Title: Instructor, Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship
Exemption Status: Exempt
Department: Workforce Development
Reports to: Windy City Harvest Program Director
Full-time,Year-Round
Supervises: Apprentices, Production Assistants, Volunteers
Position Overview:
Join a dynamic team of dedicated agriculturists and job trainers with a shared mission of fostering sustainable urban agriculture and workforce development. Windy City Harvest (WCH), an innovative urban agricultural job training program, is seeking a skilled instructor to lead our nine-month Sustainable Urban Agriculture Certificate Program. As an instructor, you will work closely with the WCH team and City Colleges of Chicago to deliver a supportive, hands-on learning experience for Apprenticeship students.
The Apprenticeship Instructor will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the sustainable urban agriculture training program. In partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago, this program offers a blend of classroom, lab, and field training at the Arturo Velasquez Institute (AVI) and Windy City Harvest farm sites. The curriculum is enhanced by a 12-week paid work experience at a WCH farm, equipping students with job readiness skills and hands-on industry experience.
Your role will involve recruiting future students, mentoring students, providing career guidance, and supporting them in securing meaningful employment in urban agriculture. The ideal candidate will bring extensive knowledge and experience in sustainable urban agriculture and a passion for workforce development and educating the next generation of farmers. The Apprenticeship Instructor should possess an innovative, entrepreneurial mindset, with a collaborative and community-focused approach to sustainable urban agriculture.
For more information on the WCH Apprenticeship program, visit: Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship.
Responsibilities
Apprenticeship Course Instruction & Supervision (50%)
- Deliver the nine-month urban agriculture curriculum to a diverse class of 20 to 25 students.
- Conduct weekly classroom sessions (4 hours) and two weekly lab sessions (7 hours).
- Use interactive lectures, hands-on activities, and innovative technologies to engage students.
- Provide regular office hours, meaningful feedback, and connect students with resources.
- Coordinate guest lectures from industry experts and WCH colleagues.
- Manage course materials on Brightspace, including videos, resources, assignments, quizzes, and grade tracking.
- Demonstrate best practices in market gardening and diversified vegetable production.
- Oversee student placement in 12-week paid work experiences, ensuring compliance with Chicago Botanic Garden employee standards, and provide weekly feedback.
- Lead the annual Apprenticeship recruitment effort in partnership with WCH and CCC staff, with a focus on BIPOC aspiring farmers from Chicago’s South and West sides.
- Collaborate with City Colleges of Chicago on the administrative and educational aspects of the WCH Apprenticeship, ensuring adherence to CCC’s board rules, policies, and code of ethics.
Farm Site & Production Management at Arturo Valesquez Institute (AVI) (25%)
- Oversee student-led farm operations (including irrigation schedule) at AVI Farm, a 1/8-acre site with raised beds, a hoophouse, and a greenhouse.
- Create and implement AVI’s annual crop plan to meet or exceed sales goals of $15,000.
- Oversee aquaponics system maintenance and instruct students in system care.
- Maintain inventory, track expenses, and ensure budget alignment.
- Facilitate tours and site visits to showcase program activities.
Workforce Development & Mentorship (15%)
- Support Apprenticeship students and alumni in urban agriculture job placement.
- Collaborate with WCH Workforce Development manager to track employment metrics.
- Establish a pipeline for student recruitment by building relationships with community partners and City Colleges of Chicago staff.
- Mentor and train WCH lab leaders and paid-work experience supervisors to cultivate an inclusive and productive environment.
Windy City Harvest Leadership (10%)
- Contribute to WCH management, ensuring program efficiency and alignment with goals.
- Collaborate with the Operations team to meet AVI Farm production deadlines.
- Participate in onboarding and professional development, sharing up-to-date practices with WCH staff.
- Represent WCH and Chicago Botanic Garden in local, state, and national coalitions.
Chicago Botanic Garden Values & Behaviors:
VALUES As an organization, we… | BEHAVIORS As an organization, we… |
Prioritize a culture of GROWTH. We commit to remaining curious in how we approach our work. | - Create and maintain spaces for learning.
- Test new ideas and are willing to take risks to achieve our vision.
- Collaborate to strengthen our skills and impact.
- Demonstrate perseverance and humility as we work toward our long-term impact.
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Seek to UNDERSTAND. We seek to understand others from their perspective. | - Provide opportunities for input and feedback from others.
- Actively listen to all points of view.
- Consider individuals’ lived experiences.
- Advocate for and protect time for reflection especially during times of conflict or confusion.
|
See one another through a lens of RESILIENCE. We believe that all individuals can experience good outcomes with support. | - Give others the space to balance work and personal needs.
- Support others and demonstrate empathy especially during challenging and stressful times.
- Seek opportunities to learn from and about one another.
- Ask questions about and anticipate the needs of others.
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Build TRUST through TRANSPARENCY. We hold ourselves and others accountable by centering decision making that honors all people. | - Communicate information in a timely manner.
- Provide clarity in complex situations with the goal of common understanding.
- Discuss both positive and negative outcomes openly.
- Evaluate the impacts of our actions.
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Qualifications
Our ideal candidate will have the following:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in horticulture, agricultural science, ecological sciences, environmental sciences, or a related field from an accredited institution required.
- Ability to be onboarded as a City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Instructor
- Ability to submit official college transcripts to City Colleges of Chicago.
- Ability to successfully pass a criminal background check, employment and education verification, and a drug test.
- Two years of sustainable agriculture experience. Demonstrated experience and knowledge in crop planning and greenhouse production.
- At least two years of experience teaching or training adults, preferably within a diverse educational or socioeconomic setting.
- Proven ability to build trust and foster collaborative relationships with program participants, employment partners, and recruitment partners.
- Experience tracking production and programmatic data accurately.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Suite.
- Strong communication skills across email, phone, and in-person interactions.
- Creative and enthusiastic attitude about experiential learning and student engagement.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Effective at problem-solving, with resilience under pressure and adaptability to change.
- Respect for diversity and ability to model an inclusive, supportive environment.
- Committed to professional development and continuous improvement for themselves and students.
Physical Demands:
Office, teaching, and farm setting. Frequent sitting, standing (four to eight hours at a time), walking, bending, listening, speaking, and keyboarding. Use of office equipment including computers, telephones, copiers and scanners. Use of farm equipment such as wheelbarrows, seed blockers, shovels, hoes, etc. Frequent requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items more than 40 pounds.
Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.
Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work bein
