Company description
Our Vision
SFS envisions a world where each of us is a responsible steward of the environment and where society is grounded in the understanding that all life, including humankind, is deeply intertwined. We envision a world where all people have access to clean air, clean water, nutritious food, and the other essential services of a healthy ecosystem – now and for all future generations to come.
Young people are the future. We believe that in order to achieve our vision and solve our world’s biggest challenges, we must train and educate the next generation of leaders to think critically, act compassionately, and work collaboratively – our diversity is our strength. Climate change and other social and environmental threats are daunting, but we will be ready.
Our Mission
SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research. Our educational programs explore the social and ecological dimensions of the complex environmental problems faced by our local partners, contributing to sustainable solutions in the places where we live and work. The SFS community is part of a growing network of individuals and institutions committed to environmental stewardship.
Job description
Position Summary:
The SFS Center for Sustainable Food Systems, located in Greve, Italy seeks an enthusiastic, team-oriented individual to serve as part of a team of faculty and staff that delivers an interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experience to students spending a semester in Italy. On a full-time contract basis, the Lecturer in Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture will deliver the 50-hour Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture course during the fall and spring semesters. Additionally, during fall and spring, they will co-teach the 50-hour Directed Research course with other faculty members, leading a faculty-developed directed research project with a small group of students.
This position will engage students in a classroom setting, but also through extensive time spent in the field. We encourage faculty to integrate as much fieldwork and hands-on experience into their courses as possible. Faculty are also integral members of the Center’s communal living model, eating and working with the student cohort. SFS programs require flexibility in working hours to accommodate different aspects of the academic program
Additional responsibilities outside of teaching may include giving a cookery class to the students as part of the culture program, joining group lunches and weekly dinners and helping with the cooking during self-catered field trips, participation in community engagement days, involvement in student life, organization of laboratory space, and general Center upkeep. We are especially interested in candidates with experience teaching to a diverse student body, and demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in a learning environment, conservation, and the Center’s host community.
Center Focus:
Our research at the SFS Center for Sustainable Food Systems analyzes the integration of environmental, sociocultural, and economic dimensions of food systems to achieve sustainability in different agroecological contexts. Conservation of wild ecosystems and/or agrobiodiversity is addressed in all research projects, which follow an interdisciplinary approach incorporating both natural and social sciences. Field research is carried out on vegetable and cereal cultivation, sheep, goat, and cattle rearing, artisanal fisheries in Sicily, vineyards and olive groves, and in multi-use agroforestry operations, conservation activities with National and Regional parks At the end of the semester program, students will present their research findings and experience to the local community, government, and key stakeholders from the program.
SFS Position on Diversity and Inclusion:
SFS was founded with the belief that stewardship of our planet is the responsibility of people all around the world. Addressing complex global issues requires the active inclusion of stakeholders with varying perspectives and identities. We recognize that to successfully address threats to our natural world, we must look beyond social constructs designed to divide us. Just as we value biodiversity in all its forms, we value and engage with a multitude of diverse perspectives and people in the countries where we work and the students and staff we serve.
Applicants are encouraged to review the full course syllabi and programs descriptions on the SFS website: fieldstudies.org/italy
Please visit the SFS Careers Page for more details and to apply: Lecturer in Systems Thinking for the Future of Agriculture
Compensation
this position is: salaried, $35,568* - $50,000
Application instructions
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Deadline
October 19, 2026