New York Program Associate

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it.

About the role

We are seeking a highly adaptable and creative relationship builder who can strengthen farm viability and institutional local purchasing by building sustainable value chains between local farms, K-12 schools, food hubs, and other institutions. The Associate will work closely with the NY/NJ Deputy Director and the program team to plan and execute farm to institution projects that support American Farmland Trust’s goals of keeping farmers on the land, protecting farmland, and promoting sound farming practices.

The Program Associate plays an important role in fostering connections with institutional partners, building and maintaining collaborative networks with aligned stakeholders, developing resources and trainings for institutions and farmers, and providing ongoing coaching and technical assistance to institutions and farmers seeking to procure or sell NY food products.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of the New York Farm to School Institute, a nine-month training program that supports school teams in the 3Cs of farm to school—community, classroom, and cafeteria—and farmers in selling and connecting to schools.
• Support the development of a structured process to provide farmers with resources and coaching so they can be better prepared to sell to schools and other institutions.
• Provide technical assistance (TA) to farmers and K-12 schools and other institutions interested in selling and purchasing local New York foods. TA can include making referrals, business planning, scaling up, production planning, infrastructure needs, procurement support, menu planning, etc.
• Support design of workshops, trainings, and other professional development events. Occasionally lead the design and execution of trainings and workshops.
• Build and coordinate a network of Institute alumni, managing a communications platform as needed.
• Build and maintain relationships with farmers, food hubs, processors, distributors, school staff, and community organizations.
• Support the policy manager with farm to school/institution advocacy efforts in NYS.
• Develop evaluation metrics for educational tools and programs.
• Conduct light analysis on data following events and activities (e.g., number of attendees, number of beginning farmers, etc.).
• Identify and assist with storytelling opportunities throughout the farm to institution value chain.
• Represent AFT at farm to institution workshops, coalition meetings, conferences, and training sessions.

Requirements

• BA or BS degree and a minimum of 3 years of related work experience in food systems, farm to institution, value chains, farm business technical assistance, and/or agriculture.
• Strong knowledge of institutional food procurement, local food purchasing, food distribution, agriculture business planning, school food service, farm to school, farm business technical assistance, and/or agricultural value chains.
• Experience providing technical assistance, coaching, or resource development to farmers and producers, ideally around farm to school/institution.
• Strong project coordination skills, including the ability to manage timelines, logistics, partner communication, and follow-through across multiple projects.
• Ability to work independently with remote supervision as well as collaboratively on multiple projects.
• Excellent communication skills, including written, verbal, and listening, specifically with an aptitude for meeting facilitation and potential for public speaking.
• A track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Facility with Microsoft Office Suite.
• An intellectual curiosity, understanding, and enthusiasm for food systems and AFT’s mission.

Preferred Qualifications

• Grant writing and reporting skills.
• Budget management skills.
• Experience designing and facilitating professional development or other educational trainings, specifically with local food systems and/or farm to institution.
• Comfort collecting, organizing, and analyzing basic program data to inform program improvement and reporting.
• Experience managing multi-day conferences, reviewing venue and A/V contracts, and coordinating caterers and multiple speakers.
• Experience with public outreach, community engagement, and communications (digital and/or traditional).
• Understanding of social media and storytelling and the role they play in programming.
• Verbal and written Spanish language skills at an intermediate level.

Working Conditions

• This job operates in a teleworking environment. Occasional work in the evenings or on weekends may be required to meet deadlines.
• Preference will be given to candidates located in the capital region, Hudson Valley, or no more than two hours from our Saratoga Springs office.
• Travel across NY state for AFT and partner meetings and institutional and farmer site visits is required. Some out-of-state travel for conferences and trainings may be needed. Travel is about 10-15% of the role. A personal vehicle is not required.
• This position has no management responsibility.

Pay

This position offers an annual salary of $68,000 - $73,000.

Benefits

• Excellent vacation, medical, retirement, and other benefits.
• Insurance coverage begins the 1st of the month following the date of hire:
  • Medical & Prescription Coverage
  • Dental Coverage
  • Vision Coverage
  • Company Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability (LTD)
  • Voluntary Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Healthcare & Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401k Plan
• Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 13 sick days per year.
• Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year, increasing by one day per year to 20 days per year maximum.
• Holidays: AFT observes twelve fixed holidays and a week between Christmas and New Year’s off (all offices closed) plus a choice of up to three floating holidays (depending on hiring month).