Company description

Through education, innovation, and collaboration, Quivira Coalition works in coalition with ranchers, farmers, government agencies, and land stewards to foster resilience on working lands. 

• Our New Agrarian program partners with skilled ranchers and farmers to offer annual apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture. Our apprentices learn from expert practitioners in full-immersion professional settings.
• Our Education program, through our annual conference and open-source publications, creates a space for our coalition to share ideas and resources, and for the general public to learn about the critical role working lands play in the health of our food systems, communities, and our planet.
• Our Carbon Ranch Initiative is working to build the capacity of producers, land managers, and technical service providers to implement land management practices focused on mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

Since its establishment in 1997, Quivira has prided itself on its history of working across differences at the radical center, though we have not always accomplished this and continue to strive for improvement. We have become increasingly aware of the work that we must do to ensure that individuals and communities of all backgrounds are truly included and welcomed into our work, and the ongoing legacies of racism. Quivira is taking its steps toward becoming an antiracist organization, and reevaluating what diversity, equity and inclusion means for the organization. This is difficult, often messy, ongoing work, and we are committed to working through the challenges to join the movement for racially-just regenerative agriculture. We have made mistakes, committed harm, and are committed to growth. We hope new hires and the perspectives they bring will continue to help us navigate this path. We invite candidates to ask questions about where we are in this journey, and to join us in moving the organization and the regenerative agriculture movement toward becoming more just, equitable, and inclusive.

Job description

The Education and Outreach Program director is responsible for the overall success and vision of the Education and Outreach Program. Their programmatic tasks broadly include managing and directing the Education and Outreach team; developing and overseeing its budget, fundraising, and financial management; developing the program's strategy and goals; and evaluating the program. They also will participate in organizational activities and will contribute to the work of the leadership team, which consists of all directors across the organization. They will also be responsible for periodic presentations and collaborations with the nonprofit’s board related to the work of the program. 

The Education and Outreach Program director must be able to lead a collaborative team remotely; is self-directed, organized, and computer literate; and has a flexible schedule that accommodates workshops, events, and conferences occurring beyond normal business hours. This person will have program management, event management, people management, fundraising, and administrative experience. Working closely with the Education and Outreach team, the director is responsible for ensuring that all necessary tasks required to effectively run, manage, and evolve the program are completed and that program goals and deliverables are met. Alongside external partners, the director will help to set programmatic goals and strategic plans for COCEWL and NMCEWL, and oversee its implementation. The position also requires travel to conferences, presentations, and other work events.  Currently, about 90 percent or more of this position is computer-based, and 10 percent or less is spent traveling to workshops, field visits, or the conference, meeting with partners or funders, or presenting about our program. These percentages could shift depending on the new director’s work style and the direction they take this program.

More specifically, this position will oversee activities pertaining to: the New Mexico and Colorado Coalitions to Enhance Working Lands (NMCEWL and COCEWL); the REGENERATE Conference; producer-driven education, networking and outreach; and collaborating with other programs in their educational endeavors. Some of these projects focus on developing a community of practice among ranchers and farmers, while others, like NMCEWL and COCEWL, focus on developing a community of practice among organizations and agencies that support agriculture and land stewardship.

We are looking for someone to take Quivira’s Education and Outreach Program into its next evolution. This person would be someone who has a vision for the ways that equitable, producer-driven education, and collaboration can facilitate better land stewardship and the capacity to bring this vision to fruition. This person has worked with ranchers and farmers and understands how to design and implement experiential education programming that reflects the needs and desires of diverse agricultural producers. They will also build community among other stakeholders, such as conservation districts or public land managers invested in land stewardship. This person has a love of convening people and hosting events that are inclusive, supportive, and inspire learning and connection. Finally, they have a vision for the ways in which working together on regenerative land stewardship can heal people and the planet.  

Required qualifications

• Experience with managing staff and budgets, particularly in a nonprofit environment
• Experience with information management for reporting, particularly for federal grants
• Experience writing grants and engaging in other types of fundraising
• Experience developing and managing team structures and culture
• Experience in embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplace settings, including identifying how to resource this work in an ongoing way
• Professional written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in meeting facilitation and large event planning
• Experience supporting experiential education and providing technical assistance for a diverse range of learners
• Knowledge of the relationship between land stewardship and resilience to climate change
• Strong skills related to managing and working with diverse groups of people and cross-cultural communication
• An understanding of how conservation and agriculture have historically and currently impacted Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color
• Must be able to travel to remote locations where camping may be required for multiple days/nights at a time and drive long distances (up to 8 hours in a day)
• Flexible schedule to accommodate weekend, evening, and remote work
• Must live in New Mexico or Southern Colorado
• Must have a valid driver’s license to fulfill job duties
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs. and work long hours bending and walking outdoors

Desired qualifications

• Experience working with or within government agencies
• Experience with soil carbon-related practices related to regenerative agriculture
• Existing relationships or involvement in the agricultural community in the Southwest
• Experience working directly with ranchers/farmers or working on a ranch or farm
• Experience working in and communicating about agriculture, natural resource management, or both
• Experience in building culture and systems to develop staff capacity to engage in discomfort in transformative change
• Experience writing, presenting, or developing other public-facing communications related to regenerative agriculture and land stewardship
• Experience with G Suite (gmail, drive, calendar, etc.)
• Experience with project management software (e.g. Asana)
• Multi-lingual in Spanish or Native languages

See full job description on our website.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, 50k-75k

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline