bend, and squat for hours at a time.
• Proven communication, coordination, interpersonal, and time management skills.
• Legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Legally entitled to work according to any provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.
• Experience in event planning, volunteer coordination, and volunteer training.
• Knowledge and enthusiasm about organic gardening, composting, waste reduction.

Desired:

• Carpentry skills.
• Living within a 20-minute walk of the demonstration gardens
• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Word, Excel, SharePoint, and Outlook.
• Between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive).
• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person as defined by the immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Application Process

Please email a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references as one single PDF document to info@compost.bc.ca using the file name format “Site Assistant – Last Name” and the email subject “Site Assistant – Last Name.” Please ensure that your application explicitly addresses all skills and requirements listed above as well as why you are interested in working with us here at the CEC. Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.ca.

The CEC is interested in maintaining open communication with all applicants. If you have specific needs during the application process, please contact Claire at info@compost.bc.ca so that we can identify the practical and effective accommodations to ensure a fair, respectful, and supportive experience for every applicant.

Our hiring timeline is as follows:

May 26

Posting Closes 

May 29 to June 1 

All candidates contacted. Shortlist of candidates contacted to schedule interviews.

June 4 to June 14 

Interviews

July 17 

Anticipated start date