Position: Program Director at Sacramento Valley Beginning Farmer Training & Incubator Program
Application Deadline: February 28th, 2011, or until filled
Start Date: April 1st, 2011 (approximate)
The Center for Land-Based Learning inspires and motivates people of all ages, especially youth, to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature and society through their actions and as leaders in their communities. We serve close to 1,000 high schools students per year through two model high school experiential programs, and an additional 2,500 youth and adults at our Farm on Putah Creek educational site near Winters, CA.
Background: In October, 2010, the Center for Land-Based Learning was awarded a $500,000 grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Block Grant Program to create and implement the Sacramento Valley Beginning Farmer Training & Incubator Program (http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/pdfs/grantrecipients2010.pdf)
CLBL is hiring a Program Director, based at our main office at 5265 Putah Creek Road, Winters CA, at the Farm on Putah Creek. This position will be responsible for starting up the new program; working with an excellent Advisory Committee, including representatives from UC Davis Agriculture Sustainability Institute, ALBA, California FarmLink, NCAT-ATTRA, Soil Born Farms, Western Growers, SACOG, USDA FSA, USDA NRCS, and the Farmer-Veteran Coalition to construct and implement a training curriculum that follows with an incubator opportunity on-site and with collaborating organizations and farmers. If you’ve worked at other Beginning Farmer programs around the country – this is an opportunity to utilize your experience and build a program from the beginning. There is a high level of interest already built for this program, and you will have many, many resources at your disposal in the surrounding region.
The Sacramento Valley Beginning Farmer Program Director should be a leader with a strong commitment to education, agriculture, ecology and land stewardship. The Director must be self-motivated, and capable of working effectively both alone and with a larger team.
– Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree (or equivalent experience) in Agriculture, Ecology, Community Development, or other closely-related field. A minimum of six years of professional experience directing and/or coordinating programs, including hiring and managing all aspects of staff performance, creating and managing budgets, and all building associated programmatic infrastructure and capacity needs.
– Experience with farming; either as a Beginning Farmer, apprentice/intern, or other related agricultural farm job
– Experience working with diverse partners and stakeholders, with ability to collaborate on creating and implementing programs
– Experience in hiring, managing, and working with sub-contractors as needed
– Proven track record of successful grant writing, grant management and reporting
– Excellent communication, social and writing skills
In addition, the idea candidate will also have:
– A background in either formal or informal educational programs, including developing and implementing training programs
– A background in sustainable agriculture and/or beginning farmer training programs
– An ability and willingness to be flexible
– Experience with outreach and recruiting
– Moderate to advanced computer skill, especially with Microsoft Office, web browsers, social media, and email
– Willingness to work odd hours and weekends as required. Especially after the first planning year, it is likely that training classes will be held partially on weekends.
Salary: This is a full time position with a starting salary range of $50,000 – $60,000, commensurate with experience. Full benefits (health, dental, vision, flex plan, and 401K) are included after three months of employment.
How to Apply: Direct inquiries, cover letter and resume to: Mary Kimball, Executive Director – mary@landbasedlearning.org
We highly encourage you to visit our website at www.landbasedlearning.org
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