Chatfield Community Solar Garden - Head Grower

About Denver Botanic Gardens: Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family – as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs. 

For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org.

Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Full Time Chatfield Community Solar Garden - Head Grower at our Chatfield Farms location! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you:

Position Summary

The Head Grower will manage and oversee all aspects of vegetable production for the new Chatfield Community Solar Garden project. The Head Grower will oversee 4.5 acres of agrivoltaics in collaboration with the Denver Office of Climate Action and the National Renewable Energy Lab.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

Solar Garden Operations: Manages all aspects of vegetable production in the solar garden, including bed preparation, planting, weeding, cultivation, fertilization, irrigation, high tunnel and trellis installation, and post-harvest processing. 

Collaboration with Research: Works closely with NREL’s research team to help them collect data on crop development, soil health, and overall performance within the solar array. 

Outreach and Education Development: In other months outside of peak farm season, the Solar Garden team will create an outreach and education plan to share knowledge and best practices gained for future solar farmers. 

Staff Management: Supervises seasonal staff, volunteers, and other farm workers, including recruitment, training, and day-to-day supervision. Ensures effective teamwork and high-quality results. 

Crop Planning & Scheduling: Develops and implements annual crop plans that meet organic and soil health standards as well as visual standards set by Denver Botanic Gardens. Coordinates the propagation of seedlings with greenhouse staff. 

Community Produce Donations: Manages all aspects of the produce donation program, including organizing weekly distributions, packing, and delivery to drop off locations. Ensures timely and accurate deliveries to subscribers and partner organizations. 

Sustainable Farming Practices: Applies organic farming principles such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), soil fertility management, and crop rotation to maximize yields. Maintains rigorous food safety standards throughout all production processes. 

Equipment Operation & Maintenance: Operates and maintains farm equipment including riding tractors, walk-behind tractors, mowers, weed trimmers, gators, and box trucks. Perform light maintenance and work with operations staff on larger equipment repairs. 

Recordkeeping & Reporting: Maintains accurate records of planting, harvest, input costs, and crop yields. Develops reports based on collected data to inform future growing seasons. 

General Operations Support: Assists in site-wide activities, including horticultural tasks, event staffing, and maintenance of farm tools, equipment, and buildings. 

Team Collaboration: Attends regular meetings with the Farm Program team to ensure communication and planning are aligned across departments. 

Regular attendance at the worksite may be required. As with all positions at Denver Botanic Gardens, the incumbent must be in good performance standing to be eligible for remote work. Remote work is at the discretion of management at all times.

All Gardens employees must be committed to the mission of connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

Position Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must have a proven track record of producing high quality crops for a local food system.
• Working knowledge of agrivoltaics is preferable but not required.
• Ability to producing vegetables on a seasonal timeline with constantly changing conditions of Colorado weather and soil conditions. 
• Knowledge in preparing the field for small-scale production with high intensity design and efficiency in mind.
• Ability to organize multiple objectives each day in an organized for others to understand and follow.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written. 
• Ability to calculate and apply basic mathematical concepts for crop planning and operational tasks. 
• Ability to analyze and interpret business and technical information. 
• Time management skills an absolute priority in production agriculture. 
• Ability to plan ahead, anticipating last minute changes to the daily or weekly schedule due to the dynamic nature of farming and outdoor weather conditions with multiple goals on a regular basis.
• Must be able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and community collaborators.
• Ability to operate and maintain farm machinery and tools. 
• Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and occasional overtime. 
• Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public.
• Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
• Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans, when necessary, throughout the day.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook and Teams.  
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.
• Must be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally at all times.
• Must always work with respect and cooperation with fellow employees and the public.
• Must be committed to always working safely.

Experience/Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Agronomy, Horticulture, Social Sciences, Education or related field; or minimum of five years of relevant experience or a combination of both. 
• Certificate of GAP or FSMA and a working knowledge of food safety regulations required. 
• Colorado Pesticide license preferred, or willing to obtain upon employment.
• At least 5 years of organic/sustainable farming experience, with knowledge in crop care, soil management, pest control and equipment operation. 
• Hands-on experience with diverse vegetable and specialty crop cultivation including tractor work, bed prep, mowing and weeding techniques.
• Experience in leading a team, including staff, volunteers, and seasonal workers. 
• Experience in a non-profit, educational environment a plus, but not a requirement.
• Experience in operating and maintaining farm equipment with record keeping and crop planning training or background. 
• A valid driver’s license is required.

Travel:

Up to 10% travel required. Requires the ability to travel to remote locations (or other Garden locations) where environment may vary significantly in Denver Botanic Gardens delivery vehicle.

Denver Botanic Gardens has an incredible benefits package for eligible employees!

Our major benefits include a choice of Medical Plans, a Dental and Vision Plan and Life Insurance Plan. We have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA).

The Gardens offers a generous Retirement Savings Plan with Company contribution of 6% after one year of service for eligible participants.

The Gardens also offers paid holidays, vacation, sick time, and access to personal lines of insurance. Additional benefits include short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and an RTD ECO pass.

For eligible employees, The Gardens employment also includes a complimentary Denver Botanic Gardens Membership, access to Gardens education classes and summer concert tickets.  

Come work for a place that offers you SO much more than just a paycheck!