JOB: VANCOUVER, BC – Fruit Pick Leader, Vancouver Fruit Tree Project

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project (VFTP) is seeking a fruit pick leader with a passion for food security and community building!

This position is being funded by Canada Summer Jobs. To be eligible for this position, you must be between 15 and 30 years of age on the start date of the job. You also must have been a full-time student during the previous academic year and be intending to return to full-time studies in the next academic year. You also must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a refugee under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Position Overview

At the core of the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project (VFTP), Pick Leaders are responsible for leading and distributing fruit from our backyard harvests. A typical day for a Pick Leader entails transporting equipment from one of the storage locations to a tree owner’s home, overseeing a safe, fun pick with volunteers, and then delivering the harvested fruit to one of the community partners. One pick generally takes about 3.5 hours.

After training and orientation in late June, the hired Pick Leader will be notified of upcoming picks by email, with information on time, location, and volunteers attending. VFTP wishes to complete 70 fruit picks this season, and the paid Pick Leader will help us accomplish this.

The Pick Leader role will also include duties like scouting fruit trees to assess fruit ripeness, taking stock of and replenishing equipment, representing the organization at outreach events, among other duties.

Position requirements

• Flexible and available for regular fruit picks, which will occur at various times throughout the week – sometimes on evenings and/or weekends – and at varying locations throughout the City of Vancouver. The pick schedule fluctuates depending on the readiness of the fruit and tree owner preferences, so flexibility is key.
• Class 5 driver’s license with extensive city driving experience
• Have own vehicle for work use (with VFTP reimbursing for mileage), or
• Use VFTP’s MODO account
• Supervisory experience
• Be able to guide volunteers during picks (have them sign the waiver; ensure safety and proper fruit picking technique as dictated by VFTP’s fruit picking guide
• Ensure the trees and homeowners’ property are respected; and answer questions about the organization and destination of the fruit
• Record-keeping & Communication
• Keep regular records of the picks and relay this information to the Coordinator
• Respond to emails in a timely manner
• Attend monthly board meetings (one Tuesday evening each month)

Our ideal candidate

• Is passionate about food security and community building.
• Has demonstrated experience supervising volunteers.
• Is extremely organized, can work independently and is comfortable making decisions.
• Motivated and prepared to work outside, rain or shine.
• Has strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Has a keen eye for detailed record keeping.
• Is professional and timely in communication.
• Has access to a laptop or phone for emailing.
• First Aid Training is a strong asset.

Timeline and Compensation

This is a part-time contract position, which will run from June 25 to August 27. The Pick Leader is expected to work 10 to 15 hours per week. Some evening and weekend work will be required. The rate of compensation for this position is $15 per hour.

Please send a cover letter and resume in pdf format as a single document with “VFTP 2017 Pick Leader” in the subject line. Please also mention that you saw this ad on the Young Agrarians website. Send to info@vancouverfruittree.com.

We look forward to hearing from you. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.

Thank you for your interest in the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project! To learn more, read on below, or visit: vancouverfruittree.com

Organization Overview

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project (VFTP) is a social service organization dedicated to improving food security and reducing food waste. Founded in 1999, the volunteer-run project harvests unwanted backyard fruit for distribution to community members affected by poverty and hunger.

VFTP fosters cooperation and neighbourliness, while minimizing food waste. Since its inception, the project has delivered over 60,000 pounds of fruit to daycares, seniors’ homes, assisted living centres, women’s shelters and community centres, benefiting the approximately 8,000 citizens that these partners support. VFTP also engages 400 volunteers each year.