JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
We are seeking a dynamic individual to lead the coordination and development of Young Agrarians Grow-a-Farmer Strategy for Saskatchewan. This will include: managing and securing funding, supporting program and project growth alongside staff and contractors, stakeholder education and engagement, and overseeing communications and networking building. The goal of this role is to ensure that Saskatchewan programs grow and sustain themselves with strategic oversight and management.
ABOUT YOUNG AGRARIANS
Young Agrarians (YA) is an educational resource network for new and young ecological farmers in Canada. YA recognizes the Indigenous lands and territories that we work on and alongside. YA is committed to providing programs and services that are inclusive and available to farmers and friends of diverse backgrounds. Since 2012, the YA network is volunteer-driven, with farmers across the country organizing on-farm events and building community to create spaces for knowledge sharing and growth. YA began as a seed of an idea and since has grown into a dynamic educational network and set of programs that target the educational needs of new and young farmers.
YA’s Grow-a-Farmer Strategy works to deliver the following programs:
National: aggregate resources and opportunities online;
National: coordinate educational and networking events on and off farm year-round, as well as e-learning;
Prairie provinces: on-farm apprenticeship training program in regenerative agriculture;
BC: land access programming and supports; and
Western Canada: business mentorships.
YA works to grow the sector by supporting new entrants through farmer-to-farmer learning. The theory of change is to engage new and young farmers and the farm-curious online, bring them together to network and learn together on and off farms, support access to training opportunities and resources, and when ready to start farms, provide educational supports for on-farm training, land access, business readiness, and peer mentorship. The long-term goal is to grow connections to each other and the land in order to grow a resilient and climate-adapted food system for a healthy future.
WORKPLACE CULTURE
We strive to create a workplace that reflects the diverse communities we collaborate with and serve. The organizational culture is focused on bringing your whole self, emotional intelligence and leadership, and working together to support farmers to overcome barriers and challenges through educational supports and resources.
COMPENSATION & HOURS
This is a full-time, year-round position
Start date beginning of July 2023
35 hours per week
$35/hr
Mileage is reimbursed at provincially approved rates
Vacation starts at 4% plus an additional bonus week off last week of the year
Contract is renewed annually
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy & Funding:
Develop and steward a YA Grow-a-Farmer Strategy that outlines Saskatchewan’s context, current activities, and potential areas for development to address new farmer needs, as well as strategic partnerships and funding opportunities to sustain activities in the province.
Develop grant applications, funding proposals, sponsorships, donations for Saskatchewan program activity.
Work to meet projected budget needs.
Ensure that funding is spent appropriately to legal contractual obligations with the funder and coding follows organizational protocol and classification systems for auditing and reporting purposes.
Support project reporting through annual and longitudinal evaluation, and impact assessment tools.
Continue to liaise and maintain relationships with funders.
Support with other YA organizational duties and administration as needed.
Support Saskatchewan Program Staff & Deliverables:
Staff roles that will run alongside the YA Saskatchewan Program Manager role currently to build service delivery capacity for new farmers include:
Prairies Program Manager
Saskatchewan & Manitoba Business Mentorship Network Coordinator
Saskatchewan Apprenticeship Coordinator
Prairies Communications and Network Coordinator
Maintain positive working relationships with staff and contractors, including attending and organizing meetings, and ensuring inter-organizational communications are going smoothly.
Support as needed with hiring processes, on-boarding, role review, performance documentation, and on-going work delivery as needed.
Support YA Saskatchewan Staff to develop program capacity within the funded period.
Where workplace challenges arise, work with the management team to strategize on next steps.
Support staff to problem solve and troubleshoot on project deliverables.
Oversee work plans and good workplace documentation of activities to ensure handover and succession of roles is positive and well-managed.
Manage Saskatchewan wage subsidy positions as needed.
Network Building, Program Marketing, Outreach & Communications:
Help grow the Saskatchewan YA Network! Work with YA Staff on strategy for reaching more new and young farmers in the Province.
For the fall/winter of 2023-24:
Oversee the planning of a YA Prairies Mixer to be held in Saskatchewan and coordinated by the Prairies Communications and Network Coordinator.
Support with the creation of a Mixer Program Schedule with support from YA Prairies Staff.
Support with speaker and educator recruitment with the goal of 50% BIPOC farmers.
Fundraise for event sponsorship and donations as needed.
Ensure event evaluation processes are in place for reporting purposes.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience working in a management role in the non-profit / charitable sector, managing projects and programs.
Strong connection to and familiarity with the food and farming community in Saskatchewan, with a minimum of five years of experience in diversified sustainable / ecological / organic agriculture.
Solid understanding of business in an agricultural context.
Ability, creativity, and vision to identify needs and address them in a strategic manner.
Demonstrated capacities for identifying funding opportunities, and building and cultivating strategic partnerships.
Strong relationship building, networking, and stakeholder outreach and engagement skills.
Experience developing grant applications, funding proposals, sponsorships, donations, and working with funders.
Experience with general finance and budgeting as well as project reporting through annual and longitudinal evaluation and impact assessment tools.
A high level of self-motivation as part of a remote team.
Driven to achieve goals and meet deliverables.
Excellent administrative skills and organizational capabilities with a love for process-oriented workflow and workplace documentation.
An interest in bringing people together to build community and for coordinating events.
Passion for leading teams, working collaboratively with others and providing human resources support.
Ability to communicate both in writing and verbally to create engagement, motivation and action.
Technical proficiency and fluency working with Google Drive, Salesforce, WordPress, Zoom, and Mailchimp.
Home office, computer, reliable Internet connection, and cellphone.
TO APPLY
Please submit applications by email to Taina Uitto at:
om [at] youngagrarians [dot] org
with the following:
Subject line: Firstname Lastname – SK Program Manager
Please attach a PDF cover letter and resume as ONE document with the following file name: Firstname Lastname – SK-Program-Manager.pdf.
In your application, please:
Indicate where in Saskatchewan you are located
Answer the following 3 questions in your cover letter:
What is your experience and understanding of working with farmers?
Why are you excited about helping to grow the next generation of farmers in Saskatchewan?
What are your greatest strengths in fundraising and project / program management?
Provide a short summary of how many years of experience you bring in reference to the qualifications listed.
Clearly list on your resume what computer programs or platforms you are familiar working with (e.g. Google Drive, Salesforce, WordPress, Zoom, Mailchimp, design programs, various social media, etc.)
Optional: submit a video (up to 1 minute) to support your application and help us get to know you better. Feel free to have fun and be creative! Videos should be submitted in one of the following ways: 1. As an attachment to the same email containing your PDF, or 2. As a link in your PDF to a video hosting platform where we can view the video. Your video can be filmed as an Instagram Reel or TikTok and the link submitted.
Deadline for Applications: Monday, June 10, 2023 at 12pm MDT. This position will start when we find the right candidate.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we will not be available for phone calls or lengthy email inquiries. If you have 1-2 questions, please ask by email. Thank you for your time and interest!
LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUNG AGRARIANS
Website: youngagrarians.org
Facebook: facebook.com/YoungAgrarians
Instagram: @youngagrarians