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 (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access). Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agriculture’s most pressing needs and opportunities.
Description of the focus area you will work in:
Agriculture is a rewarding, yet risky business. In this nation’s short history, farmers and ranchers have experienced booms and busts, revolutions and crises, periods of high and low prices. Farming and ranching families ride the ups and downs, for the love of work, the land, the animals, and their community. It is a hard life, but they enjoy it and all to the benefit of we the people. But, they do it for more than just love – they also need to make a living, and achieve a quality of life worthy of their commitment and work.
AFT’s mission – to save the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, helping to implement environmentally sound practices and keeping farmers on the land – has never been more urgent or relevant. You will join a team who drive forward efforts to support the ability of farmers and ranchers to earn a living from the land and achieve their business, personal, and family goals in agriculture. You will work together with other experts from across AFT to advance
with a strong focus on Farmers Powering Communities.
The Department of Energy estimates we need more than 10 million acres to scale up solar energy by 2050, and AFT projects over 80 percent could be sited on agricultural lands. This growth will create incredible opportunities, but it also threatens farm and ranch land, and the conflict between using land to grow food and using it to produce energy is already generating public backlash against renewable energy deployment overall. America needs both—renewable energy and productive, resilient farms and ranches. Smart Solar? can be the solution. Smart Solar refers to solar projects that meet three main, equally important goals: (1) accelerating solar energy development, (2) strengthening farm viability, and (3) safeguarding land well-suited for farming and ranching. Combining agriculture and solar on the same piece of land is a powerful component of Smart Solar if agrivoltaics can be shown to work for farmers, the solar industry, and communities.
To this end, AFT has partnered with several leading developers on a groundbreaking partnership, Farmers Powering Communities (FPC). FPC seeks to model Smart Solar development done right, identifying farmers, ranchers, and other landowners who are interested in solar development, but wish to do so in a way that allows them to continue farming, and protects the land. AFT will then work with it’s development partners to develop Smart Solar projects that demonstrate best in class solar siting and agrivoltaics.
The purpose of the job you will be doing:
The purpose of the Sr. Smart Solar Specialist, Origination (Sr. Specialist) is to identify interested landowners, build relationships with them and bring them into the FPC partnership. Additionally, as a foundational hire within our Farm Viability team, the Sr. Specialist will help AFT as a whole increase its understanding and influence within the solar development space, and the role that solar development done right can have on farm viability.
A summary of the position:
The Sr. Specialist is an integral part of the AFT’s Programs team, reports to the National Managing Director for Farm Viability and works most closely with the Smart Solar team, communications staff, and relevant regional program teams. The Sr. Specialist will develop, lead and support work that builds and drives a pipeline of farmers, ranchers, and other landowners interested in renewable energy development.
Duties and responsibilities of the position:
Lead AFT’s outreach and engagement with farmers, ranchers and other landowners focused on identifying interested parties for referral to AFT’s development partners.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with farmers, ranchers and other landowners throughout the origination process, even after primary handoff to AFT’s developer partners.
Monitor projects and relationships throughout relevant permitting processes.
Keep AFT regional and relevant national staff appraised of origination efforts.
Be a spokesperson for AFT to farmers, ranchers, and other landowners, delivering content relative to AFT’s SS Principles.
Work with Farmers Powering Communities partners to understand priority states for the partnership and existing origination efforts.
Working closely with AFT’s national and regional communications staff to generate compelling content in a variety of forms (fact sheets, blogs, articles, speeches, videos, etc.) that build the interest of farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in AFT’s SS Principles and FPC.
Maintain a high level of familiarity with agrivoltaics and solar development generally.
Maintain a high level of familiarity with existing examples of solar development projects that align with AFT’s SS Principles.
Requirements
General qualifications for the position:
Must be an ambitious self-starter who can take a set of goals or objectives and run with it, developing a plan to complete the work, check in at appropriate intervals, and deliver a high-quality work product at the end.
Must be a strong team player who can lead in their focus area, but also act together within a close-knit team to advance the aggregate work.
Must have strong written and verbal communication skills.
Must be able to articulate complex and sometimes controversial ideas with nuance, accuracy, and clarity.
Must be able to work in an environment with both long-term and short-term objectives, be able to handle multiple tasks with sometimes shifting deadlines, meet tight deadlines and work without significant supervision once tasks are defined.
Must have a demonstrated track record in initiating outbound customer interactions with a focus on generating leads and fostering client relationships.
Must be able to work with a diverse mix of farmers, ranchers, and landowners in a sales environment.
Education & Experience necessary for the position:
10+ years of related work experience in building territories, client acquisition, or sales, however more limited (5+ years) but focused experience in these areas that is directly engaged with farmers and ranchers, or in solar energy development or a combination thereof may be substituted.
While an advanced degree in a related field, or with a related concentration such as renewable energy, environmental science, policy, communications, or agriculture is preferred, consideration will be given to candidates who instead, or additionally, have lived experience that is highly aligned with the job purpose and duties and qualifications stated above.
Working conditions for the position
This job operates in a teleworking environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones. Work in the evenings or on weekends will be required to meet with outreach and education target audiences and meet deadlines. Because of this, there is the ability to flex work hours where required to meet program objectives.
Anticipated travel for the position:
Overnight travel may be required (8-15 times/year) to engage with desired audiences and overall travel may be as high as 20% of the employees time.
Salary range for the position:
$80,000-$90,000 per year, depending on qualifications.
