Farmer II (Extended) - East Bay Regional Park District

The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a full-service governmental agency stewarding a metropolitan system of public open space parklands and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of the San Francisco Bay. EBRPD spans across 125,000 acres in 73 regional parks, including over 1,250 miles of trails that are enjoyed by over 25 million visitors and the community per year. The Park District acquires, manages, and preserves natural and cultural resources for everyone to enjoy now and forever to experience nature nearby.

OUR MISSION:
EBRPD preserves a rich heritage of natural and cultural resources and provides open space, parks, trails, safe and healthful recreation and environmental education.  An environmental ethic guides the District in all of its activities.
 
OUR VALUES: 

•  Respect – We honor the land we steward, each other, and the park visitors we serve.
•  Resilience – We creatively adapt to change. We address challenges with empathy, perspective, and determination.
•  Relationships – Our greatest strength lies in the trust, accountability, and teamwork we cultivate with our colleagues, partners, and the public we serve.
•  Responsiveness – We communicate openly, honestly, and reliably.
•  Transparency – We hold the public's trust through meaningful stakeholder engagement and access to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance.

WHY WORK FOR EBRPD 

• Working with a purpose for a better world today and for future generations through the preservation of open space, public access to the outdoors, and a commitment to the conservation of the natural world found east of the San Francisco Bay across 33 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
• A community of colleagues who are passionate about public service and the East Bay Regional Park District, the communities it serves, and its mission.
• Excellent benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending, and pension benefits through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). Click here for details regarding additional benefits.
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development.
• Free on-site parking.
• Free parking permit for EBRPD parks (for up to 2 privately owned vehicles)
• Employee discounts for certain EBRPD park amenities (reservations, daily fishing permit, public boat launch).

THE OPPORTUNITY: 
The Park District currently has one Farmer II vacancy located at the Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, CA. As one of two Farmer II’s, you will have shared responsibility for the operation and maintenance of farming equipment, planting crops on up to 30 acres of land, and performing a variety of farming functions in support of the historic farm that is open to the general public.  The hiring pools established as a result of this recruitment will be used to fill the current vacancy and any additional vacancies that may occur during the one year life of the hiring pools.

The Ardenwood Historic Farm is a unique and vibrant public attraction, offering a rich spectrum of cultural, educational and recreational opportunities. Ardenwood offers authentic historic facilities and activities, interpreting the general themes of innovation, community, and sustenance on California farms circa 1890-1930. This 205-acre park contains the original Patterson farmhouse and grounds, historic hay barn and farmyard, 100 acres of prime irrigated row-crop fields.
 
WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:
Under general supervision, and one of two Farmer II’s,  performs and directs others in a variety of farming functions to support farm facilities or historic farms open to the general public; performs program development and presentations, acquisition, maintenance and the operation of modern and period farming equipment; selects, plants, irrigates, cultivates and harvests crops; performs orchard management and all phases of appropriate care and husbandry for a variety of farm animals; performs varied public contact work; and performs related duties as assigned.

IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• A self-starter who can professionally collaborate with others;
• Knowledgeable in agricultural practices and equipment operation;
• Comfortable working around animals;
• Interested in sustainable farming methods;
• Passionate about helping people build connections between their everyday lives, local farming history, and the land.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:
Farmer II is the journey level class of this series, focusing on the difficult and complex farming functions within the department. This class is distinguished from the Farmer I level of this series by the complexity of duties performed and the degree of independence to make decisions in non-routine circumstances. This class may also have intermittent lead responsibility over the Farmer I.