Gardener and Project Officer (Bedford)
Employer: School Food Matters
Location: Home-working and at schools in Bedford
Temporary: Contract (Approx 32 days between February and July)
Working hours: Part-time (Approx 32 days between February and July)
Salary: £5,885 per year
Closing date: 30 October 2026 at 09:58
-
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:
o one assembly in each school
o two food growing sessions in each school
o one market trader training session in each school
o one farm visit for each school
o 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
The Work From Home Hub is dedicated to finding and sharing remote and hybrid job opportunities across the UK. The content available on theworkfromhomehub.co.uk is intended for general informational purposes only. While we strive to ensure the information provided is accurate and reliable, we make no guarantees or warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of the information presented on our site.
A step‑by‑step guide to finding and securing a remote or flexible job outside the classroom. Learn where to look, how to position yourself, how to identify your transferable skills, and how to navigate a new job market. Includes an editable CV template and cover letter example to support your transition.
Created by The Work From Home Hub.
This page may contain adverts for products and services tailored to those seeking homebased roles or already working remotely. These adverts help The Work From Home Hub source and share more job opportunities to our community. Support our mission - become a partner today.