The Conservation Associate, Saginaw Bay will support The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to influence local supply chains and farmers to make strides toward long term agricultural conservation adoption in Michigan’s Saginaw Bay Watershed. The Conservation Associate’s programming areas have been strategically designed as pathways for gaining progress toward The Nature Conservancy’s long-term conservation adoption goals. The Conservancy will rely on this person to demonstrate the effective and sustainable nature of supply chain-driven farmer incentive models, help facilitate stronger farmer peer networks throughout the watershed, and generally add technical capacity to our team.
The Conservancy has worked with agricultural partners in Michigan’s Saginaw Bay Watershed for nearly ten years to enhance on-farm conservation outcomes and improve water quality. We do this by co-developing with partners and landowners on new conservation practices, conservation delivery mechanisms and conservation learning opportunities. The Conservation Associate, Saginaw Bay will advance TNC’s agricultural supply chain work and our farmer engagement program. This position will:
1. Successfully establish and maintain peer-to-peer farmer learning groups.
2. Execute new supply chain farmer incentive programs through Michigan’s dairy and grain industries.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
This position will contribute technical support and assistance to Michigan’s Soil Health & Nutrient Reduction Strategy, including planning and implementing new sustainable agriculture (ag) program work streams. The Conservation Associate entails a unique set of responsibilities, including managing partner relationships and delivering sustainable ag programing at multiple levels within Michigan’s agricultural supply chain.
The position requires an experienced collaborator willing and able to strategize, influence and thoughtfully deliver soil health initiatives to Michigan’s private agricultural sector. They will help foster community and stakeholder support through effective outreach and communication, manage their time to coordinate tasks across multiple projects, effectively collaborate as part of a larger team, help adaptively manage ongoing programs toward greater success, set deadlines and manage tasks to completion. This is a two year position, the compensation range begins at $50,000 annually and is commensurate with experience.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Performs field work with minimal supervision and makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience, and context.
- Works collaboratively with external agricultural supply chain partners, along with internal technical, administrative, and professional staff with responsibility for performance management, training, and development.
- Ensures ag program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
- Employee may be asked to work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, and with a diversity of stakeholders with varying and sometimes demanding schedules. The employee will generally be responsible for maintaining professional customer service under a suite of demanding circumstances.