Senior Climate & Soil Health Scientist

American Farmland Trust•Washington, DC

10d•Remote

About The Position

Reporting to the National Climate and Soil Health Director, the Senior Climate and Soil Health Scientist supports AFT’s Climate and Soil Health Program by advancing connectivity across research, science translation, partnerships, and implementation strategies that accelerate adoption of resilient soil health management systems. This includes a core focus on biochar integration, as well as other climate-beneficial approaches. The position supports AFT’s efforts to catalyze a new conventional agriculture: empowering farmers and ranchers across the nation’s diverse systems to achieve on-farm and societal benefits from systems that are soil health promoting, biodiverse, climate-neutral or better, resilient, equitable, and environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. As an integral member of the Climate and Soil Health Program, the Senior Climate and Soil Health Scientist leads research, technical program development, science translation, partnership building, training, fundraising, and implementation efforts that bridge research and practice. The position includes research responsibilities but is fundamentally a research-to-practice role focused on using science to foster adoption of resilient soil health management systems. The position helps identify and address barriers to adoption and persistence, develops tools and resources that support decision-making, and advances emerging opportunities in biochar, PFAS, climate resilience, and related soil health innovation. The position requires a combination of scientific leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, excellent communication, and ability to collaborate across disciplines, teams, and diverse stakeholders.

Requirements

Significant scientific, technical, and applied on-farm expertise in soil health, soil function, and interactions among production systems, soils, climatic conditions, and management, including adaptation of practices to site-specific conditions across diverse agricultural production systems.
Familiarity with soil systems modeling as well as with microbial, ecological, and other soil science processes.
Advanced understanding of soil health management systems implementation, biochar opportunities and challenges, and environmental co-benefits, climate interactions, and technical barriers for producer adoption and success.
Experience advancing soil health management systems through development and application of models, tools, and decision support resources and technical guidance that are based in research and producer experience.
Demonstrated success conducting independent research and executing complex technical tasks and quantitative analyses of complex agronomic or ecological datasets using R, SAS, or a comparable statistical programming language.
Proficient in literature review, synthesis of scientific information, and regular evaluation of emerging soil health research, technologies and producer innovations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for inter-organizational and inter-disciplinary team collaboration on technical resources and publications for diverse audiences.
Demonstrated experience and success in grant writing and other forms of fundraising as well as achieving peer, leadership, or donor buy-in on critical projects.
Demonstrated success in developing partnerships with researchers, farmers and ranchers, advisors, non-profits, corporations, agricultural retailers and industry, and government agencies.
Dedicated to practicing, learning, and advancing efforts to expand access to resources and support among small, limited resource, beginning and other farmers who have faced barriers that may impact practice adoption.
Proficient trainer, facilitator, communicator, and public speaker to represent organization’s work.
Adept at developing educational materials and communicating complex scientific concepts related to soil health systems, resilience, and biochar integration to diverse audiences of producers, advisors, policymakers, and technical experts.
Ability to do high quality, independent work in a dynamic organization under time pressure.
Proven history overseeing research and/or project implementation and delivery on time and within budget, leveraging specialized knowledge to achieve goals.
High emotional intelligence and demonstrated ability to collaborate, motivate others, and achieve shared goals in remote and team-based environments.
Exceptional organizational and communication skills.
Commitment to shared learning, creativity, innovation and problem solving.
Scientific and implementation leadership experience.
Degree in agronomy, soil science, agroecology, conservation, agricultural sciences, or related field and commensurate amount of experience in soil health and biochar management.
Masters degree and about 6 years of relevant work experience; OR PhD degree and about 2 years of relevant work experience
Significant, large scale, multi-regional or national scientific and implementation leadership experience, successful fundraising, agricultural production systems expertise.
Masters degree and about 10 years of work experience; OR PhD degree and about 6 years of work experience

Nice To Haves

Experience with and/or knowledge of markets for carbon sequestration or other environmental services.
Knowledge of NRCS and other current state and federal policies and programs related to agriculture, soil health, biochar, and climate mitigation and resilience.

Responsibilities

Lead applied research, literature review, technical review, data analysis, modeling, life cycle analysis, and impact-oriented programmatic design and implementation, and provide technical leadership for fundraising efforts relating to biochar and soil health.
Collaborate across the team to compile, analyze, and publish project data and results.
Lead and collaborate on science translation activities that integrate research findings, producer innovations, and demonstration results into transformative technical resources: decision support tools, guides, factsheets, manuals, peer-reviewed publications, curricula, trainings and educational resources that support successful adoption.
Contribute to development and continuous improvement of producer, advisor, mentor, and peer-learning network functioning by integrating scientific findings and AFT’s social, economic, and environmental program evaluation results to strengthen future network outcomes.
Address adoption needs across soil health practices in annual and perennial, high disturbance, and other systems across varied agroecological zones, through AFT’s on-farm trials network, technical resources, and training programs.
Contribute scientific leadership and subject-matter expertise to Advanced Soil Health Training, Growing with Biochar Training, peer learning networks, mentor programs, livestock and grazing training, and other capacity-building efforts designed to multiply adoption.
Collaborate on the design and implementation of impact measurement, evaluation, and learning systems that assess adoption, persistence, environmental, economic, and network outcomes.
Provide scientific leadership for emerging priority areas including biochar, PFAS, climate resilience, soil health systems, ecosystem services, and other strategically relevant topics and entrepreneurial opportunities for AFT investment in partnership development, innovation, and scaling.
Support National Climate and Soil Health Director and team in fundraising efforts by developing compelling proposals and pitches and cultivating funder relationships.
May serve as PI on future projects.
Build, steward and leverage partnerships for future impact with producers, advisors, researchers, corporate partners, funders, and other stakeholders.
Co-develop applied research-to-implementation agendas to ensure scientific work addresses practical adoption barriers and market opportunities.
Lead collaborations with partners to develop transformative resources and programs nationwide.
Serve as an AFT representative and thought leader in meetings, workshops, conferences and other external events reaching diverse audiences, advancing national visibility and engagement around biochar, soil health, climate resilience, and related topics.
Help design, refine, deliver, and scale evidence-based curricula and learning pathways, including trainings and associated peer learning networks.
Collaborate with AFT's Programs and Communications teams to communicate and elevate the visibility, impact, lessons learned, and thought leadership of AFT's Climate and Soil Health work through stakeholder engagement, presentations, publications, websites, blog posts, press releases, social media, and other communications channels.
Provide input and technical review for relevant policy recommendations, platforms, and communications.
Lead and manage teams of AFT staff and partners on assigned projects or workstreams.
Collaborate across AFT, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), American Biochar Institute (ABI), federal, academic, non-profit, industry, corporate supply chain, and other partners.
Provide leadership and programmatic management for funded work, ensuring high quality deliverables, partner coordination, and progress and final funder reporting.
Support a strong team culture of shared learning, innovation and problem solving among AFT national and regional staff.

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.