Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) seeks a passionate Land Program Director to: supervise a team to protect Oregon’s agricultural lands; build organizational partnerships for working lands conservation; and help advocate for OAT’s farm and ranch land conservation priorities. Position duties include: overseeing OAT’s land protection activities; leading and overseeing periodic conservation planning; identifying and building regional and statewide partnerships for conservation on and of agricultural land; participating in state and federal advocacy for working lands protection; and periodically providing technical assistance by helping other organizations meet their objectives for working lands conservation.

About Us 

Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) is a statewide, 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust that partners with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural lands for the benefit of Oregon’s economy, communities, and landscapes. We work collaboratively with regional and statewide partners to permanently protect farm and ranch land in priority geographies within Oregon.

We also partner with regional leaders to:

• educate farmers, ranchers, service providers, and the public about protecting and passing on agricultural land;
• increase the capacity of peer organizations to protect agricultural land; and
• advocate for programs and incentives that support agricultural land protection.

Position Description 

Status: Full-time (exempt)

Compensation: $95,000 - 105,000 plus benefits, DOE

Reports to: Oregon Agricultural Trust’s Executive Director as one of 4 program directors

Direct reports: Three working land easement specialists

Location: OAT staff work remotely with periodic in-person meetings around Oregon

Core Accountabilities

Land Protection

• Support and provide oversight (quality control) to the Land Program staff in pursuing and completing land protection projects; 
• If the candidate has prior easement acquisition experience, help complete ag land protection projects to backfill capacity of Land Program staff as needed
• Ensure compliance with land trust accreditation and lead the re-accreditation process
• Update and implement the strategic direction for the Land Program, including overseeing the 2026 update of OAT’s 5-year Farm and Ranch Protection Plan 
• Develop or update organizational policies relating to the activities of the Land Program
• Coordinate the Land Committee and help the Executive Director coordinate the decision-making of the Board of Directors on behalf of the Land Program
• Help the development team identify, pursue, and track in OAT’s financial systems, grants and other funding for land and conservation easement acquisitions
• Oversee monitoring activities of protected properties
• Lead the resolution of easement violations and interpretation disagreements 

Policy and Advocacy

• Develop and sustain strategic statewide partner relationships
• Support the Executive Director in advocacy for program funding with research or individual representation as an advocate
• Represent OAT on matters of statewide or national policy significance, at the behest of the Executive Director and where they intersect with the concerns of the Land Program

Technical Assistance and Fee-for Service

• Cultivate technical assistance and fee-for-service projects to support land acquisition and agricultural partners
• Participate in multi-party collaborations to tackle conservation issues related to ag

Generally

• Represent the organization in Oregon’s agricultural community 
• Work cooperatively with colleagues, Directors, and Committee members
• Stay current on local, regional, and national land trust topics and issues

Qualifications

The candidate need not have prior experience in acquisition of working land conservation easements or applied knowledge of ArcGIS, but we do prefer that they have familiarity with working lands conservation activities and funding agencies in Oregon or the West.

Desired qualifications are listed below, but OAT welcomes applications from interviewees who might not have all of the desired experiences, skills, or attributes. If you feel that you could be a good fit for this role, we welcome you to apply and share your unique qualifications and/or how you could grow into the position:

• 5 years experience coordinating conservation activities on working land
• Experience in staff supervision
• Experience building and sustaining partnerships with other organizations
• Experience working with local, state, and/or federal agencies or bodies of government to improve conservation outcomes
• Ability to communicate well with and gain the trust of the agricultural community 
• A basic understanding of the methods and best practices for ag land conservation and stewardship
• Experience developing and implementing conservation, strategic, or other organizational plans and policies
• A track record of successful project management, including the ability to prioritize multiple activities
• Flexible, creative, self-starter
• Strong strategic thinking abilities
• Strong spoken and written communications skills
• Willingness to work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Passion for agricultural land, its preservation, ag land access for future generations, and agricultural communities

Leadership Profile

Oregon Agricultural Trust values our team members as whole humans. We treat each other with respect and compassion, honor each other’s diverse backgrounds and perspectives, get excited about each other’s successes and innovations, and enjoy working towards shared goals together. While we work remotely, we meet virtually each week for team meetings where we have fun, learn about each other, develop opportunities for cross-program partnerships, and strategize together. We also meet virtually at least every week with our direct supervisor and programmatic team to stay accountable and strategic in our activities. Leadership supports the personal and professional development and advancement of each of our team members through substantial professional development opportunities (including the ability to apply for tuition reimbursement) and regular performance meetings with supervisors.

Leaders on our team exemplify these core attributes:

Work/Life Balance - Enjoys working strategically towards organizational goals, with attention to excellence in all intermediate tasks, and sets boundaries where necessary to prevent burnout. Holds space for time outside of work, and asks for support when needed to balance work and non-work time and energy.

Integrity and Trust - Is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn't misrepresent themself for personal gain.

Interpersonal Savvy - Is easy to approach and talk to; is a good listener; spends the extra effort to put others at ease; can be warm, pleasant, and gracious; builds rapport well with with people up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can defuse even high-tension situations comfortably. 

Composure - Is cool under pressure; can handle stress; is considered mature; is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; doesn't show frustration when resisted or blocked; does not become defensive or irritated when times are tough; can be counted on to hold things together during tough times; is a settling influence in a crisis. 

Process Management - Good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organize people and activities; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient work flow; can see opportunities for synergy and integration where others can't; can simplify complex processes; gets more out of fewer resources. 

Outcome Focused - Delivers the highest-quality products and services which meet the needs and requirements of internal and external customers; is committed to continuous improvement through empowerment and management by data; knows what to measure and how to measure it; leverages technology to positively impact quality.

Decision Quality - Makes good decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; most of their solutions and suggestions turn out to be correct and accurate when judged over time; sought out by others for advice and solutions. 

Action Oriented - Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for the things they see as challenging; seizes more opportunities than others.

Strategic Agility - Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. 

Managing Vision and Purpose - Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose; talks beyond today; talks about possibilities; is optimistic; creates mileposts and symbols to rally support behind the vision; makes the vision sharable by everyone; can inspire and motivate. 

Benefits

OAT strives to support our staff with a generous benefits package, including*:

• Health & Vision Insurance: Regence/VSP with 100% coverage for the employee and 50% coverage for partner and/or family
• Dental Insurance: Ameritas Dental Plan with orthodontic coverage
• 401K: Up to 5% employer match
• Life Insurance: $50,000 policy
• Long-term Disability Insurance
• Health FSA and Dependent FSA available for employee contribution
• PTO and Office-Closures: Starting at 20 days PTO per year, plus 16-17 days of office-closure/holidays with flexible leave for religious, medical, and bereavement
• Flexible Work Hours with work-from-home and phone stipends available

* Benefits and plan features are subject to change.