Agriculture Program Manager - US and Canada

with experience in sustainability and US agriculture, excellent communication and writing skills; who is passionate about working with Companies, Farmers, Government, Civil Society, and Donors to generate positive sustainability impacts; and who is interested in a career with a dynamic non-profit that builds relationships with diverse actors to bring responsible products to market.

The US and Canada Agriculture Program Manager (the “Program Manager”) is tasked with driving innovation at the farm and supply chain levels by working collaboratively with Farmers, Farmer Associations, US Agriculture Traders, Processers, and Brands to understand their business, improve their collaboration, and drive regenerative agriculture and greater resilience to fluctuations in the environment, climate and markets. The Program Manager will develop vision and strategy for how to drive agriculture resilience and soil health in the US, building on EF’s Living Soils program established in other countries.

The Program Manager will continuously seek new opportunities and present ideas to increase the resilience of farmers and the health of living soils in existing US Agriculture supply chains. They should be a self-starter, leader and innovator who believes that farmers are entrepreneurs with vision and leadership.

The Program Manager will work in close collaboration with the EF Country Head for US and Canada. They will play a lead role implementing current contracts, including developing a digital platform for soy supply chain mapping and evaluating existing sustainable agriculture programs for wheat.

EF currently has presence in 16 countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, India, and several locations within West Africa, Europe and the Americas. We employ more than 200 people worldwide and work with big and small companies, communities and producers of raw materials to create compelling cases of transformation. With an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, we work on the ground with people to create inspiring transformation stories. We focus on creating value, engage without judging and carry hope and a positive vision of the future.

Beyond providing advice on policy set up based on our strong technical expertise, we see the world through interactions and relationships. Operating between two worlds (NGO-Companies/Buyer-Supplier), we encourage our partners to be introspective and take bold action. In addition to traceability and assessments, we create and innovate solutions to the challenges companies and communities face.

·      A unique work experience in a dynamic non-profit directly influencing the conservation of the environment and improvements in human rights and social equity through supply chains.

·       An organic environment with the chance to work in a multicultural team with passionate people.

·   The opportunity to lead complex projects, build customer relationships and develop new business, with exposure to different tasks.

·       Collaborate with companies, farmers, NGOs, government agencies, the EF Living Soils team, and the EF US and Canada team to shape our approach to US and Canada Agriculture

·       Create compelling solutions that drive sustainability impacts, have clear value-add, and that industry and farmers can adopt

·       Identify companies and commodities that present opportunities to grow our impact on responsible US and Canada Agriculture

·       Develop relationships with prospective member companies and donors

·       Develop new partnerships with organizations and experts working on sustainable agriculture

·       Create proposals, negotiate contracts and grow our Membership base in North America   

·       Support Members and partners in supply chain analysis, mapping, and reporting

·       Manage at least one current Member company relationship with international supply chains to build a strong understanding of our work globally

·       Develop high quality communication tools and informative materials for Members and agriculture-related donors

·       Serve as a subject matter expert on US and Canada agricultural commodities, on-farm practices and approaches to improving the sustainability of US and Canada agriculture supply chains

·       Effectively represent EF at industry events and conferences

·       Demonstrated expertise related to agriculture, soil science, business management, environmental sustainability, and/or social sciences

·       Significant experience working in or with businesses on sustainability initiatives, ideally in the agriculture, food processing or consumer goods sectors

·       Strong problem-solving skill set and a willingness to take risks and adaptively learn

·       Comfort and agility as a network-builder who can engage with a variety of actors and quickly identify opportunities for partnership

·       Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively, to develop and successfully pitch work plans as part of a team, and to deliver on-time, high quality results

·       Proven ability to self-manage time, budgets and reporting

·       Proven success in fundraising, sales, marketing, and/or relationship management

·       Good understanding and high interest in environmental resilience, soil health, and farm-level economics

·       Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal

·       Strong analytical skills, including the ability to analyze systems and identify key risks and opportunities

·       Commitment and sensitivity to client confidentiality

·       Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite

·       Experience working with farmers on regenerative agriculture techniques

·       Agronomy training and/or experience

·       Experience in farm management

·       Experience working with agriculture-related software systems

·       Experience working in US companies on responsible sourcing

·       Knowledge of raw material, food products, and agriculture certifications

·       Experience in business development

·       Experience in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives

·       Experience in project management.

·       Experience working with diverse food systems

·       Fluency in written and spoken English

·       Additional language proficiency is a plus, especially Spanish or French

·       Passion for working on issues related to sustainability, resilience, and agriculture

·       Hands-on, practical, and innovative working style

·       Flexibility, ability to show initiative, and positive attitude

·       Ability to work within a multidisciplinary and multicultural team

·       Ability to manage multiple tasks and work autonomously

·       Commitment to Earthworm Foundation values:

o  Focus on action and on-the-ground results

o  Entrepreneurial spirit

o  Client-focused

o  Open collaboration and communication

o  Humility

o  Respect for each other

·       Based in Seattle, WA, or working remotely from another continental US location to be approved

·       Frequent trips across North America to visit farms, demonstration plots, conferences, and companies

·       Schedule flexibility required to accommodate calls and meetings across global time zones

·       Full time (40 hours/week)

·       Immediate start

·       Valid US work authorization required

·       25 days paid leave per year

·       10 paid public holidays

·       Paid sick and safe time

·       10 weeks paid parental leave (supplemental to state parental leave programs)

·       Short/Long term disability and Life insurance

·       Health and dental Insurance

·       SIMPLE IRA with 3% employer match

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume via email to usa.recruitment@earthworm.org by Friday, October 29, 2021. Please put your last name and AgPM2021 in the subject line of the email, and let us know how you first learned of this vacancy. Successful candidates will be contacted by email for an initial interview. The position will be open until filled. Only candidates who send a full application will be considered. Only selected candidates will be contacted.