New York Program Associate

American Farmland Trust•Saratoga Springs, NY

8d•Remote

About The Position

American Farmland Trust (AFT) is seeking a highly adaptable and creative relationship builder to strengthen farm viability and institutional local purchasing. This role will focus on building sustainable value chains between local farms, K-12 schools, food hubs, and other institutions. The Associate will work closely with the NY/NJ Deputy Director and the program team to plan and execute farm to institution projects that support AFT’s goals of keeping farmers on the land, protecting farmland, and promoting sound farming practices. The Program Associate will foster connections with institutional partners, build collaborative networks, develop resources and trainings, and provide coaching and technical assistance to institutions and farmers.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of institutional food procurement, local food purchasing, food distribution, agriculture business planning, school food service, farm to school, farm business technical assistance, and/or agricultural value chains.
Experience providing technical assistance, coaching, or resource development to farmers and producers, ideally around farm to school/institution.
Strong project coordination skills, including the ability to manage timelines, logistics, partner communication, and follow-through across multiple projects.
Ability to work independently with remote supervision as well as collaboratively on multiple projects.
Excellent communication skills, including written, verbal, and listening, with aptitude for meeting facilitation and potential for public speaking.
A track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of stakeholders, both internal and external.
Facility with Microsoft Office Suite.
Intellectual curiosity, understanding, and enthusiasm for food systems and AFT’s mission.
BA or BS degree and a minimum of 3 years of related work experience (e.g., food systems, farm to institution, value chains, farm business technical assistance, agriculture).
Additional work experience or an advanced degree in one or more related disciplines may substitute for work experience requirements.

Nice To Haves

Grant writing and reporting skills.
Budget management skills.
Experience designing and facilitating professional development or other educational trainings, specifically with local food systems and/or farm to institution.
Comfort collecting, organizing, and analyzing basic program data to inform program improvement and reporting.
Experience managing multi-day conferences, reviewing venue and A/V contracts and coordinating caterers and multiple speakers.
Experience with public outreach, community engagement, and communications (digital and/or traditional).
Understanding of social media and storytelling and their role in programming.
Verbal and written Spanish language skills at an intermediate level.

Responsibilities

Lead planning and execution of the New York Farm to School Institute, a nine-month training program for school teams and farmers.
Support the development of resources and coaching for farmers to prepare them for selling to institutions.
Provide technical assistance (TA) to farmers and K-12 schools/institutions on selling and purchasing local New York foods, including referrals, business planning, scaling up, production planning, infrastructure needs, procurement support, and menu planning.
Support the design of workshops, trainings, and other professional development events, occasionally leading their design and execution.
Build and coordinate a network of Institute alumni, managing a communications platform.
Build and maintain relationships with farmers, food hubs, processors, distributors, school staff, and community organizations.
Support the policy manager with farm to school/institution advocacy efforts in NYS.
Develop evaluation metrics for educational tools and programs.
Conduct light analysis on data following events and activities.
Identify and assist with storytelling opportunities throughout the farm to institution value chain.
Represent AFT at farm to institution workshops, coalition meetings, conferences, and training sessions.

Benefits

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: 13 days per year
Vacation Leave: 15 days increasing to 20 days per year
Holidays: Twelve fixed holidays and a week between Christmas and New Years off, plus up to three floating holidays.