Climate Smart Commodities Program Manager
https://www.governmentjobs.
Salary
$68,732.00 - $148,260.00 Annually
Prince George’s County is the perfect family-friendly community. Encompassing almost 500 square miles and with over 900,000 residents, Prince George's County has an urban atmosphere that still manages to provide a scenic and peaceful place to live, work, and play.
We are Prince George’s Proud!
This is a professional senior-level environmental planning position in the Sustainability Division with administrative, technical, and supervisory responsibilities. This position is responsible for supporting the Prince George’s County Climate-Smart Local Producers Pilot Program as funded by the USDA Smart Commodities Program.
About the Position:
This position is dedicated to managing the Prince George’s County Climate-Smart Local Producer Pilot Program as funded through the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities. This position will directly support working partnerships between the University of Maryland-Extension, Prince George’s County Soil Conservation District, Bowie State University, and the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council which are the partners for the grant.
The overarching objective of the program will be to support the production and marketing of climate-smart commodities by providing voluntary incentives to producers and landowners, including early adopters, to implement climate-smart agricultural production practices, activities, and systems on working lands; measure/quantify, monitor and verify the carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits associated with those practices; and develop markets and promote the resulting climate-smart commodities.
The successful candidate will lead a collaborative partnership team pilot, evaluate, and build a Climate-Smart Local Producers Program to address marketing products grown using a variety of climate-centric practices. It will focus on breaking down barriers to implementing such practices on existing and new farms. Emphasis will be placed on encouraging the entry of historically underserved producers into the marketplace. This includes beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, veteran farmers, limited resource farmers, women farmers, urban farmers, and producers growing specialty crops. The project is structured around proving three hypotheses:
1. Climate-smart agriculture practices reduce local greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Local consumers will pay more for products produced in Prince George’s County, utilizing Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) practices
3. Climate-smart agriculture practices can reduce barriers for underserved populations, particularly Black, Latinx, and Immigrant farmers.
The County will utilize this program as the foundation to scale up and institutionalize pilot successes upon completion of the initial five-year USDA-funded project period. This program will also directly support climate adaptation measures specifically related to natural resource protection, healthy food systems, and other adaptation actions. Management duties will include supporting all aspects of grant management and overall project management duties.
The position requires a degree in agriculture, natural resource management, agronomy, horticulture, farm production, and/ or equivalent land-based science degree with work experience considered as transferable skills to support integrating complex ecological issues with engineering and planning principles related to climate-smart farming. The position requires practicable experience or a working knowledge of measuring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) greenhouse gases applicable to agriculture production or related industries.
The project manager will also promote public awareness that agricultural activity and food production have a direct impact on land, air, and water resources. This work requires knowledge of complex ecological principles, practices of environmental sciences and planning, watershed management, and water quality as related to watershed protection, and restoration. The incumbent must be able to express ideas both orally and in writing and to communicate with the public appropriately and effectively.
Multitasking, organizational skills, and commitment to collaboration with multiple stakeholders will be critical. Specific work experience supporting urban farmers, start-up farms, and underserved farmers is preferred. Knowledge of CSAF and a passion to champion innovative practices leading to reduced GHG emissions related to agriculture production are essential.
Responsibilities may include supervising and training lower-level professional, technical, and planning personnel under the general supervision of higher-level management personnel. This position will require on-site field visits during all seasons and in-person meetings both with farmers and grant partners. Work assignments may require active participation in measuring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) activities.
