Farmer Outreach Specialist - Philadelphia

Mission: Cultivating environmentally sound, economically viable, community-focused farms and food systems

Position overview: Do you have experience in urban growing environments and a passion for growing food system equity? We're seeking a full-time Farmer Outreach Specialist to lead our outreach work in Philadelphia with systemically marginalized farmers, including farmers of color and veteran farmers. The Specialist will use Pasa's community-based and on-farm approach to learn about the barriers that marginalized producers in Philadelphia face through personal relationship building. The Specialist will work to alleviate these barriers by connecting growers with partner resources and finding ways to make Pasa's farmer training programs more accessible and equitable.

The Farmer Outreach Specialist will focus these efforts in Philadelphia and will also work collaboratively with a team of Farmer Outreach Specialists from across Pennsylvania. The Farmer Outreach Manager will supervise the Specialist.

This position entails remote-based work with regular local travel, including participation in field-based events, involvement in speaking engagements, and attendance at 2-3 annual in-person staff retreats. There will be some in-office workdays and 2-3 annual multi-day in-person staff retreats. All employees are required to attend our annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference, which takes place each February in Lancaster, PA. The person in this role is required to live in the Philadelphia area. If hired, employees have three months to relocate. Pasa does not provide relocation support. If you have questions, please inquire. Employees must comply with Pasa's remote employee policies.

This is a grant-funded position. It is funded by USDA FSA Cooperative Agreement through May 2028.

Responsibilities

• Take and maintain a beyond-equity approach to open pathways for systematically marginalized producers to fully engage with and participate in federal, state, and local programs in unprecedented ways through providing technical assistance
• With the Farmer Outreach Manager, develop, implement, and report on Pasa's FSA Cooperative Agreement
• Build and maintain local partnerships with urban growers and organizations in the Philadelphia service area
• Coordinate and support soil sampling according to established protocols
• Facilitate one-on-one engagement and local relationship building with systemically marginalized farmers in and around the Philadelphia service area
• Identify and document grower's needs and barriers
• Coordinate with Pasa staff across teams to provide timely, relevant, and accessible information and technical assistance to urban growers in the position's service area
• Provide outreach, coordination, and technical assistance to urban growers seeking or appropriate for participation in USDA programs and services
• Contribute to the development of conference and workshop programming that responds to the needs of urban growers in and around the Philadelphia service area

Qualifications

• Relevant agricultural production and/or technical support experience; urban-agriculture experience is preferred
• Urban farming/growing, agricultural business, agricultural organization, or regional food systems experience
• Commitment to maintaining a supportive, functional, service-oriented workplace
• Passion for Pasa's mission
• Comfortability speaking about US federal programs
• Ability to speak in front of large crowds / public speaking
• Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice

Preferred qualifications

• Development and administration of educational programming experience
• Strong professional networks in the urban agriculture community in the Philadelphia area
• Familiarity with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), and/or other federal, state, and local programs
• Professional working proficiency in Spanish and English

Compensation : This is a full-time position. Annual salary for this position is $60,900. As a term-limited employee, there is an annual $1,000 bonus available for individuals who are bilingual in English and Spanish. Benefits include a one-time bonus of $500 to help offset home office expenses; health, vision, and dental insurance; company wellness plan contributions; pre-tax health and dependent care flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement match; flexible scheduling; 15 paid holidays; and a generous leave policy, along with a work computer and peripherals provided, travel expenses and mileage reimbursement.

Any specified term is based on mutual consent and may be terminated at will, with or without cause, by either party without prior notice to the other, unless otherwise prohibited by law.

How to apply: We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through our hiring practices. This entails reviewing application materials anonymously (without the applicant's name exposed) to help prevent potential unconscious bias. Our application system will automatically anonymize your materials and personally identifying information. There is no specific action required on your part to anonymize your materials when applying. Click the “Apply” button and submit the information requested (e.g. resume, cover letter, and/or portfolio).

Applications will close on March 11th. Initial interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom beginning March 17th. The anticipated start date for this position is April 16th. This is a term-limited position, effective through May 2028.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you have any questions, please contact jobs @pasafarming.org.