POSITION FILLED – LAND MATCHER – OKANAGAN, B.C.

Posted by Darcy Smith on December 14, 2022 1 Comment

Young Agrarians is hiring a Land Matcher for the Okanagan-Thompson region of B.C.

Location: Okanagan-Thompson. Candidates must be located within the region. Please indicate where you live on your application.

Deadline for Applications: Monday, January 30, 2023 at 5pm PST. 

Do you thrive working with people from diverse walks of life? Are you a networker and connector? If you’ve got that magic matchmaker quality – equal parts people skills, passion for local food systems, and computer-savvy project manager – we’d love to hear from you. 

The Land Matcher role requires an individual who is process-oriented, has excellent communication and project management skills, enjoys working on a computer as well as building relationships, and understands farming and agriculture.

Land Matchers connect farmers looking for land to start or grow their business with people who own farmland by assessing land opportunities, supporting farmers to become ready to access land, making matches to find the right land/farmer fit, facilitating lease agreements, and providing follow-up support as needed. 

To read more about the B.C. Land Matching Program please visit: youngagrarians.org/bc-land-matching-program. 

ABOUT YOUNG AGRARIANS

Young Agrarians (YA) is an educational resource network for new and young ecological farmers in Canada. YA recognizes the Indigenous lands and territories that we work on and alongside. YA is committed to providing programs and services that are inclusive and available to farmers and friends of diverse backgrounds. Since 2012, the YA network is volunteer-driven, with farmers across the country organizing on-farm events and building community to create spaces for knowledge sharing and growth. YA began as a seed of an idea and since has grown into a dynamic educational network and set of programs that target the educational needs of new and young farmers.

YA’s Grow-a-Farmer Strategy works to deliver the following programs:

YA works to grow the sector by supporting new entrants through farmer-to-farmer learning. The theory of change is to engage new and young farmers and the farm-curious online, bring them together to network and learn together on and off farms, support access to training opportunities and resources, and when ready to start farms, provide educational supports for land access, business readiness, and peer mentorship. The long-term goal is to grow connections to each other and the land in order to grow a resilient and climate-adapted food system for a healthy future.    

WORKPLACE CULTURE

We strive to create a workplace that reflects the diverse communities we collaborate with and serve. The organizational culture is focused on bringing your whole self and working together to support farmers to overcome barriers and challenges through educational supports and resources. 

Compensation & Hours

  • This is a full-time, year-round position, covering an 18-month maternity leave
  • Start date of late February, 2023
  • 35 hours per week at $30 / hour
  • Mileage is reimbursed at provincial rates

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Grow the inventory of land and farmers in the region through digital and grassroots outreach:
    • Publish and promote land opportunities and resources on the YA Blog
    • Support people to add their land and land seeker listings on the YA UMAP
    • Connect with diverse individuals and organizations in the area to grow program reach
    • Respond to program inquiries from landholders and farmers
  • Assist farmers looking for land: 
    • Support land seekers to identify their vision and needs
    • Increase readiness to access land and start a farm business
    • Connect to additional resources and supports
  • Assist people with farmland:
    • Visit landholders and assess properties for agriculture  
    • Support landholders to develop their vision and terms for land sharing
  • Facilitate land matches:
    • Facilitate introductions between farmland holders and people looking for land
    • Where there’s a match, facilitate negotiations and the development of a land sharing agreement with the support of a lawyer
    • Maintain participant records and information on program process
  • Support program evaluation and funder reporting:
    • Follow up with program participants with evaluation and to collect testimonials
    • Maintain program metrics
    • Support with storytelling 
  • Build the regional network:
    • Coordinate annual networking and educational activities 
    • Digital outreach and education

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

  • Live in the Okanagan region, and have the ability to travel and provide one’s own vehicle. 
  • Home office, computer, stable Internet connection, and cellphone.
  • This position has a flexible schedule, and may require some evenings and weekends.
  • Experience and / or education in farming and food systems.
  • Strong relationship-building and outreach skills to engage people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. 
  • A high level of self-motivation as part of a remote team.
  • A love for process-oriented workflow management, with attention to details and deadlines. 
  • A passion for working with people, facilitating structured conversations, neutrally supporting negotiations, and managing communication challenges as they arise. 
  • Ability to communicate both in writing and verbally to create an environment of empathy, curiosity and engaged listening. 
  • Capacity to learn about regulatory frameworks and support program participants with this information.
  • Strong leadership and decision-making capacity.
  • Fluency working with computers and ability to learn new software programs as required. Software applications include: Salesforce CRM, Google Workplace, Excel/Spreadsheets, MS Office, Facebook, Mailchimp and WordPress. 

Assets

  • Experience representing a non-profit organization and cultivating partnerships to realize the mission! 
  • Familiarity with the food and farming community in the Okanagan.
  • A degree in food systems or agriculture, or experience providing technical assistance to farmers in production and / or business planning.
  • An understanding of real estate, and / or legal agreements, and / or regulatory bodies and frameworks such as municipal, regional and provincial governments and bylaws, the ALC Act, B.C. Land Title Act, and B.C. Farm Classification.
  • Negotiation, conflict resolution, and / or mediation skills.

To apply  

Please submit applications by email (subject line Firstname Lastname – OK Land Matcher) to Darcy Smith at land@youngagrarians.org.

Please attach a PDF cover letter and resume as one document with the following file name: Firstname Lastname – OK Land Matcher.pdf.

On your application, please indicate where you are located.

Please answer the following questions in your cover letter:

  • What is motivating you to apply? 
  • What skills can you bring to this position? 
  • What is your experience and understanding of working with farmers?

Deadline to apply: Monday, January 23, 2023 at 5pm PST

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we will not be available for phone calls or lengthy email inquiries. If you have 1-2 questions, please ask by email. Thank you for your time and interest!

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUNG AGRARIANS

Website: youngagrarians.org
Facebook: facebook.com/YoungAgrarians
Instagram: @youngagrarians

View more Farm Jobs and Apprenticeships on our Job Board

The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded by the Province of British Columbia, with support from Columbia Basin Trust, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Bullitt Foundation, and the Real Estate Foundation of B.C.

One thought on “POSITION FILLED – LAND MATCHER – OKANAGAN, B.C.”

Comments are closed.