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.
What You Will Do As our Senior Conservation Technical Specialist (Sr.
Specialist) in Northern New England, you will play a leadership role in
supporting farmers and other landowners in implementing conservation practices
and participating in USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Farm
Bill conservation programs You’ll bring applied technical knowledge to guide
and manage a small team of AFT staff to directly engage with farmers and
support them to overcome barriers to implementing conservation practices. The
technical assistance you provide will support a wide range of agronomic and
engineering practices that will vary by farm and practice. Examples of
technical assistance include helping to secure conservation funding, referring
farmers to and/or consulting with 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. You will work in a
unique role; as an AFT employee, but in deep cooperation and frequent
coordination with NRCS to assure workflow is integrated with NRCS’s needs and
utilizes the full depth of both NRCS and AFT resources and expertise. This
leadership role will involve direct delivery and support for farmers and
landowners while also supporting and coordinating other AFT staff who are
helping farmers proactively implement practices. The ideal candidate must
bring a team-oriented, patient and problem-solving approach to this work,
which spans from the highly technical and detail-oriented to the highly
relational and collaborative.
Specific Responsibilities
This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related
responsibilities. Management reserves the right to revise the job or to
require other or different duties be performed as assigned.
Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate: The Senior Technical Specialist
must be a highly motivated and entrepreneurial problem solver and effective
leader. 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 experience planning and/or
implementing conservation practices through NRCS programs, and technical
certifications or credentials in conservation planning, soil health
management, nutrient management or related fields. They will also 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, especially when the solution, or even the problem, might not be
obvious.
Specific qualifications of the ideal candidate are:
This is full-time position (37.5 hour/week) remote position based in
Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine.
Compensation The salary range is from $70,000 to $75,000 for full-time
employees, based upon experience. While we expect the program and this role
to continue, employment is subject to available funding.
American Farmland Trust offers a full benefits package for full time
employees:
Timeline While applications will be accepted and reviewed until the
position is filled, applicants who apply with a resume and cover letter by
December 4, 2023 will be reviewed first.
Additional Related Positions in New England This is one of several related
positions that will be filled within the coming months. These include another
Sr. Conservation Technical Specialist to work in Massachusetts and Climate
Solutions Specialists in states across New England Be sure to check our
Careers page (farmland.org/careers) and consider our amazing team that’s
helping farmers across New England!
Why you should apply
American Farmland Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, 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 the organization has 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.
PI232873192
Maine, Maine, United States
2023-11-16 00:00