Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Project Officer/School Gardener Birmingham

School Food Matters
Birmingham

Posted: 22 Oct 2025

Deadline: 26 Oct 2025

Compensation: £6,600 + expenses

Living Wage employer

Paid Part-time Flexible hours Fixed term / contract

Job description

• Job Title: Gardener Project Officer for Young Marketeers Birmingham
• Position Type: Freelance
• Reports to: Project Coordinator
• Based at: Home-working and at schools in Birmingham
• Working Hours: 28 days @ £165 per day from February – July (£4,620) plus 16 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 1 day planning @ £220 (£1,980)
• Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers in Birmingham in eight primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools. Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in 16 cities across England and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for three years.  The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives.  Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall.  Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. And in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the mayor!

Key Tasks include:

• Assist with recruitment of eight schools to take part in Young Marketeers
• Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project
• Build and support relationships with contacts in partner organisations
• Schedule, organise and deliver
  • One assembly in each school
  • Two food growing sessions in each school
  • One market trader training session in each school
  • Market Day in the city centre in July for all schools
• Maintain accurate records relating to the programme
• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator fully updated on progress
• Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures
• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

Essential

• Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children
• Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail
• Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email
• Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals
• Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed
• Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable

• Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation
• Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

Application information

Once you have thoroughly read this job description and had a careful look at our website including our charter, please complete the application form here. The electronic form can be saved but you may also find it helpful to use the word document here as a template.  Please could you also tell us how this freelance role will fit with your other work commitments.

Applications must be submitted by midnight on Sunday 26 October 2025 with interviews held online week commencing Monday 3 November 2025.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs