Soil to Supper is a grant-funded program which helps livestock producers in the Southwest build financial resilience and market access through practices that improve soil and water health. This program is funded through a $3.7M Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) grant, which runs through September 2028. 

Who we’re looking for:

The Soil to Supper program director brings strong experience managing conservation programs on rangelands and effectively builds trust with livestock producers, community partners, and agency staff. They are equally comfortable thinking strategically about program design and getting into the details of budgets, grant deliverables, and day-to-day coordination needed to keep a complex program running smoothly.

This person is experienced in working in or alongside USDA programs, particularly NRCS, and understands how to translate federal grant requirements into practical workflows, timelines, and reporting systems. They are confident in managing grant-funded budgets in a dynamic environment and working closely with operations and finance staff to ensure compliance and adaptability as program needs evolve.

This person is motivated by practical conservation outcomes on working landscapes and cares deeply about supporting ranchers in adopting practices that improve resilience, soil and water health, and long-term viability. They are comfortable representing the program externally and collaborating effectively with diverse community partners.

The Soil to Supper program director reports to the executive director, supervises one program staff member, and works closely with the communications team, operations team, and external partners. 

Description of the position:

This position leads day-to-day implementation of the Soil to Supper program, translating grant requirements and program goals into practical, on-the-ground work that supports livestock producers across the Southwest. They work closely with the Soil to Supper program manager to recruit, onboard, and support participating producers, helping ensure they can successfully increase market access and adoption of conservation practices through the program. A key part of this is helping producers identify their conservation goals and pathways for achieving them, as well as supporting them through NRCS paperwork and processes required to access funding for conservation practice implementation.

A core part of this role is keeping the program running smoothly and adapting it as needed so that the program is both effective for producers and feasible from an administrative and grant compliance standpoint. The program director is responsible for ensuring USDA reporting requirements are met accurately and on time, in close coordination with operations and finance staff.

They also maintain and strengthen relationships with partners – including producers, NRCS staff, and community organizations – and represent the program in external settings such as meetings, workshops, and field visits. In addition, they collaborate with the fundraising and leadership teams to support the long-term sustainability and evolution of the program. This position is currently funded through October 2028, with the possibility of extension contingent upon funding availability.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

Program Management

• Manage the Soil to Supper team and contractors to achieve the strategic goals of the project
• Ensure team has the direction, support, and information needed to execute the work of the program
• Direct outreach, recruitment, and enrollment and ongoing support of program participants
• Oversee project evaluation and evolution based on feedback from program stakeholders
• Manage the program budget to ensure financial sustainability and compliance 
• Adapt the program as needed to meet funder requirements and effectively serve participants
• In partnership with the grants manager, manage data collection, grant reporting, and compliance with USDA requirements
• Build and maintain relationships with producers, community partners, and agency staff
• Build and develop partnerships that strengthen program delivery, technical assistance capacity, and market access opportunities for producers
• Represent the program at meetings, workshops, conferences, field days, and other external events

Other Duties

• Supervise the Soil to Supper program manager
• In collaboration with the fundraising team and executive director, identify opportunities for sustaining and growing the body of work
• Report regularly to the executive director on finances, fundraising, work progress, evaluation, and program staffing
• Participate in staff meetings, organization committees, strategic planning, retreats and other required all-staff activities
• Contribute to other activities and special projects as assigned by the executive director

Qualifications/experience:

We recognize and value the many ways to learn, grow, and succeed professionally, and acknowledge that individuals acquire skills, knowledge, and perspectives through diverse educational, professional, personal, and volunteer experiences. We take all relevant experiences into account when reviewing applications and ask that you share with us the unique strengths and experiences that you will bring to Quivira and to your work.

Required qualifications:

• Experience designing and managing conservation programs that support agricultural producers
• Strong program and budget management skills, including the ability to track expenditures and manage competing priorities 
• Ability to collaborate effectively with grants and finance staff to support budget tracking, grant compliance, and deliverables
• Experience managing and implementing federally-funded programs
• Ability to translate program goals and funding requirements into effective implementation strategies and workflows
• Experience working with livestock producers, particularly in the Southwest
• Working knowledge of grazing management, soil health, drought resilience, and/or rangeland stewardship practices in the Southwest
• Ability to support conservation planning and producer technical assistance in collaboration with staff and partners
• Experience supervising, mentoring, or supporting staff and coordinating with external partners
• Experience leading meetings, coordinating partners, or representing programs externally
• Experience working in rural communities and collaborating with diverse stakeholders

Desired qualifications:

• Experience working within USDA conservation and/or farm programs, particularly NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP
• Strong understanding of conservation planning processes, including plan development, documentation, and practice standards
• Familiarity with environmental evaluation processes such as CPA-52
• Advanced knowledge of grazing management, drought planning, and rangeland ecology
• Ability to independently develop and review high-quality conservation and grazing plans
• Current NRCS TSP certification, or ability to obtain certification
• Established relationships with NRCS staff and agricultural communities in the Southwest
• Experience using tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS for planning and analysis

Terms of employment:

We embrace and encourage applicants of all ethnicities, national origins, races, colors, socio-economic statuses, ages, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, family or marital statuses, disability status, physical and mental abilities, political affiliations, religions, genetic information, or veteran statuses.

• Reports to the executive director
• Full-time, 36 hours a week, salaried
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and be able to travel independently throughout New Mexico and the broader Southwest, including to rural and remote locations
• Must be able to work both outdoors in varying weather and terrain conditions and in a computer-based office environment
• Must be able to walk over uneven ground during ranch and field visits and lift/carry materials up to 25 pounds
• Position requires some overnight travel for meetings, conferences, trainings, and site visits
• Salary range for director level positions: $70,000 - $75,000 depending on experience, paid bi-weekly. Quivira uses a wage scale to determine pay rates and ranges for all positions within the organization.
• This position is primarily remote, but based in NM or southern CO. All employees currently work from home with access to the Santa Fe office on an as-needed basis. 
• No relocation compensation.
• After two months, benefits include health, dental, vision, simple IRA, paid time off, short- and long-term life disability insurance, and continuing education benefit.