Who We Are
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access). Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agriculture’s most pressing needs and opportunities.
We believe diversity drives innovation. We are inclusive. We embrace differences. We recognize and respect the fundamental value and dignity of all our employees. We celebrate the unique traditions, heritages, and experiences our employees bring to the workplace. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive culture that promotes and values diversity, and where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work every day. Please see AFT’s statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.
We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, expression or identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Farmland Trust complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which we have facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
What You Will Do
The Implementation Specialist (Specialist) is a position offering an exciting opportunity to help farmers and other landowners implement conservation practices. In this role you will act in support of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), meeting with farmers and other landowners who have already secured financial assistance but have not yet started or fully implemented the practices for which they have received funding. You will assist those farmers in overcoming any barriers to implementing these practices. This technical assistance will support of a wide range of agronomic and engineering practices, and will vary by farm and by practice/ Examples of technical assistance include: helping to find more funding, referring farmers to and/or consulting other technical experts, researching and selecting appropriate contractors, finding supplies or specialized equipment, coordinating with other government entities, facilitating communication between contractors, farmers and NRCS staff, and more, all You will work in a unique role, as an AFT employee, but in deep cooperation and frequent coordination with the funder, NRCS. NRCS’s Assistant Conservationist for Field Operations (ASTC-Operations) or their designee will guide your workflow to assure it is integrated with NRCS’s needs and utilizes the full depth of both NRCS and AFT resources and expertise. While the position will initially focus on targeted intervention to support contracts that are facing significant hurdles to implementation, and require extensive support, with time and focus it will transition to being more proactive, supporting farmers that are not yet facing critical deadlines in their contracts, and will focus on supporting farmers proactively to implement practices on time and in the most useful manner to the farmer.
Specific Responsibilities Include:
Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate:
The Implementation Specialist must be a highly motivated and entrepreneurial problem solver. They should be able to use their real-world experience on farms, or in other land management, construction, or land stewardship jobs to provide actionable assistance to farmers seeking to implement conservation practices on their land. The ideal candidate will have existing connections within the farm community and will have experience working with a wide variety of farm types and with diverse populations. The ideal candidate will find visiting farmers on their farm, problem solving, and researching solutions to challenging farm specific problems exciting and invigorating, not overwhelming and intimidating.
Excellent communication skills (meeting facilitation, phone, writing, partner relations), record keeping, and task management are essential to the position. The ideal candidate will ask the extra question to help make connections and identify solutions, even when the solution, or even the problem might not be obvious. Specific qualifications of the ideal candidate are:
While AFT prefers for this to be a full-time position (37.5 hour/week), alternative arrangements will be considered for the ideal candidate.
Compensation
American Farmland Trust pays salaries that are competitive with nonprofits of our budget size, and offers excellent vacation, medical, retirement and other benefits. The salary range is from $52,000 to $60,000 for full-time employees, based upon experience.
Timeline
While applications will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled, applicants who apply with a resume and cover letter by July 31st will be reviewed first.
Why you should apply
Ready to apply? If this job sounds like a fit for you, then click on the ‘apply’ button below. Please answer the screener questions and be sure to include a cover letter and resume to be considered.
PI224533483
https://www.click2apply.net/ayWagDubxymbotKyrf8Bqx
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2023-07-07 00:00