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 Program Manager will supervise the Specialist.

This position entails remote-based work with regular in-person obligations, including participation in field-based events, involvement in speaking engagements, and attendance at 2-3 annual in-person staff retreats. All team members are required to attend our yearly Sustainable Agriculture Conference held each February in Lancaster, PA. Residence within Pennsylvania or within a 150-mile radius of Harrisburg is required unless special permission is granted for Philadelphia or Pittsburgh to serve as the primary work location, in which case employees must reside within a one-hour drive from either city. Convenient access to the Harrisburg office for day trips is highly preferred. Any inquiries regarding these requirements are welcome, and adherence to Pasa’s remote employee policies is required for all staff members.

Responsibilities

• With the Project Manager for Farmer Outreach, develop, implement, and report on Pasa’s FSA Cooperative Agreement.
• 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.
• Build and maintain local partnerships with urban growers and organizations in the Philadelphia service area.
• 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’s Urban Agriculture Technical Assistance staff 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 the position’s 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
• 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 with an annual salary of $55,000. We are hiring two candidates for this position.

Please read our employee values statement, summary of employee benefits, and employment policy overview before submitting your application.

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).

Initial interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom beginning June 12th. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1st.

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.