Your address will show here +12 34 56 78

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:

Maintenance Coordinator

The responsibilities of the Maintenance Coordinator include supervision of the volunteers who are keen to help with the building work, often having more enthusiasm than skills, as well as the application of clear Health and Safety standards. There are also many opportunities to offer new ideas to improve the running of the project and working with other departments.

Core Responsibilities
  • Assisting and supervising volunteers in carrying out tasks
  • Building maintenance and improvements
  • Plumping experience
  • Aceqeiro (water way) maintenance
  • General repairs to roofs, floors, doors, etc
  • Plastering, painting and finishing with a lime wash
  • Tools and materials supervision
  • Applying Safety rules
  • Instructing on proper tool use
  • Ensuring unsafe tools are not used
  • Maintaining and repairing tools

Requirements
  • Experience and knowledge of building skills including plumbing repairs, plastering, painting, carpentry, masonry, joinery, etc.
  • Tolerance of hard physical work in hot conditions
  • Ability to organise work schedules
  • Ability to lead and motivate volunteers, who range from those with a wealth of experience to those with little or none.

Desirable Skills
  • Experience with water heating systems
  • Experience with rainwater catchment systems
  • Experience of ecological building
  • Experience in using power tools

Organic Gardens Coordinator

Specific techniques in horticulture are required to work the terrace system, irrigated by an irrigation channel that dates back to the Moorish era. The project currently cares for several gardens which produce a wide range of food crops such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, garlic, broad beans etc as well as herbs and fruit. 

The role of the gardens are:
  • Education and research into regenerative land-use practices
  • To improve environmental integration by maximizing the cycling of our waste materials.
  • To educate volunteers about the principles of regenerative gardening.

Core Responsibilities
  • Running a department, advising and working with other departments 
  • Assisting and supervising volunteers
  • Liaising with local organic growers and organisations
  • Trialling and developing effective gardening techniques to meet local conditions
  • Planning and production of vegetables and fruit on irrigated terraces
  • Preparing beds and tree care
  • Greenhouse Management
  • Soil Management
  • Pest Control
  • Tool safety and instruction on proper tool use

Requirements
  • Experience and knowledge of several 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 little or none
  • Ability to work in co-operation with other departments

Appropriate Technology Coordinator

Sunseed is a non-formal education project for the transition towards sustainability. The community of volunteers live in an off-grid (electricity & water) village called Los Molinos del Rio Aguas and committed to teaching visitors & volunteers how to live a low-impact lifestyle.

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. The vacancy starts from 1/8/2020, but the applicant should arrive at least one month for the handover of the role.

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 equipment
  • 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 : photo-voltaic 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 up-cycled materials
  • Interest in Appropriate Technology, its importance in the world and its role in the development of a sustainable lifestyle

Upcoming vacancies:

Required skills:

  1. Commitment to Sunseed’s vision, mission and goals

  2. Commitment to environmental stewardship and social change

  3. Willingness to share knowledge and ideas and encourage learning, teaching and community integration

  4. Ability to give short talks and guided tours

  5. Ability to be flexible, co-operative and welcoming to all visitors

  6. Ability to provide mentoring for visitors and supervise their projects

  7. Good communication skills, good spoken and written English

Desirable skills:

  1. Some knowledge of Spanish and willingness to improve language skills

  2. If over 25, a full driving license valid for driving in Spain

  3. 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
€ 210

Monthly

APPLY
  • 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

APPLY
  • 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).