Pennsylvania Agriculture Projects Coordinator – Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Pennsylvania Agriculture Projects Coordinator

About the Alliance: 

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance) is a regional nonprofit organization whose vision is clean streams and rivers flowing through resilient landscapes, cared for by the people who live, work, and play in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and whose mission is to bring together communities, companies, and conservationists to improve our lands and waters. The Alliance was founded in 1971 and has offices in Annapolis, MD, Lancaster, PA, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, VA. 

Job Description: 

This position will work directly with farmers and corporate partners to plan and implement conservation practices. The PA Agriculture Projects Coordinator is a fast-paced, full-time position, with supervision from the Agriculture Projects Manager. The Agriculture Program at the Alliance seeks to implement conservation practices with water quality, soil health, climate, and biodiversity impacts across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The position will support farmer relations, project management, grant applications, partnership development with corporate and nonprofit partners, and grant management and reporting. This position will involve extensive fieldwork. 

Specific Duties of the Position: 

• Support the planning and implementation of agricultural conservation projects from concept to completion. This includes but is not limited to landowner engagement through multiple site visits, partnership facilitation, planning, budgeting, and ensuring long-term success.
• Develop and maintain relationships with farmers, agricultural consultants, contractors, federal and state agencies, corporate partners, conservation districts, and other industry stakeholders.
• Support management and development of project documents, including outreach materials, contracts, budgets, and grant reports. Ensure project deliverables are achieved.
• Coordinates various Agriculture grant efforts, including project development, grant pursuits, management of project tasks, contracts, budgets, workloads and grantor reporting obligations. Ensures project deliverables and deadlines are successfully met.
• Support corporate partners' agricultural conservation strategy and planning.
• Support farmer outreach events and partner meeting coordination, as appropriate.
• Participates in Alliance strategic planning efforts, internal committee, and problem-solving oriented teams as assigned. Contributes to the Alliance’s various Agriculture Program team efforts.

Qualifications & Experience: 

The Pennsylvania Agriculture Projects Coordinator has/is: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology, Sustainability, Agricultural Production, or related field. Candidates with alternative education, but with relevant professional experience, will also be considered.
• 2+ years of professional experience working with farmers or landowners on agricultural best management practices.
• 2+ years of professional experience in stakeholder engagement and/or partnership development.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage up to 25 farmer projects at a time.
• Effective communication skills in one-on-one and group meetings.
• Commitment to building relationships with partners and managing project next steps promptly.

Supervision: 

The Coordinator reports directly to the Agriculture Projects Manager.

Hours and Location: 

This position will be based in Lancaster County. Travel to farms in the South Central Pennsylvania region will be required. The position will report to the Lancaster, PA office but will have some ability to work from home. Some evening and weekend work may be required. Travel throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed is needed at times. The position is full-time (40 hours per week). 

Salary & Benefits: $49,500- $55,000, commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits include: health, dental, and vision insurance; 403b retirement fund; life insurance; professional development opportunities; vacation, sick, holiday, and other leave; and more. 

Application: 

(SEND APPLICATION TO EMAIL BELOW):

Please email the information listed below to Careers@allianceforthebay.org, no later than November 17th, 2024. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis from the date of posting. Strong applicants will be contacted immediately to schedule an interview. Include “Pennsylvania Agriculture Projects Coordinator” in the email subject line. No telephone inquiries, please. Include in your email as attachments: 

• Your resume 
   
• A cover letter that addresses the following topics:
  • Based on your experience and education in agricultural conservation, describe one of the most pressing issues that you would like to assist farmers with. How would you go about addressing the issue? 
     
  • Describe an experience in which you applied your knowledge of sustainability or conservation to program development or stakeholder engagement. 
     
• A list of 3 professional references

The Alliance aspires to be an inclusive multicultural organization that celebrates the rich dimensions of diversity such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, and religious and political beliefs. We are committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion remain integral to our organizational structure, policies, board of directors, staff, strategic goals, grants, partnerships, and program delivery. The Alliance believes a broad base of participation and partners reflecting all of society is needed to be successful in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed restoration effort. Visit www.allianceforthebay.org/DEI to learn more. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay offers a family friendly, flexible work environment. We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. If you meet at least 75% of the qualifications of this description, we encourage you to submit an application.