New York Program Associate

AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST•City of Saratoga Springs, NY

1d•$68,000 - $73,000•Remote

About The Position

American Farmland Trust is seeking a highly adaptable and creative relationship builder to strengthen farm viability and institutional local purchasing by 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 American Farmland Trust’s goals of keeping farmers on the land, protecting farmland, and promoting sound farming practices. The Program Associate plays an important role in fostering connections with institutional partners, building and maintaining collaborative networks with aligned stakeholders, developing resources and trainings for institutions and farmers, and providing ongoing coaching and technical assistance to institutions and farmers seeking to procure or sell NY food products.

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, specifically with an 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
An 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 related to the responsibilities and qualifications outlined in this job description, such as food systems, farm to institution, value chains, farm business technical assistance, and/or 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 preferred.
Experience with public outreach, community engagement, and communications (digital and/or traditional).
Understanding of social media and storytelling and the role they play 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, our nine-month training program that supports school teams in the 3C’s of farm to school - community, classroom, and cafeteria – and farmers in selling and connecting to schools.
Support the development of a structured process to provide farmers with resources and coaching so they can be better prepared to sell to schools and other institutions.
Provide technical assistance (TA) to farmers and K-12 schools and other institutions interested in selling and purchasing local New York foods. TA can include making referrals, business planning, scaling up, production planning, infrastructure needs, procurement support, menu planning, etc.
Support design of workshops, trainings, and other professional development events. Occasionally lead the design and execution of trainings and workshops.
Build and coordinate a network of Institute alumni, managing a communications platform as needed.
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 (e.g. number of attendees, number of beginning farmers, etc.).
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

excellent vacation
medical
retirement
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.