Ranch Hand - Garden Focus

Slide Ranch seeks a garden-focused Ranch Hand responsible for the day-to-day operations, upkeep, maintenance, and repair of the farm. This includes caring for and keeping track of the animals, garden, facilities, staff housing, and outdoor improvements such as trails and fencing—all in a manner that is safe and appropriate for providing hands-on educational programs to the public.

Slide Ranch is a nonprofit organization providing farm-based environmental education to over 10,000 visitors a year on its coastal farm and nature preserve in Marin County. The Ranch Hand reports to the Ranch Manager and Director of Operations and is part of the Ranch Operations Team, which also includes other Ranch Hands. The Ranch Hand coordinates regularly with the Ranch Manager to assist with maintenance tasks and chores as needed or directed.

Responsibilities

• In conjunction with other staff, maintains the Slide Ranch garden for both residential and program use.
• Helps to care for animals on site: assists in administering medications, keeping animal records, and coordinating with the Ranch Manager and outside veterinarian when necessary.
• Supports the maintenance of ranch facilities, including all buildings, grounds, and trails in a safe, functional, and attractive manner, consistent with organizational values and available budget.
• Learns about and supports the safe and responsible operation and maintenance of all utility systems at Slide Ranch, including: water, plumbing, electrical, appliances, wood-burning stoves, electrical heating, and waste management and disposal systems (trash, recycling, and composting toilets).
• Supports the maintenance, repair, and improvement of all buildings and facilities at Slide Ranch.
• Helps maintain fire safety systems including fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and wood stoves.
• Helps maintain the Ranch workshop and tools in clean and safe working order.
• In coordination with the Ranch Manager, maintains and repairs animal shelters, pastures, fences, pens, and enclosures.
• In coordination with the Ranch Manager, helps maintain and repair garden beds, hose bibs, irrigation, and plumbing in the garden.
• Assists with farm chore coverage as needed to maintain the animals and garden, including evenings and weekends.
• Collaborates with staff regarding volunteer groups scheduled to work at Slide Ranch in support of facilities needs; leads volunteer groups as needed. Volunteer projects may include repairing trails or fences, and garden and animal projects.
• Collaborates with and supports staff regarding tasks for site rentals and special events.
• Occasionally serves as on-site staff member for off-hours site rentals.
• As a member of the residential community at Slide Ranch, participates in weekly community chores, twice-monthly meetings, and regular cook nights for a community of 15–20 people.
• Supports maintenance of the Farm to Table Teaching Center and facilities to ensure they remain clean, safe, and in good working order, coordinating the storage and usage of both upstairs and downstairs areas.
• Supports the Ranch team and leadership team with additional tasks when needed.

Requirements

• Interest in sustainable farming and environmental education.
• Previous experience with gardening.
• Comfortable working with a wide variety of people and situations, including farm and ranch staff, office staff, and program participants in an outdoor environment.
• Comfortable and willing to use basic power tools on a regular basis.
• Farm experience is a plus. (We have goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and bees.)
• Experience with animals, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, or other facilities maintenance skills is a plus.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs. and perform daily strenuous and continuous outdoor tasks related to ranch maintenance.
• Willingness to do what it takes to perform emergency repairs when needed. Creativity and flexibility in finding and implementing solutions to facilities and maintenance challenges.
• Flexibility to provide on-duty coverage on weekends and/or evenings on a rotational basis or with other days off, as needed and arranged.
• Occasional assistance during special events may be required.
• Saturday and Sunday availability is required.
• Computer literacy is a plus.
• Spanish fluency is a plus.
• Applicants must be comfortable living in rustic accommodations and sharing communal residential facilities and duties.
• Enthusiasm for executing group projects, including working with volunteer groups.
• Willingness to work in a rural and rustic ranch environment. Knowledge of general ranch or farm operations and environmental stewardship is a plus.

Benefits

STATUS: Hourly, Non-Exempt, Residential Position

COMPENSATION: $18–20/hr DOE

RESIDENCE: Tiny house, with $173.24 housing and utilities (rent) deducted every two weeks. 

SCHEDULE: Full time, 40 hours per week. Evening hours occasionally required; Saturday and Sunday hours required.

Farm and Community Life

In addition to regular ranch chores, this position includes residential community responsibilities outside of the work day, including a weekly residential chore, cooking dinner for fellow residents with a partner twice each month, and twice-monthly resident meetings.

This position requires a collaborative spirit and the ability to work effectively with the ranch team and organization staff. The successful candidate will possess a positive attitude and strong motivation to grow and contribute.

Community Living

This is a full-time, residential, non-exempt position. Food responsibilities are shared among the residents. Housing is on-site and rustic, in a spectacular location along the Marin Headlands coast just north of San Francisco.

As a full-time employee, this position is eligible for healthcare benefits, covered at 99%. Additional benefits such as dental and vision are available as well. The position includes 96 hours of paid vacation per year, at least 10 paid holidays, and 3 floating holidays.

Slide Ranch Background

Slide Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to planting kids in nature. Through our hands-on, farm-based environmental education for San Francisco Bay Area youth and families, we cultivate healthy bodies and minds and foster future generations of environmental stewards. By farming, cooking, caring for animals, and exploring wilderness and the coast, we teach people of all ages to see the connection between their own health, a healthy food system, and a healthy environment.

Slide Ranch serves 10,000 participants a year, with a special emphasis on low-income, urban populations who have limited opportunities for nature-based learning. Our educational farm and environmental preserve is located on the rugged and beautiful Marin County coast, just a thirty-minute drive north of San Francisco—both isolated from and accessible to the urban San Francisco Bay Area. We work in rustic former farm buildings on our 134-acre site and farm approximately ¾ of an acre on a hilly, terraced site with raised beds.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Slide Ranch is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions—including hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline, and termination—are made without regard to any of the following protected characteristics:

Race; color; religion (including religious dress and grooming practices); sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions); gender identity; gender expression; sexual orientation; marital status; medical condition (including genetic characteristics, cancer, or a record or history of cancer); military or veteran status; national origin (including language use and possession of a driver’s license issued to persons unable to prove that their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law); ancestry; disability (mental and physical, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics); genetic information; age (40 and over); request for family care leave; request for leave for an employee’s own serious health condition; request for Pregnancy Disability Leave; and retaliation for reporting patient abuse in tax-supported institutions.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.