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.

Job description

Job Title:                          Gardener Project Officer for Young Marketeers Bedford

Position Type:                  Freelance

Reports to:                       Project Co-ordinator

Based at:                          Home-working and at schools in Bedford

Working Hours:               Up to 25 days @ £165 per day from February – July 2027(£4125); 12 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session, plus 2 days planning @ £220 per day (£1760). Total budget: £5,885 + expenses

Contract:                          Temporary

Job Purpose

• To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers in Bedford in six primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

At School Food Matters, we want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food. To achieve this, we bring the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes across the country.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in 16 counties and cities across England and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, alongside local partners. 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 share their secrets on how to create a successful market stall.  

Primary schools are visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June when they receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. In July, they head to their local market to sell their produce, raising money for a local food-related charity and building valuable teamwork and enterprise skills.

Key Tasks include:

• Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project at six schools
• 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
  • one farm visit for each school
  • Market Day in the city centre in July for six 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 Co-ordinator 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 1 November 2026.

Interviews will be held online on Friday 13 November 2026.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs