Texas Grazing Mentor Manager

Who We AreAmerican Farmland Trust 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. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access). Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agriculture’s most pressing needs and opportunities.We believe diversity drives innovation. We are inclusive. We embrace differences. We recognize and respect the fundamental value and dignity of all our employees. We celebrate the unique traditions, heritages, and experiences our employees bring to the workplace. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive culture that promotes and values diversity, and where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

The PositionAmerican Farmland Trust’s Farms Under Threat research reveals that Texas has the highest concentration of threatened agricultural land in America – over 2 million acres of agricultural land are projected to be converted to commercial and residential development by 2040. Eight of the 12 counties in the nation projected to lose the most agricultural land to real estate development are in Texas. Improving the productivity and resilience of our existing farms and ranches in Texas through the implementation of conservation practices and adoption of regenerative agriculture systems has never been more important to the future of agriculture in Texas. As part of this effort we are establishing a Grazing Mentors Network to spread the adoption of regenerative grazing practices in beef cattle operations, providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers, and creating access to value added markets for their beef products.
The Texas Grazing Mentor Manager will oversee and support the Grazing Mentor program outreach and training efforts with producer mentors in Coastal and North Central Texas. The manager will directly manage recruitment, training, development, and supervision of producer mentors. They will support producer and partner outreach in Texas and assist with communications material development. They will also help arrange and develop training and educational opportunities working directly with internal and external partners. The manager will also liaise with local/regional market, non-profit, and underserved-serving organizations to leverage resources and expand collaborative project impact.

What You’ll Be Working On

• Collaborate with national team to identify knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as responsibilities of producer mentors;
• Collaborate with national team and partner organizations to develop curriculum, identify necessary training and training resources for mentors, and collaborate to provide or source training;
• Collaborate with other regional mentor managers to develop and implement mentor application, program outreach, selection, and training efforts;
• Identify, onboard and oversee training of producer mentors in collaboration with the Texas Director and project partners;
• Continue to manage and supervise 10 or more part-time producer mentors, including collecting and reporting invoices with the finance department;
• Recruit, onboard, and supervise Regenerative Grazing Practice Implementation Specialist;
• Assist with communications material development;
• Develop, implement, and distribute mentee and partner outreach efforts;
• Arrange and develop training and educational opportunities and peer-to-peer/mentoring network and practice implementation resource access for producer mentors and their mentee networks;
• Submit appropriate reporting documents for mentorship program;
• Lead capacity building of mentors to enable certification of some new NRCS Technical Service Providers;
• Oversee producer enrollment, providing assistance on USDA FSA enrollment qualifications;
• Oversee USDA reporting of enrolled producer data and other USDA-required reporting in collaboration with the national team;
• Provide assistance across the network on use of grazing management software by enrolled producers as needed for project reporting, quantification work, and improved operation management, as appropriate;
• Develop systems for deploying micro-grants, develop and implement selection criteria;
• Laise with local/regional market, non-profit, community-based organizations, and other underserved-serving organizations to leverage resources and expand collaborative project impact, such as on access and practice system adoption by diverse producers to markets for climate smart products;
• Contribute expertise and collaboration on other aspects of the primary funded project, and engage in other AFT projects to contribute expertise, as needed;
• Contribute to strategy, gaps, and next actions development to enable fundraising for scaling up of impact and/or funding continuation of mentoring networks beyond the current 4-year grant;
• Disseminate results and updates professionally and confidently from the project through public facing events and presentations; and
• Attend NRCS technical trainings as appropriate.

Requirements: The mentor manager must be a highly motivated and entrepreneurial problem solver. They should be personable and eager to work with diverse audiences and other stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have existing connections within the ranching and beef cattle community in Texas and will have experience working with a variety of livestock production systems with diverse populations. The manager must live in Coastal or North Central Texas, or in a location central to these two regions, such as College Station or Waco, and feel comfortable traveling a 250-mile radius. Excellent communication skills (meeting facilitation, phone, writing, partner relations), record keeping, and task management are essential to the position. The potential candidate must have knowledge skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Live within Coastal or North Central Texas with the skills and focus to manage a team from a remote/ home office;
• Strong understanding of regenerative grazing systems and/ or farming and ranching operations;
• Knowledge and understanding of rangeland systems, preferred;
• At least one year of experience overseeing a team in a management role;
• Both an independent and proactive worker and team member who will complete deliverables in both individual and broadly collaborative settings on time;
• Flexible and eager to learn, willing to grow and adapt, and contribute skills as needed to a growing and changing team;
• Experience supervising staff or interns with team-oriented leadership and management;
• Have the entrepreneurial and collaborative skills needed to build and manage the mentor network and manage producer mentors;
• Experience building networks and managing networks while being primarily remote;
• Experience with curriculum design and implementation (mentor training);
• Strong compassion and empathy – DEIJ training and/or experience and desire to drive positive DEIJ impact;
• Experience working with or developing programs for underserved producers;
• Comfortable with excel sheets, finances and contracting;
• Experience with NRCS conservation planning and contracting is highly desirable, minimally must have willingness to learn and be available to the network to help producers enroll in project;
• Experience with developing and building communities of practice;
• Ability to communicate in an engaging and clear manner to diverse audiences;
• Highly organized with excellent communication skills and the ability to juggle, navigate, and deliver complex tasks on-time;
• Experience using customer relationship management (CRM) is optional.

Expectations

• Experience working with diverse stakeholders
• Some travel required to visit producers, facilitate trainings, and attend conferences, anticipate:
• 15-20 overnights per year
• 60-75 total travel days
• Remote work environment from a home office in Texas.

Education & Experience At least 6 years of professional experience, working on farms or in land stewardship or land management positions. A college degree in a directly related field may be substituted for up to 4 years of work experience.
Compensation American Farmland Trust offers excellent vacation, medical, retirement and other benefits. The salary range for this position is from $70,000 to $85,000 based upon experience.

American Farmland Trust offers a complete benefits package:

• Medical & Prescription Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Company Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability (LTD)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Healthcare & Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401(k) with 10% match after six months of employment
• Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 3.5 hours per pay period (13 sick days per year).
• Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year increasing by one day per year to 20 days per year
• Holidays: The Company observes eleven holidays during the year (all offices closed): plus, choice of 3 other floating holidays depending on hiring date

Why you should apply

• Be a part of a purpose-driven, committed, knowledgeable, high-performing, experienced and fun team
• A diverse and inclusive work environment
• A cause and mission you can be proud of
• Competitive compensation & benefits
• Remote work opportunity
• Travel reimbursement

Please answer the screener questions and be sure to include a resume AND cover letter to be considered. While applications will be accepted until the position is filled, applicants who apply with a resume or CV and cover letter by January 22nd will be reviewed first.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, expression or identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Farmland Trust complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which we have facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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