Level: Management

Position Type: Full Time

Location: Hybrid • Athens, TX - Athens, TX 75752

Remote Type: Hybrid  

Salary Range: $80,000.00 - $85,000.00 Salary/year

Who We Are

American Farmland Trust (AFT) is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect nearly 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families. Long a pioneering leader, AFT continues to evolve to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers nationwide, adapting its approach to ensure the continued strength and resilience of agriculture and rural communities nationwide.

Job purpose

The Implementation Program Manager position offers an exciting opportunity to lead a team that helps farmers, ranchers, and landowners with technical assistance to support the implementation of conservation practices and supports successful participation in USDA Farm Bill Conservation programs.

Position Summary

This leadership role will involve the supervision of a small team of Implementation Specialists as well as assisting producers in overcoming any barriers to implementing conservation practices and activities. This assistance will be technical to support compliance with the federal directives regarding NRCS financial assistance programs, supporting a wide range of practices, including engineering and non-engineering practices. The position is anticipated to comprise 75% implementation and 25% supervisory responsibility with some flexibility in these anticipated allocations.

You and your team will assist producers in overcoming any barriers to implementing the practices specified in their USDA NRCS contracts through programs such as EQIP and CSP. This technical assistance will vary by farm and by practice, but might include collaboration with producers to fully communicate the standards and specifications required to receive financial assistance from the NRCS, consulting other technical experts, helping to find and select appropriate contractors, finding supplies or specialized equipment, coordinating with other NGOs or governmental entities, helping to find additional funding and more, all in support of getting conservation practices on the ground.

The position will be based in East Texas with the flexibility to work from home 1-2 days per week. Specifically we are looking someone to work in Athens, TX and/ or surrounding areas or Paris, TX and/ or surrounding areas. The AFT team that you supervise will be based in other locations in North Texas with supervision conducted remotely. You will work in a unique role, as an AFT employee, but in deep cooperation and frequent coordination with the funding partner, NRCS. A NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations, Resource Team Leaders and AFT’s Texas Director will work together to guide the workflow of you and your team to ensure it is integrated with NRCS’s needs and utilizes the full depth of both NRCS and AFT resources and expertise. The initial focus of the position is on targeted intervention to support new and existing contracts that are facing hurdles to implementation. With time it may also include contract development, plus outreach and education to promote participation in conservation programs and other agricultural land conservation. This position is currently funded through September 2027 and is term-limited based on available funding. However, AFT is committed to the long-term success of this work and will actively pursue additional funding opportunities to support continued employment whenever possible.

Duties and responsibilities

• Oversee a small team of AFT staff (1-3 Implementation Specialists) who provide implementation support to producers through technical and programmatic assistance regarding NRCS farm bill programs, plus other outreach and support services. This includes:
• Provide day-to-day supervision (including weekly or bi-weekly check-ins with direct reports), support, training, and mentoring staff to ensure high-quality work and accountability with work plans, deliverables, and budgets.
• Assist with Implementation staff recruitment, hiring, performance reviews, goal setting, work planning, and professional development/career progression as necessary.
• Ensure project and programmatic reporting is completed in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner.
• Travel occasionally to visit direct reports and meet with the NRCS teams they work with to establish open communication and joint troubleshooting when questions arise.
• Provide technical assistance and practice implementation guidance to contract participants based upon NRCS guidelines and technical experience to ensure final conservation practices meet the goals and responsibilities of NRCS.
• Assist NRCS staff with the development and management of conservation contracts. Work includes but is not limited to field investigations, topographic site surveying, practice analysis and design, layout, construction inspection, and development of as-built plans.
• Provide technical and administrative support, recommendations, and implementation assistance on Farm Bill programs. This may include but is not limited to conservation planning and application assistance, status reviews, case file management, and general administrative activities.
• Assist the Resource Team Leaders and District Conservationists in identifying priority clients for targeted outreach and intervention.
• Using a variety of methods (e-mail, phone, or traveling to the farm or ranch) establish direct contact with producers participating in NRCS programs, and work with the participants to identify barriers to contract completion.
• Identify areas where practice implementation within the existing contract requirements is not possible and communicate the situation and need for contract modifications to NRCS.
• Develop and compile extensive notes on all interactions with farmers to properly document support and progress towards contract completion; and contribute to the maintenance of program contract file folders per NRCS guidance.
• Assist NRCS field office staff by working with producers to compile necessary data and documentation for contract completion.
• Develop and curate a deep rolodex of service providers and contractors across the service area.
• Participate in trainings as directed by NRCS and AFT to ensure integration and access to NRCS systems required to perform job duties. This may include online trainings, as well as in person trainings in regional offices (i.e., College Station, Waxahachie) or the state office (Temple) required to complete Level 1 Planner Certification and beyond.
• Travel extensively across your identified counties to execute the job functions. Travel occasionally to meetings, conferences, and events to represent AFT’s Texas Regional Program.
• Assist AFT’s Texas Director with communications, fundraising, budgeting, work planning, and other management tasks as required.