Working Lands Protection Specialist

at  American Farmland Trust

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 agricultures 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 AFTs statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Working Lands Protection Specialist will work closely with USDAs Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and external partners to accelerate the pace of agricultural land protection in Arizona and Utah. This work will focus largely on implementation of two federal programs: the Agricultural Lands Easements side of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP-ALE) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

QUALIFICATIONS

• Passion for and expert expertise in agricultural land conservation, knowledge of the application of policy, procedure, theory, and methodology of and passion for agriculture and land conservation practices, particularly in the Intermountain West.
• Experience working as part of a remote team; readiness to work independently and take the initiative to develop NALN work and project portfolio
• Experience managing projects and budgets
• Experience engaging agricultural and/or conservation stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience supporting or leading development of grant proposal narratives and budgets
• Comfort in developing presentations and delivering them to various internal/external audiences including at conferences.
• Proficiency with Office 365, including PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams and Zoom
• Support a strong team culture of shared learning, innovation and problem solving among AFT staff.
• Direct experience with the federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) or other federal land conservation programs strongly preferred.
• Direct experience implementing NRCS programs.
• Proficiency developing and coordinating professional trainings and networking events, including online meetings, trainings, and video conferencing.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• A BA or BS degree and at least 4 years of direct experience in agricultural land conservation or rural real estate transactions.
• Or a minimum of 5-7 years of relevant experience in agriculture and/or land conservation.

JOB PURPOSE

The Working Lands Protection Specialist plays a vital role in expanding NALN programing to meet the needs of NALN membersstate and local agencies, land trusts, farm and conservation organizations, planners, farmers and ranchers, citizen advocatesfor more resources, education, and networking.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Serves as subject matter expert for AFTs Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) outreach and engagement activities in Arizona and Utah, including:

• Collaborates with NALN Director and state NRCS contacts, to develop and execute yearly list of deliverables under AFTs agreement with each state NRCS office.
• Leads management of agreement budgets and tracks budget spend-down, including use of staff hours; in collaboration with AFTs project management staff, reviews invoicing and budget reporting for accuracy. Tracks and submits metrics on a monthly basis.
• Coordinate with Farmland Information Center staff and consultant on development of training and resource materials. Coordinate with AFT Agricultural Conservation Innovation Director and consultant on AFT outreach to historically underserved producers.
• Delivers technical assistance and support to NRCS easement staff in both states around ACEP-ALE and Regional Conservation Partnership Program easement acquisitions.
• Develop and lead presentations on ACEP-ALE and RCPP to external audiences, including landowners and producers, conservation and farm organizations, and public officials.
• Engage ACEP-ALE partners in both states through one-to-one communications, in-person partner workshops and statewide virtual NALN roundtables
• Host and facilitate quarterly NALN roundtables in both AZ and UT, using the standard NALN roundtable format.

Coordinate AFTs internal ACEP-ALE cohort, including:

• Identifying topics of interest and concern to ACEP-ALE state outreach specialists.
• Setting cohort meeting agendas and facilitating meetings.
• Ensuring action items identified at the meeting are taken.
• Maintaining the cohort community on the NALN community platform.

Develop and deliver other NALN programing, such as:

• Identifying potential topics for NALN programing, especially topics of interest and relevance to NALN members in the western U.S.
• Developing and facilitating NALN workshops on specific topics
• Training AFT staff and external audiences on agricultural land protection tools and toolbox
• Responding to member questions on the NALN community platform
• Contributing to the monthly NALN e-newsletter.
• Consolidate learnings from NALN member discussions on policies and programs to be shared with national policy team for use in developing policy positions
• Collaborates with the Director in cultivating relationships with key NALN members, external partners and potential funders, and identifying opportunities for new strategic partnerships and collaborations
• Support the Director in developing new funding opportunities and responding to grant/funding opportunities via proposal development and funder engagement.
• Assist with annual and project budgets and work plans
• Represent the NALN at national and regional conferences and on social media.