Summary

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) is actively seeking a passionate Sustainability Director to deliver USFRA’s mission to connect farmers and ranchers to food and agriculture stakeholders to co-create sustainable food systems.

The Sustainability Director will have several responsibilities, including but not limited to (1) serving as lead of USFRA’s Science program and (2) engaging and leading our science advisory team.  On a day-to-day basis the Sustainability Director will work across the agriculture and environmental community to advance thought leadership, facilitate working groups, and develop a common fact base for agriculture on the state of science for environmental outcomes, carbon modeling, and management of dedicated research grants. This position should work to develop a strategy to identify research needs for the agriculture community. This position works with many leading scientists, serves as the “go to expert” on several advisory boards, and oversees our joint effort with FFAR and the Ag Climate Partnership.

The Sustainability Director must have a passion for sustainability, the environment, and the contributions the food and ag sector can make towards a net zero economy. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, be able to facilitate and lead scientists and multiple working groups, and translate science into actionable outcomes for sustainability leaders.  In addition, the ideal candidate is a lifelong learner, committed to being a subject matter expert on sustainability in agriculture and environmental impacts of ag.  The ideal leader is a self-starter who sees the need to bring the agriculture and environmental research community together to rapidly advance the science needed to provide better information for stakeholders and farmers.  They ideally thrive in working across organizations, forming coalitions to advance the mission. The ideal candidate wants to be part of leading the conversation on the environment and sustainable agriculture and catalyzing leaders towards action.

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA), is a nonprofit, that works with farmer and rancher-led organizations, and food and agricultural partners, with a common vision to further our global sustainable food systems. We believe farmers uniquely contribute to nourishing our planet, people, and natural resources. Our focus is creating a proactive collaboration between the best minds in food, agriculture, science, and technology to co-create solutions that will result in environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Learn more at www.usfarmersandranchers.org

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Lead the USFRA Science program
  • Design and develop strategic plan for key science that is needed in the ag sector to develop key facts and information about agriculture’s current contributions to the environment and Ag’s potential on drawdown
  • Work with FFAR on joint AgClimate partnership developing long term strategic plan and standing up joint venture. Contribute to scientific and data vision.
  • Represent USFRA and key science advisory boards and represent the CEO or Sustainability Directors efforts
  • Provide thought leadership and perspectives on sustainability and climate issues, developments, and opportunities providing blogs, formal comments, presentations on key topics, participation in advisory boards
  • Collaborate and provide sustainability and environmental content and perspective across the organization and across external organizations.  Be the expert science advisor
  • Oversight of key strategic alliance partnerships
  • Manage and work with Science advisory council to annually develop a series of FAQs, Facts, Science Reports to serve as a resources for the ag and food community at large.  Collaborate with the best scientists to translate information and ensure it is usable and actionable by stakeholders. Occasionally as needed provide scientific response to inquiries or provide comments to other coalition, stakeholder efforts
  • Manage grant process for science grants, applications, reports and final reports
  • Provide strategic and long term focus for design and support of programs and initiatives. Including strategy, project management, financial accounting and resource management for the department
  • Engage colleagues internal and external in authentic relationships to advance the mission and vision of USFRA
  • Provide leadership in an environment of change and high-level focus
  • Work closely with Communications Director, Director of Sustainability, Business Development team and CEO on delivering USFRA mission

 

Capabilities

  • Communicate strategically to simplify complex ideas through the lens of stakeholder
  • Be a genuine thought leader in the environmental sciences and agriculture sector.  The ideal lifelong learner will stay up to date on current environmental topics and adapt and lead strategy with a group of world class science advisory council members
  • In-depth understanding of sustainability and climate issues and movement
  • High analytical skills sets, exceptional verbal and written communications skills with senior leaders, stakeholders and partner organizations
  • Ability to develop white papers as a result of science advisory council outcomes. 
  • Design and facilitation of external meetings and forums
  • One on one engagement skills
  • Ability to leverage internal and external resources
  • Strong project management capabilities (scope, resources (financial and human), and time management, with choice point management and goal orientation
  • Self-Starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who has the ability to navigate ambiguity to achieve results
  • Proven results in meeting deadlines consistently
  • Flexible and able to work in a start-up environment
  • Consummate collaborator and adept at working across multiple teams both internally and externally
  • Ability to take direction and channel it into progressive work
  • Ability to excel in internal and external environments
  • Comfortable in a fast-paced environment and able to manage multiple projects


Experience

  • 10 years leading sustainability or science programs
  • 5+ years leading engagement or outreach programs
  • Ideal background: consultancy, NGO, think tank, or policy organization
  • Experience in the field of environmental science, climate change, agriculture
  • Proven program and team leadership
  • Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills; including experience writing technical reports or white papers
  • Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and multitasking skills
  • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Professional
  • Excellent analytical skills
  • Comfortable with email building and communications websites such as Constant Contact and Salesforce Marketing cloud
  • Working knowledge of Zoom, SharePoint, Box, CRMs, Salesforce and Monday.com is a plus


Disclaimer

Phone calls will not be accepted. Contact from recruitment agencies will also not be accepted.

Travel

This position will require 20% domestic travel throughout the year. Currently travel is on hold due to COVID.

ADA Specifications

This is a largely sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.


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