Agriculture Sustainability Project Manager- Washington DC

Organization: Environmental Defense Fund

Position Title: Agriculture Sustainability Project Manager

Location: Washington DC

Hours and Compensation: Full Time

Application Deadline: 

Organization Overview

With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, uncommon partnerships and market-based approaches. You can be part of a vibrant workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives, talents and contributions, where innovation and a focus on results are a way of life.

EDF’s Land Water and Wildlife Program (LWW): When it comes to natural resources in this country, we don’t have a scarcity problem. We have an inefficiency problem. Current policies and market failures encourage waste and fail to reward environmental innovation. The result: scarcity and conflict. EDF is uniquely equipped to help fix this problem by accelerating the development of systems that make conservation and efficient land and water management profitable. We believe that such will be critical to helping the nation meet one of its greatest challenges: how to support a growing population without continuing to overspend our precious natural capital.

Description

EDF seeks a talented, outgoing, and self-motivated Ag Sustainability Project Manager to play a significant role in the development and execution of EDF’s work to leverage the supply chain to drive conservation agricultural management at the scale needed to meet pressing environmental goals while meeting growing food demands. The focus of this job will be to evaluate potential partnerships with key agricultural players, especially within the supply chain, prioritize opportunities to reduce water quality impacts, generate climate benefits, and generate additional sustainability benefits through these partnerships, help develop and strengthen relevant relationships, and drive development and implementation of partnership work plans. The Project Manager will reach out to and engage partners in the agricultural supply chain, foster improved and stronger collaboration with key priority partners, and support LWW efforts to leverage corporate partnerships and the agricultural supply chain to advance EDF’s strategy to improve the sustainability of U.S. commodity agricultural production. The position offers the opportunity to build the scope and effectiveness of a multidisciplinary and multi-NGO team working to accelerate the Working Lands program’s strategic vision for improving water quality.

Responsibilities

The Project Manager will work closely with the Director of Agricultural Sustainability and the Working Lands/Corporate Partnership Program (CPP) supply chain team to develop and implement projects; develop strategic relationships and collaborations within the agricultural supply chain community; and support LWW work on supply chain sustainability. More specifically, the Project Manager will:

• Support LWW-CPP partnership project(s)
• Be part of new Working Lands supply chain sustainability team to help LWW play an effective role advancing our strategies through the development of partnerships with relevant ag supply chain entities Help in identification and development of economic drivers for our water quality work, including economic drivers for strategic filters (economic analysis, case development, interaction with partners).
• Become sufficiently knowledgeable about the scope and breadth of the program’s activities to participate effectively in science team, policy team, and communications team discussions.

Qualifications

We are seeking an individual with direct experience in the agricultural and environmental sectors with a relevant graduate-level education and/or experience. In addition, the general qualifications for this position are:

• Masters degree or higher in economics, farm management, or environmental studies, or equivalent work experience;
• Experience working on agricultural conservation issues, in particular experience working with farmers and members of the agricultural community;
• Three years experience in project management, exceptional personal organization and attention to detail;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues and partners of varied backgrounds and experience;
• Strong analytical skills and experience in performing rigorous analysis in support of highly visible work;
• Sense of humor and strong interpersonal skills;
• Ability to adapt quickly to new situations and changing demands;
• An ability to work both independently and as a member of small teams in a fast-paced, dynamic and creative environment.

Note: Regular travel between project locations and Washington, D.C. required.

How to Apply

APPLY HERE

Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, EDF is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate. Environmental Defense Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer