Urban Farming and Hydroponics

**MUST BE LIVING IN IL AND MEET REQUIRMENTS OF AT LEAST 5 YRS OR MORE EXPERIENCE IN URBAN FARMING AND DATA COLLECTING**

Position Summary

The Urban Farming & Hydroponics developer supports Entrepreneurs Academy’s Urban Agriculture, Hydroponics, and Food Systems initiatives by building out and developing a hydroponics lab and leading with daily farm operations, hydroponic system maintenance, educational programming, and community engagement. This role is ideal for an individual interested in a career in sustainable agriculture, controlled-environment growing systems, and community-based education and food distribution.

The position begins as part-time and is intentionally designed to transition into a full-time role as EA’s urban farming and hydroponics programs expand through increased enrollment, partnerships, and grant funding.

Key Responsibilities

Urban Farm Operations

• Design and develop a fully operational hydroponics lab that produces a minimum of 10 Tons of food per year
• Lead volunteers to assist with planting, harvesting, watering, composting, and general crop maintenance
• Support upkeep of garden beds, tools, irrigation systems, and farm infrastructure
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, and safety of farm and greenhouse sites
• Establish procedures and lead execution of produce handling, packaging, storage, and distribution

Hydroponics Systems & Program Support

• Execute setup, monitoring, and maintenance of hydroponic systems, including nutrient solutions, pH levels, water circulation, and grow lighting
• Support routine system checks, troubleshooting, and basic repairs
• Guide students in crop planning, seeding, transplanting, and harvesting in hydroponic environments
• Maintain logs for system performance, yields, and maintenance schedules
• Maintain consistent and accurate data logs related to all metrics and measurables
• Teach all hydroponics classes, demonstrations, and hands-on learning activities

Community Engagement

• Assist with community workdays, volunteer coordination, and outreach events
• Support partnerships with schools, community organizations, and local stakeholders
• Promote food access, sustainability, and environmental awareness initiatives

Administrative & Reporting Support

• Assist with data collection including attendance, harvest data, hydroponic yield logs, and system metrics and supply consumption
• Support documentation for grant reporting and program evaluation
• Communicate site needs, system issues, and improvement opportunities to organizational leadership

Qualifications

Required

• Hands-on experience with hydroponic or controlled-environment growing systems Excitement, Enthusiasm, dedication, and a commitment to excellence
• Deep understanding of nutrient management, pH balancing, plant health, corrective actions and grow lighting
• A talent for teaching and creatively engaging program participants
• Inspirational personality with a passion for, and formal training in, urban farming, hydroponics, agriculture, or environmental systems
• Ability to perform physical labor and work in indoor and outdoor environments
• Strong reliability, attention to detail, and willingness to learn technical systems
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff, students, volunteers, and community members
• Alignment with EA’s mission of entrepreneurship, education, and community empowerment

Preferred

• Hands-on experience with hydroponic or controlled-environment growing systems
• Experience working with youth, seniors or community-based programs
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus

Schedule & Hours

• Part-Time: Approximately 20–25 hours per week
• Schedule may include weekdays, occasional evenings, and weekends based on programming needs
• Opportunity to transition to Full-Time (35–40 hours per week) as funding and program demand increase

Compensation

• Hourly, commensurate with experience
• Opportunities for increased hours, role expansion, and benefits upon transition to full-time status

Growth Opportunity

This position is part of EA’s long-term workforce development and green careers pathway and offers opportunities for skill development, increased responsibility, leadership growth, and advancement into a full-time role as programs scale.

Work Environment

• Outdoor urban farm sites and indoor hydroponics labs
• Educational and community-centered settings
• Hands-on, mission-driven, collaborative culture

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and brief statement of interest outlining their passion for urban farming, hydroponics, and community impact to [email protected].

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: From $30.00 per hour

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: In person