Agricultural Specialist

Job opening: Agricultural Specialist (New Orleans or Lafayette)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Agricultural Specialist oversees local food procurement. The employee will develop and maintain community partnerships with regional farmers, connect farmer partners with training and other resources funded by the LFPAP grant, and participate in regional and statewide community food system work. This position will be responsible for administering the LFPAP program in partnership with Feeding Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Develop strategic vision, goals, and metrics for LFPAP producer partnerships.
• Coordinate with other food banks to procure useful food types, pack sizes, and volumes.
• Connect agricultural partners with farm-based technical assistance and business development focused on business structures, land acquisition, food safety, sales/contracts, and value-added production.
• Manage Second Harvest’s farm program activities including partnership development, program development, acquisition, outreach, recruitment, and training.
• Attend conferences and events to conduct outreach and present on Food Systems and Agricultural Partnerships work.
• Develop program budgets and identify resources needed to complete strategic objectives.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet company needs.

QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.

Experience: Prior experience within food banking, hunger relief programming, community food systems, and farm business ownership or consultation experience.

Skills and Capabilities
The ideal candidate will possess many of these professional and personal abilities and attributes:
• Training or education in sustainable agriculture, small-scale farming, and program coordination.
• At least three years of farm management experience.
• Ability to establish relationships effectively and collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including beginning farmers and diverse people and cultures.
• Experience in community building.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Intermediate computer skills in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook; willingness to learn and adopt new software and online tools.
• Strong leadership, diplomacy, interpersonal skills, and ability to show empathy.
• Ability to work independently, demonstrated attention to detail, and strong project management skills.
• Willingness to work “off-hours” as requested by the customer and/or as needed to help fulfill the goals of SHFB.
• Ability to lift 20+ pounds and be comfortable working in a range of indoor and outdoor environments and temperatures.

How to Apply:

1. Email resume and cover letter (with salary requirements) to jobs@secondharvest.org
2. Type “Agricultural Specialist” as the only content in the subject line of your email.