I am super excited to post to this list that Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles, based in Ithaca, New York, is hiring for a new part time position! I expect it won't be enough hours to persuade people to move from say, Beijing or Barcelona, but maybe Montreal or Syracuse ;)
And who knows - maybe we'll find out someone nearer to our town has been lurking on this list all along.
About RIBs: Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles is a thirty year-old program of the Southside Community center focused on a facilitated free and open shop model. We do require a donation for parts, which is pay-what-you-want. Our focus is on empowerment, via skill building, confidence building and access to transportation. We serve an extremely wide array of people in our local population, from people in the reentry process from incarceration, college students pursuing PHDs, local homeless, families of all social classes, and immigrants.
About The Southside Community Center: Established in 1938, the SsCC is one of the nation's oldest African American community organizations, tracing its roots back to the efforts of a small women's club 1927. Since it's founding, it has nurtured a variety of programs designed to "affirm, empower, and foster the development of self pride among the African-American citizens of greater Ithaca..."
About Ithaca: Home to four higher education institutions including Cornell University, Ithaca has a resilient cycling community and a long tradition of political and social awareness.
Position Title: Educator Mechanic, Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles Reporting To: Nydia Blas, Executive Director, Southside Community Center, Nicholas Desystemizer, Director, Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles Compensation: $15.11/hour, 15 hours/week Benefits: paid vacation and sick leave
Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles is a program of the Southside Community Center and a skillsharing community bicycle workshop where anyone can come in and work on their bikes, whether to repair, build, or simply maintain, free of cost (except parts). For almost thirty years, RIBs has been a fun and empowering space where people learn and help one another while connecting with liberating and sustainable technology.
This position is seasonal, ending October 31, with the possibility for scaled back hours over Winter. In season, it will be 15hrs/week@$15.11/hr, Saturday and Sunday from 12:30pm until 5:30pm, and Thursday 6pm-close. The position will be completely responsible for Thursdays, but will share the day with the Director from 2pm-5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The position may require attending weekly hour-long staff meetings, paid at the normal rate.
The applicant does not have to be mechanically proficient at the time of interview, but they do need to have a passion for learning mechanical skills such that they will eventually develop professional skills. This position offers training which will precede assumption of regular hours, and will consist of shadowing by the Director and Consulting Director on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Other days necessary for training may be possible. All training will be paid at the working rate.
The primary skill the applicant must demonstrate at the time of interview is the ability to work with people in an encouraging, patient, positive, tolerant, and educational capacity while maintaining awareness of all projects and people in the space. Ability to confront and resolve conflict in a graceful and healthy manner (as far as possible) is also necessary. Acceptance of and interest in human diversity is essential. People with experience maintaining cohesion, balance, positivity, and strength in highly populated communities are encouraged to apply.
Duty is to facilitate open shop hours as follows: -Maintain an organized space -Facilitate workflows and ongoing projects -Maintain awareness of multiple participants, their situations, and their projects -Teach repair skills to participants -Ensure the proper use of tools and space to minimize breakage, wear, and damage -Cultivate quality for all new and used bikes and hardware leaving the shop -Monitor and enforce safety standards for bikes leaving the shop -Greet and orient new participants -Coordinate volunteers -Process bike donations -Collect and secure monetary donations -Perform necessary record keeping and reporting for all participants and (if closing) monetary streams -Maintain RIBs as as a safer and anti-oppressive space -Observe and apply in practice the mission statements of RIBs and SsCC -Assist the Director and Consulting Director as needed
This position must be filled as soon as possible, and therefore candidates will be interviewed in the order they apply until the position has been filled. Please respond with a cover letter and brief resume. No specific format is required for the resume, content has priority.
Send application to: cyclista.ribs@sspride.org or drop off in person at 305 S. Plain Street, weekdays 10am-7pm.
Thank you very much for your interest in this position. We look forward to meeting you!