Senior Land Stewardship Technician

The Land Institute•Salina, KS

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Land Institute co-leads the global movement for perennial, diverse, regenerative grain agriculture at a scale that matches the enormity of the intertwined climate, water, and food security crises. An independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit founded in 1976, the organization seeks to reconcile the "human economy" with "nature's economy," starting with food. The transdisciplinary team of scientists, together with global partners, is developing new perennial grain crops, like Kernza®, and diverse cropping systems that function within nature's limits while researching the social transformation required for a just, perennial human future. As the Senior Land Stewardship Technician, you will collaboratively plan and enact stewardship activities at multiple landholdings, including The Land Institute’s Wauhob Prairie and Marty Bender Nature Area. You will also advance shared projects in place-based community learning and public engagement. You will join a dynamic, growing organization and contribute to how we learn and practice what is possible for a just transition to perennial cultures and landscapes in our home region. This role is grounded in the organization’s Perennial Cultures Lab, reporting to the Director, and requires close cooperation with lab co-workers in land relations and educational design, along with colleagues in campus facilities, operations, and natural science research. This is a new role, and we anticipate that the incoming Senior Land Stewardship Technician will help shape the position in the context of an evolving team structure.

Requirements

Hold a bachelor’s degree with 2-4 years of work experience in land stewardship, natural resource management, biology, environmental science, or a similar field–or an equivalent combination of education and applied experience
Enthusiastic about hopeful approaches to landscape-scale, system-wide change through perennialization and diversification
Motivated by a strong land ethic and commitment to the land community in this place and region (near the Smoky Hill River and Salina, Kansas in the central Great Plains)
Highly collaborative and cooperative
Enjoy creatively solving practical problems
Excellent at time management and prioritization
Experience working with natural systems, recognizing plant and animal species, and applying scientific knowledge
Successfully created and enacted land stewardship plans
Developed and implemented projects that involve multiple disciplines or communities, and maintained constructive working relationships with varied groups over time
Skilled at land management, including performing physical work
Experience operating, maintaining, and safely transporting land management equipment such as tractors, skid steers, UTVs, trailers, chainsaws, brush cutters, mowers, sprayers, prescribed fire equipment, and other stewardship tools
Ability and willingness to obtain additional certifications and training as needed
Hold yourself to a high standard of work, and continually look for ways to improve and promote quality and safety for everyone involved in fieldwork
Valid driver’s license, and hold or be able to obtain other required licenses or certifications
Working knowledge of relevant digital software for planning and documenting land stewardship activities
Excited about community engagement and communicating about land stewardship
Interest in or experience with place-based efforts to advance food justice, land justice, and climate justice

Nice To Haves

We encourage all interested applicants to apply, even if they don't meet every requirement, as we value diverse experiences and a strong willingness to learn.

Responsibilities

Participate in cross-functional, comprehensive strategic planning that applies the organization’s land ethic across all landholdings
Assess land stewardship needs and opportunities, including through consultative processes
Collaboratively develop near- and long-term stewardship goals for particular landholdings
Create tactical prescriptions for particular landholdings to meet stewardship goals while working within budgeted resources and timelines
Perform land management tasks, including trail development and maintenance, prairie seed harvest, restoration planting, woody plant removal, prescribed burning, herbicide treatment, tool and equipment maintenance, boundary maintenance, monitoring, and support of research activities
Follow safety procedures and best practices during fieldwork
Perform routine inspection, maintenance, and cleaning of stewardship equipment and tools
Maintain accurate records of stewardship decisions, management actions, equipment use, maintenance needs, and project outcomes
Develop and maintain relationships with key land stewardship partners and collaborators
Plan and direct land stewardship work & learn groups, including staff and volunteers
Collaboratively develop and/or inform research, outreach, and creative projects that involve land stewardship activities
Help facilitate local and regional engagement activities, including public events and tours, community partner visits, and staff and volunteer education
Build trusting relationships with diverse colleagues, collaborators, and community members
Communicate about land stewardship work and impacts in ways that are accurate, compelling, and accessible to multiple audiences
Collaboratively develop, inform, and/or construct and install interpretive signage and other kinds of educational or interactive displays for particular landholdings
Provide input on organizational and lab strategy
Connect mission, strategy, and values to your activities and choices
Practice organizational competencies
Collaborate and consult as you make decisions
Engage in individual and group reflection and evaluation
Give and receive feedback and apply lessons learned
Participate in staff and lab meetings, organizational events and teams, and lab cross-training
Seek understanding of programs and activities across the organization
Share updates and results from your work
Participate in co-mentoring
Engage in professional development