Practical Farmers of Iowa is Hiring a Senior Research Coordinator

About PFI

Practical Farmers of Iowa is a nonprofit organization that has worked to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities since 1985. We create learning opportunities via farmer-led events, on-farm research and educational content through our robust network of farmers. We also provide funding and technical assistance to help farmers adopt regenerative farming practices and grow farm businesses. Our vision is an Iowa with healthy soil, healthy food, clean air, clean water, resilient farms and vibrant communities.

This work has always been rooted in our value of welcoming everyone and creating a culture of mutual respect. We believe that a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives strengthens our ability to find creative solutions, enriches our understanding and broadens our impact. At Practical Farmers, we celebrate this diversity and are committed to ensuring that our policies and practices create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and seek to empower and support all applicants and teammates. 

Practical Farmers offers a flexible, supportive and fast-paced work environment. Professional development is a core part of our culture and team members are encouraged to take independent initiative to help fulfill our mission. 

About the Position

PFI’s research department is primarily responsible for our Cooperators’ Program. Since 1987, this innovative program has been a central platform for farmer-led curiosity and knowledge-sharing. Through the program, farmers conduct timely and relevant on-farm research to answer questions about their farms and share what they’ve learned with others. We believe that real-world, applied research on farms is critical for building a better agricultural system. We also help farmers engage in meaningful dialogue and promote the exchange of ideas that blossoms into new research projects. 

We’re seeking a senior research coordinator to help manage our Cooperators’ Program. You will join a team of staff scientists committed to supporting farmers as they perform proof-of-concept investigation and ground-truth new ideas and practices. In this role, you’ll work with a diverse group of farmers representing a range of farm sizes, enterprises and production practices, from grain crops to vegetables, organic to no-till. Many farms have integrated crop-vegetable systems and livestock. 

You will play a pivotal role in helping farmers design statistically rigorous on-farm experiments they can perform to answer questions they have about their farms on topics that include, but are not limited to, cover crops, soil health, diversified cropping systems, season extension in vegetable production, variety trials and grazing livestock. 

Building rapport and trust with farmers and understanding their research priorities will be instrumental for success in this position. As the senior research coordinator, you will be central to helping us imagine new, creative ways to conduct on-farm research projects and to transfer knowledge to farmers, partners and other stakeholders. You will also collaborate with teammates to fundraise for the Cooperators’ Program to increase our capacity and the reach of our efforts. 

If you are interested in practicing science with – and constantly learning from – a community of curious and creative farmers who are transforming their farms for the better through intentional investigation, this position is for you. 

Duties:

• Design randomized, replicated strip or plot trials with farmers and implement data collection and management tools for on-farm research projects.
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• Manage multiple on-farm research projects throughout the year.
• Organize and record information from research projects.
• Conduct statistical analysis, interpretation and visualization of on-farm research results with farmers as the target audience.
• Write accessible research reports and articles for PFI publications that summarize on-farm trial results and tell the stories of the farmers who performed the work.
• Help plan and facilitate PFI’s annual Cooperators’ Meeting, held every December in Ames, Iowa, where farmers gather to share what they learned through on-farm research and make plans for future research projects.
• Write proposals for grant funding opportunities.
• Develop and manage partnerships related to on-farm research that leverage both organizations’ work toward PFI goals.
• Communicate and respond to inquiries about on-farm research from both within and outside our network. 

Required Qualifications and Characteristics

• Master’s degree in agriscience-related field or equivalent work experience.
• Strong field plot experimental design skills. 
• Experience with statistical software (R, SAS, etc.) and ability to select appropriate methods for analyzing and interpreting research data.
• Strong data visualization and research report writing skills.
• Ability to communicate scientific principles to non-scientists and farmers.
• Ability to coordinate several concurrently active projects.
• Ability to work well with others and independently.
• Knowledge of current trends in Midwestern agricultural systems and sustainable agriculture concepts.

Desired Qualifications and Characteristics

• Doctorate in agronomy, plant science, soil science, horticulture or other agriscience-related field.
• Understanding of the social and community dimensions of agriculture.
• Experience writing public-facing articles.
• Experience with grant writing and reporting. 
• Event planning skills. 
• Public speaking and storytelling skills. 
• Ability to organize work, set goals and adhere to deadlines.

Compensation

This is a full-time position based in our Ames, Iowa, office with potential for a remote schedule. Strong preference will be given to candidates who can work from our Ames office one to two days per week. The candidate must be in the Ames office at least once per month and be able to travel around Iowa and surrounding states to various farms on occasion. The salary range for this position is $54,500 to $60,000 with annual opportunity for merit salary increases and position advancement. 

Benefits

PFI values its employees and has a flexible and supportive work environment. We offer employees a competitive benefits package that includes employee health insurance with 100% employer-paid premium, generous paid time off, flexible hours, six weeks of fully paid parental leave and 4% automatic 401k contribution after one year of employment. 

We also encourage employee professional development and offer a range of specialty benefits employees can use to support their wellness, sustainability and financial goals. Examples of our specialty benefits include contributions towards spouse and dependent health insurance, stipends for remote workers and reimbursements for fitness costs, CSA subscriptions, student loans or eco-friendly purchases. Practical Farmers is a family-friendly employer.