Agricultural Specialist

Posting number: 2026-B23-MD

Department: Maintenance and Operations

Job classification: Agricultural Specialist

Posting type: Open

Categories: Agriculture, Grounds & Landscaping

Summary

Health Benefits: 100% employer contribution towards employee and family premiums

Community: World-famous attractions

District: Award-winning schools

BASIC FUNCTION

Under the direction of an assigned supervisor, performs a variety of specialized and technical duties to support the District’s agriculturally oriented instructional initiatives, such as the Magnolia Agriscience Community Center (MACC); selects, plants, irrigates, cultivates and harvests crops; plans, implements, and records crop planting and harvesting schedules; operates and maintains assigned agricultural equipment; performs varied public contact work; and performs related duties as assigned.

Please note that the funding for this position is only guaranteed through approximately June 30, 2027 fiscal year with the strong possibility of extending further.

Examples of duties

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of experience, education and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical combination would be the following:

EDUCATION:

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade. A Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering or related is desirable.

EXPERIENCE:

Two (2) years of experience in the routine and technical care of a regenerative farm, including increasingly responsible agricultural maintenance experience in the following areas: agricultural production, orchard management, farm equipment restoration, soil science, and irrigation. School-based regenerative farming experience is strongly preferred.

LICENSES AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Possession of a valid, appropriate California driver's license at time of appointment, and throughout employment in a position in this classification. * Proof of current California auto liability insurance at time of appointment, and throughout employment in a position in this classification. * Personal transportation for job-related travel throughout the District.* Possession of or ability to obtain within twelve months, an appropriate, valid pesticide applicators certificate of the type necessary to perform responsibilities of position.

• The ability to speak, read, and write fluently in Spanish is required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE OF (Typically learned through formal training or education):

• Standard practices and applications used in agriculture.* Principles and practices of organic horticulture, horticultural maintenance, organic farming methods, soil health, water conservation, integrated pest management, and farm carpentry.* Methods and techniques of fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide application.* Methods and techniques of greenhouse construction.* Regenerative and sustainable land management practices.* Plant biology, ecology, and basic chemistry.* Pest, insect, microorganisms, and disease life cycles.* Proper rotational planting techniques.* Operational characteristics of a variety of agricultural equipment, modern irrigation, and related equipment.* Relevant Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.* Irrigation system scheduling.* Basic math.

SKILL TO (Typically attained through formal training or practice):

• Select the appropriate tool(s) and/or equipment for each task given the type of crop, soil, weather conditions, project, and time available.* Create, merge and manipulate spreadsheets.* Safely and effectively operate and maintain a wide range of hand tools, power tools, vehicles, and equipment.* Stay organized and follow plans* Prioritize critical tasks* Safely and effectively apply fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides according to established policies and procedures.* Perform basic mathematical computations.* Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications.* Effectively instruct and interpret information to diverse populations.

ABILITY TO (Typically a personal quality attained without formal training, education, or practice):

• Maintain physical strength and perform manual labor.* Work independently outside, under adverse weather conditions, and for extended hours; perform repetitive motions, such as bending, lifting, pushing, and carrying while completing maintenance tasks.* Handle multiple tasks on an ongoing basis.* Follow written and oral instructions.* Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.* Maintain a clean, organized and efficient workspace.* Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work at all levels, including a culturally diverse general public, with a focus on quality service to internal staff and external customers.* Work in a focused, timely, and efficient manner.* Take initiative and personal responsibility.* Work variable hours, including weekends and holidays, as needed.* Stay within the designated budget when ordering supplies.* Collaborate and make decisions with a diverse group of teammates.* Maintain a positive, professional, team player attitude.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment.* Bending at the waist, kneeling, stooping or crouching.* Walking over rough and uneven surfaces.* Standing for extended periods of time.* Reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally.* Digging.* Lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling heavy objects weighing up 50 pounds without assistance.* Heavy physical labor.* Seeing to perform work.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Outdoor work environment.* Seasonal heat and cold or adverse weather conditions.* Exposure to fumes, dust, odors, oil/grease, gasses.* Driving a vehicle to conduct work.

HAZARDS

• Working around and with machinery having moving parts.* Exposure to chemicals and fumes.

Qualifications

Note: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification, and are not to be interpreted as an exhaustive list of responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified. Reasonable accommodations will be made so that qualified employees can perform the essential duties of the job.

SPECIALIZED ESSENTIAL DUTIES (Typically only performed in this classification):

• Prepares soil, plants, seeds, prunes, weeds, irrigates, and harvests crops; maintains farm, greenhouse, and nursery crops; grows, cultivates, and prepares produce for sale and distribution.* Determines type, variety, and amount of acreage for planting, field locations, and crop rotations. * Selects and cycles crops such as peas, pumpkins, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, etc., based on timing and/or variety to meet the needs of the District.* Documents crop and field information, such as production rates, rotation schedules, soil analysis results.* Develops site specific fruits, vegetables and floral varieties that are able to thrive in the bioregion.* Applies specialized food grade and farm focused herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides to assigned crops according to established policies, procedures and seasons; implements organic integrated pest management (IPM) practices, such as compost tea spraying, organic fertilizing, organic pesticides, etc.* Operates a variety of agricultural equipment, such as shovels, rakes, pitchforks, seeders, tithers, walk-behind tractors, etc.; adjusts, cleans, maintains and performs routine repairs to assigned equipment; reports major repair needs or arranges for repairs as needed.* Designs and implements production schedules for planting and harvesting crops; measures and records crop production and harvesting amounts using digital spreadsheets.* Provides work guidance to student workers, interns, volunteers, and apprentices; assigns and reviews work; provides educational demonstrations for the purpose of experiential learning.* Participates in planning, set up, and delivery of special events related to agricultural programs; interacts as needed with outside vendors and community members.* Assists with setting up and taking down farmer’s market equipment, including signs, tables, canopies, and market information; assists in completing market day reports and distributing load lists; provides additional assistance with the running of the market as necessary; assists with market special events and may assist with pre-planning of such events.

GENERAL ESSENTIAL DUTIES (Also performed in other classifications):

• Orders, receives, and stores supplies, materials and equipment; maintains inventories and assures adequate stock levels; drives a vehicle to pick up and purchase supplies as needed.* Attends and participates in a variety of meetings and special projects as assigned.* Prepares and maintains various records and reports.* Operates sprinkler systems; manually engage or set automatic time clocks* Performs general maintenance and outside custodial duties as directed including upkeep of grounds; inspection, cleaning, and minor repair of irrigation lines, sprinkler heads, sinks, hose bibs, etc.* Inspects and reports electrical maintenance issues as needed.* Drive a vehicle to and from sites to conduct work.* Perform related duties as assigned.

Supplemental information

RECRUITMENT TYPE: OPEN - Anyone may apply CERTIFICATION TYPE: OPEN - Candidates who pass all testing stages will be placed on one eligibility list in rank order based on total score. APPLICATION PROCESS All applications must be submitted online. Applications and requests for testing will not be accepted after the recruitment closing date and time. Applicants may be rejected on the basis of an incomplete application or failure to meet minimum qualifications. The application is part of the selection process and is part of an overall assessment of acceptability for employment. All information provided is subject to independent verification of its accuracy. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide correct contact information by which to be notified. Note: You will eventually be disqualified in the recruitment process if you fail to disclose relevant information regarding your conviction history. It is the disclosure of the conviction that is most important in many cases. SCREENING PROCESS The screening process for this position, which may be subject to modification, will include some form of a(n): application screening, initial qualifications screening, documentation/certification screening, and supplemental application screening. The stated qualifications for the position represent only the minimum requirements and do not guarantee qualification for examination or placement on an eligibility list. EXAMINATION PROCESS The examination may consist of any combination of a(n): training and experience (T&E) evaluation, written knowledge test, hands on/performance test, structured panel interview, situational judgement interview, or other type of exam of fitness for duty. All parts of the examination process are job related. A passing score must be attained on each portion of the exam to advance to the next stage and ultimate placement on an eligibility list. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION Requests for reasonable accommodations for the testing process must be made no less than two (2) days prior to the examination. Requests must be signed by your medical doctor, school psychologist, or learning consultant as appropriate and must be on provider letterhead and contain an actual signature. EXAM PROTESTS Protest of any part of the exam process must be in writing and submitted to the Personnel Director no later than five (5) working days from the date you participated in the exam. Any protest must include rationale to support the protest and shall include supporting documentation or references. Protests must be based on illegal discrimination, abuse of discretion, or procedure/process error. Protests should NOT be based on receiving unexpected results. We cannot be responsible for lost mail, misdirected mail, or failure of mail to be delivered after it has been entrusted to the U.S. Postal Service. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELIGIBILITY Candidates who are successful in all screening and testing stages will be placed on an eligibility list. Typically, an eligibility list for a classification expires after six (6) months. Candidates on the expired eligibility list are no longer considered for positions within the class. Eligibility lists may be extended beyond one year or expire sooner than one year. Eligibility lists may be merged, in which case candidate ranks may change. SELECTION PROCESS Candidates on the eligibility list will be called in rank order to participate in final selection interviews with the hiring manager until three ranks of candidates have accepted the invitation to interview. Ranks may include ties so more than three candidates may be called to interview for one vacancy. Please note that candidates will be removed from the eligibility list for declining the invitation to interview more than three (3) times. OFFERS OF EMPLOYMENT Official offers of employment are ONLY made by the Anaheim Union High School District Human Resources, Classified Office. Offers are subject to satisfactory completion of ALL the pre-employment processing including: successful completion of a physical examination, tuberculosis examination, fingerprint clearance by the California Department of Justice, and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. ADVANCED STEP PLACEMENT All new regular classified employees shall be paid in accordance with the salary range established for the class to which assigned. Initial placement will normally be the first step of the salary range. However, a new employee may be provided with advanced step placement upon recommendation of the hiring manager and approval by Human Resources based upon: A) Additional qualifying experience beyond that required for entry into the class. B) Additional education at the college level when related to the position, beyond the established educational requirements for entry into the class. C) Difficulty experienced in the recruitment of candidates to meet the vacancy needs in the class. BENEFITS Benefits earned by all permanent classified employees: -Leaves: Sick leave, holidays, bereavement and emergency leaves. -Retirement: Classified employees are members of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Employee contribution is 7% of gross earnings. Benefits earned by all permanent classified employees working 20 hours or more per week: -Insurance: The District provides medical, dental, vision care, behavioral health and life insurance for the employees and their dependents. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY DISTRICT The Anaheim Union High School District prohibits discrimination intimidation harassment (including sexual harassment) or bullying based on a person's actual or perceived ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, immigration status, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in its programs or activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES Complaints alleging noncompliance with the District’s policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to: 504 Coordinator: Adela Cruz, Contact for Disability Discrimination Concerns • Location: 501 N. Crescent Way, Anaheim, CA 92801 • Email: cruz_ad@auhsd.us Title IX Coordinator (Employees): Amie Maya, Director, Human Resources • Location: 501 N. Crescent Way, Anaheim, CA 92801 • Email: Maya_a@auhsd.us Title II Coordinator: Melanie Thomasson, Contact for Ensuring Equal Opportunity • Location: 501 N. Crescent Way, Anaheim, CA 92801 • Email: thomasson_me@auhsd.us The provisions of this bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provisions of this bulletin may be modified or revoked, and the job description may be changed at any time without notice. FOR FURTHER JOB INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANAHEIM UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, PLEASE GO ONLINE TO WWW.AUHSD.US