California Solar Specialist

AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST•Sacramento, CA

7d•$80,000 - $85,000•Remote

About The Position

The California Solar Specialist advances and leads AFT's Smart Solar℠ and agrivoltaics work in California. This role combines subject matter expertise with partnership development and farmer-facing outreach to drive adoption of Smart Solar and agrivoltaics. The Specialist will be AFT's primary representative in California for these initiatives, building relationships with farmers, ranchers, solar developers, agency partners, universities, research centers, and agricultural organizations. Reporting to the National Smart Solar Director and working closely with the California Regional Program, the Specialist will significantly influence the development of tools, resources, and the multi-year agenda for AFT’s California and national Smart Solar programs. The Specialist possesses cross-sector expertise in solar, agriculture, energy, farm policy, and partnership development, aiming to establish a strong foundation for agrivoltaics in California. Key responsibilities include educating stakeholders on agriculturally compatible solar, developing and disseminating farmer-facing resources, coordinating research and demonstration projects, designing technical assistance, conducting policy analysis, and supporting a statewide coalition for agrivoltaics. This role involves extensive collaboration with the national Smart Solar team, the California regional program, and other AFT divisions, as well as external partners. The position requires creativity, strategic problem-solving, strong relationship management, and excellent external communication skills, demonstrating poise, professionalism, and accountability.

Requirements

Direct expertise in agrivoltaics, agriculturally compatible solar, or a closely related agricultural, energy, land-use, and/or conservation disciplines is required.
Demonstrated ability to function as a senior subject matter expert and a resource for critical problem-solving, exercising discretion and autonomy in decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize, summarize and apply complex principles, theories, and techniques is required.
Experience developing and/or adapting complex procedures, administrative systems, and technical resources within scope to meet program and funder requirements is required.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills are required, including ability to communicate effectively and professionally in writing, by phone and video, and in person, public speaking in diverse settings, and delivery of virtual sessions/webinars.
Strong editing, writing, and digital file management skills are required.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint; familiarity managing data in Excel and editing collaboratively in Word is required.
Passion for advancing AFT's mission and a personal commitment to farm viability, resilience, and the future of farmers and ranchers across the United States is required.
BA or BS degree and a minimum of at least six (6) years of progressive experience in a technical or operational capacity in or supporting agriculture, solar, agronomy, conservation, environmental management, natural resource planning, or related fields.
Demonstrated subject matter expertise in one or more areas of direct relevance to Smart Solar program pillars and service delivery.

Nice To Haves

Relevant work experience in California strongly preferred.
Success in developing and effectively leading projects or initiatives of substantial scope and complexity, while managing diverse work streams and day to day assignments is preferred.
Demonstrated success working with a diversity of agricultural, energy, land-use, and conservation professionals, including state and federal agencies, farmers and landowners, solar developers and trade associations, conservation districts, researchers, and commodity and conservation organizations is preferred.
Track record in motivating high-impact teams, coalitions and partnerships, building off exemplary relationship building and networking skills.
Prior experience with facilitation of multi-stakeholder meetings and delivery of farmer-focused trainings is preferred.
Strong analytical and research skills, including survey design, literature review, and economic and agronomic data analysis are preferred.
Experience in communicating with and/or managing contractors, vendors, service providers and project partners to keep projects and deliverables on timeline and within budget is preferred.
Familiarity with AI support tools (Claude, Copilot) for producing high-quality, timely reports, communications, and resources, and willingness to mentor a team in their use is preferred.
Familiarity with digital communications platforms, including website content management systems (WordPress), graphic design software (Canva, Adobe), email marketing software (Salsa), and mainstream social media platforms is preferred.
A graduate or advanced degree in a related field is strongly preferred and may substitute for an equivalent portion of the experience requirement.
Significant direct experience in agricultural operations and/or in delivery of other major elements of AFT Smart Solar Principles may be substituted for a degree if other qualifications are met.
Knowledge of and commitment to farming, agriculture and energy development in California and the western US strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and adapt the research and learning agenda, technical assistance delivery model, and analytical products for California agrivoltaics work.
Synthesize technical, agronomic, and energy data into feasibility analysis, case studies, and the California Smart Solar and Agrivoltaics Roadmap.
Design and run the farmer survey on agrivoltaics interest and barriers, including instrument design, analysis, and dissemination of findings.
Plan and deliver the agrivoltaics site visit series, regional webinar series, train-the-trainer series, and explainer video sets.
Lead the technical content of the financing roadmap and catalyst fund concept.
Serve as a primary technical point of contact for Smart Solar in California, building and stewarding relationships with farmers, researchers, developers, funders, and policymakers.
Convene and expand the California Agrivoltaics Working Group, organize regional stakeholder roundtables and policy leader roundtables, and convene the statewide agriculture–clean energy forum.
Represent AFT on external technical advisory committees, contribute to proposal development, and serve as Smart Solar lead at conferences, webinars, and presentations.
Develop technical communications, including white papers, factsheets, blog posts, recorded presentations, and farmer-facing resources.
Coordinate web and social media content for the program.
Draft the agrivoltaics policy white paper and provide technical input into policy positions, identifying barriers and proposing solutions.
Assess and advance new programmatic and operational initiatives to scale agrivoltaics.
Support cross-AFT coordination with Policy, Climate, and FRS teams.
Lead project-level data analysis and research, including literature review, survey results, agricultural management data, crop yield, and economic data.
Develop and maintain project tracking systems and manage technical files, datasets, and resources.
Maintain the Smart Solar photo and video inventory.
Support and lead on funding proposals to build financial resources for Smart Solar in California.
Work with program and project management teams to ensure timely submittal of contracts, agreements, and invoices.
Track contracted deliverables and adhere to project timelines and deliverables.
Collect and submit monthly and quarterly reports from the Smart Solar team, and contribute to Board quarterly reports and AFT annual reports.
Support meeting management, travel logistics, agenda setting, note-taking, and action item tracking.

Benefits

excellent vacation
medical
retirement
other benefits
Insurance coverage begins the 1st of the month following the date of hire.
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)
401k Plan
Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 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 maximum.
Holidays: AFT observes twelve fixed holidays and a week between Christmas and New Years off during the year (all offices closed) plus a choice of up to three (depending on hiring month) floating holidays.