Remote Sensing Data 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, and 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, through which farmers conduct timely and relevant on-farm research to answer questions about their farms and share what they’ve learned with others. PFI also offers incentive and technical support programs for environmentally friendly farming practices, many of which have been verified by on-farm research. Through these programs, we work with thousands of farmers in Iowa and surrounding states, who share data with us on everything from farm enterprises and management practices to field locations, soil attributes and cover crops on their farms. 

We’re seeking a data coordinator to develop remote sensing workflows for interpreting satellite imagery of farmland acres enrolled in our research and incentive programs. You will join a research effort studying how cover crops influence the resilience of Midwestern corn-soybean production systems. As part of the project, we want to use satellite imagery to assess how variables such as cover crop growth and how frequently they are used in a field affect cash crop yield over time. 

You will also help us monitor cover crop acres supported by our incentive programs and create detailed maps and spatial analyses for reporting to farmers, funders and other interested parties. Furthermore, we anticipate opportunities for exploring innovative approaches to enhance data collection, processing and analysis techniques. 

We expect this work to result in at least one peer-reviewed publication that you will author. We also expect you to contribute interpretations and data visualizations to public-facing research reports and user-friendly online dashboards.  

If you enjoy collaborating with a dedicated group of farmers and teammates, are skilled at using remote sensing techniques and are excited by the prospect of paving a path for how to use this data ethically and effectively to benefit farmers and a more resilient landscape, this role is for you.  

Duties 

• Design and implement workflows to obtain and use remotely sensed satellite imagery to evaluate acres enrolled in our research and incentive programs
• Analyze remote sensing data using specialized software and tools
• Write proposals for grant funding opportunities
• Write and contribute to reports, articles and publications internally and externally on research outcomes
• Help plan and facilitate PFI’s annual Cooperators’ Meeting every December in Ames, Iowa, where farmers gather to share what they learned through on-farm research and make plans for future research projects

Required Qualifications and Characteristics 

• Master’s degree in agriscience- or geography-related fields or equivalent work experience
• Experience with remote sensing techniques using satellite imagery (especially Landsat and/or Sentinel-2) to answer research questions
• Experience with coding languages (R, Python, etc.) for accessing, manipulating and analyzing geospatial and numerical data sets
• Experience with GIS software, both proprietary (Esri’s ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, etc.) and open-source (QGIS, etc.)
• Strong geospatial and numerical data management, analysis, interpretation and visualization skills
• Ability to work well with others and independently
• Ability to coordinate several concurrently active projects
• Ability to organize work, set goals and adhere to deadlines

Desired Qualifications and Characteristics 

• Doctorate in agriscience- or geography-related field
• Experience with efficiently using cloud-based or other remotely accessed computing resources (e.g., university supercomputers) to access and analyze large datasets
• Knowledge of current trends in Midwestern agricultural systems
• Understanding of the social and community dimensions of agriculture
• Experience publishing peer-reviewed scientific journal articles
• Experience with fundraising, grant writing and reporting
• Clear interest in applying skills to serving the learning outcomes desired by farmers

Position Duration 

This is a full-time, temporary, benefits-eligible position lasting for two or three years, with the possibility of extension based on acquiring additional funding. That could entail you leading the development of novel, creative on-farm research opportunities that directly serve farmer interests and writing grant proposals to fund the new projects, which we would encourage and support. 

Location and Benefits 

This position is based in our Ames, Iowa, office with hybrid work potential. Due to the need to engage with farmers around Iowa, this position requires occasional travel (mostly in Iowa) and a valid driver’s license. The starting annual salary range for this position is $46,500 to $50,000 with the opportunity for a salary increase on an annual basis.  

PFI values its employees and is 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 or 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.