The Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council, headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, seeks a Director of its Agricultural Enterprise Program. Candidates must have first-hand experience with farming, understand it as an entrepreneurial and business venture and be able to teach or coach our clients to help them reach their farm business goals whether they be new and emerging farmers at start-up or existing farmers with development or in expansion mode.

Actual experience in running their own or a family farm will be preferred, so that they can advise the farmers they will be working with to make better business decisions.

• Candidates must be well networked with and understand resources available from other farmers, ag agencies, and private for-profit/non-profit ag groups throughout the region and preferably the state and nation.
• The ideal candidate can teach the business of farming.
• The ideal candidate can collaborate with all types of people from various backgrounds and effectively communicate both big-picture and detailed subject matter related to business planning, marketing, financing, sales & market opportunities, accounting, human resources and risk management.
• Because veterans comprise a sizable portion of our clientele, the ideal candidate will either have served in the military, or have extensive experience working with veterans and understand unique challenges and needs that some of them may face.
• The ideal candidate will also have some experience with the process of securing capital whether in the form of grants, loans or other means for farm business financing.
• The Agricultural Enterprise Director will play a crucial role as a leader in advancing our vision to cultivate and promote profitable farm and food ideas in our region that are simultaneously good for the farmer, broader community, our region and beyond. 
• Current projects for which the will be responsible include Veterans in Agriculture (TN AgVols), Agri-Biz Incubation & Development and Farmer Field School.
• The selected person will be a team player with strong people skills. Performing outreach with the public and specific audiences (such as veterans & farmers) will be a large part of this person’s job.
• They will be a self-directed project manager, well organized with excellent planning, budgeting, scheduling, and tracking/documentation skills and an ability to coordinate teams and delegate responsibilities. 
• Because we work with individual partners and other organizations distributed over a wide geography, this person will be comfortable as a participant (and leader at times) in meetings and proficient with Zoom, Teams and other video-conferencing and remote work technologies.
• Because writing reports and making presentations will be a part of this job, the selected candidate must be a good writer and adept with MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other software applications.
• While not essential, it would be a bonus if this person possesses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) competency to spatially analyze data and make maps and other graphical representations to illustrate concepts. 

The Appalachian RC&D (ARC&D) Council is a 31 year old non-profit organization that connects farmers, gardeners, food entrepreneurs – and those who want to be – with resources like training, funding, technical assistance, land, markets and each other while stewarding and preserving farmland, supporting rural folk arts and promoting access for all to nutritious local foods. Our ultimate aim is to promote & sustain healthy, thriving and resilient communities in northeast Tennessee and beyond through fostering a vibrant local farm and food scene. We have four core programs: 1) Agricultural Enterprise; 2) Nutrition & Food Access for All; 3) Farmland Conservation; and 4) the Market & Information Hub. 

Our ideal candidate will possess a combination of real-world, practical experience with the higher education necessary to do the job. This person will enjoy meeting people where they are, getting in the dirt and also operating in the office. Extensive travel will be required.  This person will be able to work very well in a collaborative team environment with the directors of ARCD’s other programs, and our support and administrative staff.

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree or higher in agricultural sciences, business, finance, education, leadership or a related field are preferred but not necessary if they can demonstrate equivalent education or training and they meet the qualifications shown above.