We’re hiring!

2025 BUG Team Member Position

Application deadline: February 17, 2025

Start date: March 17, 2025

Location: Home-based business headquartered in midtown Bend, Oregon with residential, school, and community garden sites throughout Central Oregon.

Company Overview: Bend Urban Gardens (BUG) is a woman-owned edible landscaping business focused on empowering aspiring gardeners to grow food in their yards. BUG offers exceptional support to beginning and experienced gardeners alike. Services range from on-site consultations and empowering garden lessons, custom raised garden bed construction, innovative season extenders, expertly designed personalized crop plans, and a wide variety of climate-appropriate plant starts. Please explore our website, bendurbangardens.com, to get a more in depth idea of what we offer.

Position Overview: BUG is seeking help in building local vegetable gardens in 2025, from mid-March through mid-July, with the likelihood of continuing through October depending on market demand. Based on our current projections, we estimate we’ll need support on at least three dedicated weekdays per week (24 hours). Daily hours can be flexible based on inclement weather and personal obligations. We are open to personalized scheduling possibilities and can discuss more. Our goal is to create a work environment where every team member can thrive personally and professionally, while also honoring timely follow through on our commitments to clients. Background check required.

Compensation:

    • $20-$22/hour

    • Mileage reimbursement (from demonstration garden to job sites when not traveling together in BUG’s van)

    • Partial cell phone stipend

    • Complimentary plant starts for your personal garden

    • Discounts on other products we carry

Qualifications:

    • Genuine enthusiasm for BUG’s mission and a strong desire to contribute to it.

    • Very strong work ethic and organizational skills to create high quality products.

    • Woodworking experience.

    • Physical ability to sustain repetitive tasks, like lifting and moving heavy objects up to 50 lbs, walking, standing, reaching, stooping, squatting, digging, shoveling and working outdoors in cold, hot, wet, or mildly smoky conditions on uneven surfaces.

    • Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and in partnership or part of a team alongside clients, flexibly adapting to unique situations.

    • Experienced in using clear and succinct communication to efficiently complete projects.

    • Has a growth mindset, welcomes constructive feedback, and is a lifelong learner guided by curiosity and asking questions.

    • Positively collaborates to overcome challenges.

    • Compassionate, helpful and friendly demeanor when interacting with clients and teammates.

    • Possesses reliable transportation.

    • Would be extra awesome: Brings innovative & replicable design ideas and skills to improve existing products and efficiencies, along with co-designing and building potential additional garden elements and accessories.

Duties:

    • Independently and collaboratively prep boards and install raised garden beds and mini hoophouses. Installation may include plants, drip irrigation, soil, and pathways as well.

    • Equipment care (cleaning, sharpening tools, etc.)

    • Co-create written standard operating procedures for potential new products, featuring models, visuals, acronyms and checklists to simplify processes and procedures.

    • Document work for marketing efforts.

    • Demonstration garden maintenance such as linseed oiling existing raised garden beds in the spring, applying mulch to pathways, etc.

    • Seeding, up-potting, labeling, and watering plant starts in and out of demonstration garden greenhouse, as needed.

    • Occasional support at in-person events, as needed.

How to apply:

Submit your resume, including contact and basic information (name, preferred pronouns, address, phone, email), 2-3 professional references, and either a cover letter or a short (less than 5 min.) video (or a combination) detailing your interest and relevant experience, including responses to the questions below. Send all materials to Ashley at info@bendurbangardens.com.

Please keep in mind that we care more about your lived experience and what your strengths are vs. your qualifications on paper. We’re looking forward to genuinely getting to know you, so please share authentically.

  • Why are you a good fit for this position and how does it fit into your short and long term goals?

  • What part of this work do you feel you’ll be best at?

  • What part of this work do you feel will be a challenge / give you room for growth? 

  • What would you do if you encountered a challenge you weren’t able to solve on your own? 

  • What is most important to you in a job? What part of a job motivates you to show up every day with your best self?  

  • What makes you feel valued and appreciated as a team member?