Staff Vacancies
Join the team
Sunseed is run by voluntary staff members. Coordinators' contracts last for a year, while assistants come for 3 or 6 months (both can be extended). You will find the upcoming vacancies and the general work conditions below.
If you are interested in a certain position, please do apply as eventually it will be open.
Now recruiting:
Operations Collaborator/ Coordinator
Sunseed is a non-formal education project for the transition towards sustainability that has existed for more than 30 years and is now in the process of adopting a more inclusive structure inspired by sociocracy.
In this context, the goal of the Operations Coordinator/ collaborator is to have an oversight on the legal requirements, the finances and future of the project. The Operations Coordinator/Collaborator cooperates at the same time with other members of the Office Team to enhance inclusive decision-making, take care of people’s well-being and general project management.
Contract options:
- Operations collaborator of minimum 6 months with onsite work:
Salary: 105 e /month, 6 hours of work/day
- Operations collaborator of minimum 6 months with offsite work but living in the province of Almeria and previous experience of Sunseed
Salary per month negotiable, working hours flexible
- Operations coordinator of minimum 12 months with full responsibilities of a coordinator in Sunseed (see bellow):
Salary: 210 e/month, 6 hours of work/day
Core Responsibilities:
- Supervise monthly accounting
- Manage legal documents including insurances, taxes, deeds, local facilities, contracts and agreements, etc.
- Manage current legal issues
- Organise and update legal papers of the land that Sunseed owns
- Take care of legal responsibilities of Sunseed to the UK and Spanish state
- Take on final year’s accounting and investigate tax issue
- Take care of liability & van insurance of the project
- Investigate in depth the possibilities about the future of Sunseed. (UK charity status, Spanish association)
- Keep constant communication between the staff on site, trustees and external collaborators.
- Update the admin & trustee drive regularly.
Shared Responsibilities
- Predict income and examine expenditure to identify areas where more resources are required
- Be the point of contact for neighbours in Los Molinos
Requirements:
- Knowledge of the Spanish law
- Fluent in both Spanish and English
- Experience in accounting and finance management
- Good communication skills (including the ability to work as part of a closely integrated team), confidence, sensitivity, patience and open-mindedness to work with all members of the group
- Be highly flexible – willing to work ‘out of hours’ when needs must
- Ability to live in a basic communal environment with limited resources and the desire to live and work closely with community members
Desirable Skills:
- Previous experience in Sunseed and aware of its issues
- Commitment to promoting sustainable living and the aim of Sunseed
- Previous knowledge of NGO administration
- An understanding of organisational structures, particularly sociocratic organisations
Organic Gardens Coordinator
Sunseed is a non-formal education project for the transition toward sustainability. We are entirely off-grid and committed to teaching visitors how to live a low-impact lifestyle in harmony with nature.
Specific techniques in horticulture are required to work the terrace system and traditional irrigation channel. The Organic Garden department currently cares for twelve gardens which produce a wide range of food crops. The role of the gardens is to provide food for the project, education and research and improve environmental integration by maximizing the cycling of our waste materials.
Our gardens are run strictly according to organic principles and we incorporate the use of permaculture design. Careful soil management is especially important. No artificial chemicals are used.
Working in the gardens is always popular with volunteers, therefore the Gardens Coordinator needs to be able to work and communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
Stipend of 210 e/ per month
Core Responsibilities
- Using a mixture of methods such as crop rotation, companion planting, inter-cropping
- Planning sowing and transplanting times
- Preparing garden beds
- Tree care
- Greenhouse management
- Soil Management
- Monitoring crop yield
- Starting and maintaining compost heaps
- Crop selection
- Proper irrigation techniques
- Using organic methods for pest control
- Trialling and developing effective gardening techniques to meet local conditions
- Assisting and supervising volunteers
- Supervising innovative volunteer projects
- Education and Documentation
- Incorporating volunteers into the work and methodology
- Assistance with development of volunteer projects to satisfactory completion
- Writing and supervising the documentation of larger projects, preparing projects proposals, producing literature.
- Inter-departmental co-operation
- Work as a team to ensure the smooth running of Sunseed
- Planning and monitoring a departmental budget
Requirements
- Experience and knowledge of all aspects of organic growing
- Tolerance of hard physical work in hot conditions
- Ability to lead and motivate volunteers, who range from those with a wealth of experience to those with very little
- Ability to work in co-operation with other departments
Desired skills
- Fluency in Spanish
- Driving licence
- Experience with Permaculture
- Experience with agroforestry
Upcoming vacancies:
Eco-Maintenance Coordinator (Dec 2020)
One responsibility of the Maintenance Coordinator includes the supervision of the volunteers who are keen to help with maintenance-work, often having more enthusiasm than skills, as well as the application of clear Health and Safety standards. Bigger Projects require the help from local Construction-workers and need to be coordinated.
Core Responsibilities
Assisting and supervising volunteers in carrying out tasks
Maintenance and Improvements of our Buildings
General maintenance of roofs, floors, doors, etc
Plastering, painting and finishing with a lime wash
Instructing on safety and proper tool use
Maintaining and repairing tools
Requirements
Ability to lead and motivate volunteers, who range from those with a wealth of experience to those with little or none.
Knowledge of building skills including plumbing repairs, plastering, painting, etc. (Experience would be desirable)
Tolerance of hard physical work in hot conditions.
Ability to organise work schedules and work in a team.
Desirable Skills
Experience of water heating systems or rainwater catchment systems
Experience in ecological building techniques and materials.
Experience in using power tools
Experience in Plumbing
Ability to speak spanish
Appropriate Technology Coordinator (Jan 2021)
The Appropriate Technology department coordinates the maintenance and improvement of community infrastructure, technologies and services at Sunseed. The two key areas are sun and water: renewable electricity generation and consumption, solar water heating, and solar cookers, water service provision, maintenance of the ram pump & waste water system, and overseeing of the water distribution system of Los Molinos del Rio Aguas.
The coordinator supervises volunteers in choosing and carrying out project work and may run research of his/her interest. Collaboration with other departments to correspond to the needs of the community and find possible solutions is a vital part that Appropriate Technology plays in the project.
The coordinator’s role is a volunteer position with a compensation of 210 euros and a minimum commitment of one year.
- Core Responsibilities
- Ensure electricity generation and overview consumption
- Water service provision
- Maintenance of ram pump and distribution system (shared with Eco-Maintenance)
- Maintenance & improvement of waste water system (shared with Eco-Maintenance)
- Maintenance & improvement of solar water heating
- Maintaining and encouraging the use of the solar cookers at Sunseed
- Overseeing the appropriate technology tools
- Guiding & mentoring volunteers & interns
- Sorting, acquiring and storing AT materials
- Ensuring safety related to the use of AT equipement
- Planning and monitoring a departmental budget
Requirements
- Background in engineering, mechanics or technology
- Design skills of low technology solutions
Experience in some of the following: off-grid electronics and electricity : photovoltaic panels, small wind turbines, batteries. Basic solar water heating, common plumbing systems, working with manual and power tools.
Optional experience in: woodworking, arduino-based systems/ microelectronics, programming, solar devices such as solar cookers, solar dryers
Teaching and demonstrative skills
Planning and direction of projects
Ability and interest in working with upcycled materials
Interest in Appropriate Technology, its importance in the world and its role in the development of a sustainable lifestyle
Ecosystem Restoration Coordinator (Feb 2021)
Work in the Drylands Management department is very varied and challenging. Historically, the project has focused on the study of both native and exotic plants adapted to semi-arid environments. Nowadays, the department´s objectives are focused on environmental education, conservation and regeneration of local vegetal communities through sustainable and respectful methods. We look for techniques that allow and encourage the development of local vegetation and of long-term increases in biodiversity and stability.
Requirements
The department’s priority is to educate and teach visitors and volunteers about the semi-arid environment, its plants and processes, give environmental education, explain the geography and ecology of the surroundings and teach low-tech methods in Drylands Management.
Technological limitations mean that adaptability and originality are necessary factors when designing experiments and projects of action. The department has basic facilities which include a library of past records, a seed bank and a digital herbarium in development.
Core Responsibilities
- Implement and monitor a management plan for land restoration while fighting erosion, drought and restoring vegetal cover of the land.
- Maintain a low-tech tree nursery, ensuring the appropriate production of trees and shrubs for use in the Drylands development.
- Incorporating volunteers into the work and methodology and development of their own projects to satisfactory completion.
- Writing and supervising the production of reports, documenting larger projects, preparing projects proposals, producing literature.
- Maintain tools, instruct on their proper use and apply safety rules
Other Responsibilities
- Maintain and build walls, paths, steps, fences and boundary markers.
- Use low impact, sustainable methods of composting, safe wastewater management and erosion control.
- Vegetation management including planting, pruning and harvesting.
- Keeping clear records of the boundaries of our various parcels of land, of their geology, hydrology and plant cover, and of how they are changing over time.
- Communicating our aims to a wide audience, online, in the village and elsewhere.
- Experience and knowledge of drylands management, land resoration, water management and/or any related areas.
- Tolerance of hard physical work in hot conditions.
- Ability to lead and motivate volunteers, who range from those with a wealth of experience to those with little or none.
- Ability to work in co-operation with other departments.
Required skills:
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Commitment to Sunseed’s vision, mission and goals
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Commitment to environmental stewardship and social change
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Willingness to share knowledge and ideas and encourage learning, teaching and community integration
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Ability to give short talks and guided tours
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Ability to be flexible, co-operative and welcoming to all visitors
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Ability to provide mentoring for visitors and supervise their projects
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Good communication skills, good spoken and written English
Desirable skills:
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Some knowledge of Spanish and willingness to improve language skills
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If over 25, a full driving license valid for driving in Spain
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Interest in living off-grid in a sustainable way
Benefits
Vegeterian food
Locally sourced mostly organic food included
Paid holidays
24 days of paid holidays per year
Amenities
Internet, cosmetics, detergents, library, etc. provided
Scenic landscape
Unique location within a natural reserve with a natural pool
Coordinator
€ 210Monthly
- Contract of 12-24 months
- Accommodation: basic single room
- 2 paid days off a month
- 150€ travel assistance at the end of each contract year
All staff are responsible for their own insurance and up-to-date tetanus jabs.
Assistant
€ 25/50*Monthly
- Contract of 3-6 months
- Accommodation: basic shared room
- 40€ travel assistance at the end
- 2 days paid holidays per month
*25€/month for the first 3 months, 50€/month afterwards.
Committing to Sunseed
Living at Sunseed as a community member means more than simply doing your job well. You will be expected to put your environment first and personal needs second.
You will be expected to take part fully in community life, relevant meetings and to assist in duties that are outside of your post like sharing communal duties such as cooking and cleaning, as well as setting a good example in areas such as enthusiasm, safe practices, punctuality and socialising.
All staff participate in the planning and implementation of tasks in their department and contribute to the overall longer-term strategic development of the project.
All staff are responsible for supervising volunteers and implementing the Health and Safety guidelines in all activities. This is of the utmost importance for staff involved in supervising unskilled volunteers in potentially hazardous situations.
All staff are expected to follow and oversee Sunseed’s mission and policies (vegetarian, no-chemical, no-drug), procedures (grievance) and agreements (communal).