Job Opportunity: Alberta New Farmer Engagement Coordinator

Young Agrarians is partnering with Organic Alberta to hire a New Farmer Engagement Coordinator for Alberta. Do you thrive working with people from diverse walks of life? Are you a creative communicator and talented storyteller? If you’re passionate about local food systems, love working to bring out the best in others and are a savvy online marketer then we would love to hear from you. 

Region & Scope: Alberta, Part-Time Contract Position

Deadline for Applications: 12pm Monday, Feb 8, 2021. This position will start when we find the right candidate. 

Young Agrarians (est. 2012) is an educational resource network whose mission is to grow the next generation of ecological farmers in Canada. In Alberta, Young Agrarians partners with Organic Alberta to meet this mission and provide provincially relevant support for new farmers in start-up. We host events, connect people to resources online, and offer the YA Apprenticeship program in regenerative agriculture. To read more about our activities please visit: https://youngagrarians.org/category/national/alberta/ 

Young Agrarians embraces diversity, and we are excited about building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.  This role will require an individual with excellent communication, teamwork skills, and an understanding of online marketing and storytelling. The New Farmer Engagement Coordinator will use their creativity to promote career opportunities in farming and land stewardship and will connect people to training programs in the province. 

Key responsibilities: 

• Career awareness campaign
  • Connect with diverse individuals and organizations in Alberta to identify and engage potential farmers and land managers
  • Create engaging content for the Young Agrarians social media channels and blog 
  • Work with other organizations and initiatives to cross-promote and build outreach and engagement partnerships
  • Work with a video production company to produce short videos that promote farming as a career

• Market existing training programs 
  • Support the Young Agrarians Alberta team in promoting programs, events, stories and resources. 
  • Connect with other organizations and  promote their training programs through the Young Agrarians network and beyond. 

Qualifications – essential skills

• Home office, computer, Internet connection, and cellphone.
• Strong relationship building skills to engage people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. 
• Outreach skills to develop new contacts with other organizations and initiatives. 
• A high level of self-motivation as part of a remote team. 
• A love for the creative process and storytelling, while maintaining brand standards. 
• Ability to communicate both in writing and verbally to create engagement, motivation and action. 
• Fluency working with computers and ability to learn new software programs as required. Software applications include: Google Drive, Facebook, Instagram, Mailchimp, WordPress, Canva, GoogleAds, etc.

Qualifications – assets

• Experience representing a non-profit organization and passion for realizing the mission! 
• Familiarity with the food and farming community in Alberta. 
• Graphic design or illustration experience. 

Position Details

• 22 hours per week at $25/hour. 
• Duration: 12 – 18 months
• This is an independent contractor position. The successful candidate will be responsible for all taxes payable including GST, WCB, and Income Taxes. 

To Apply

Please send a resume and cover letter to Dana Penrice to: alberta@youngagrarians.org with “New Farmer Engagement Coordinator” and your full name in the email subject line. Please create one PDF document that includes a one-page cover letter describing why you would be a good fit for this position, and your resume. Please save the file with your first and last name as the file name.

Interviews will be conducted as resumes come in. 

Due to a high volume of emails and inquiries, please do not phone. Thank you to all applicants for your time submitting your information.

Young Agrarians recognizes the unresolved Indigenous land title and rights in the diverse territories in what is today called Canada. As we live and work in the context of and in response to a colonial system of laws and policies, it is important to acknowledge the historical and ongoing impact of agriculture and land enclosure on Indigenous lands and food systems. In this context, we acknowledge our collective responsibility to position Indigenous Peoples and their experiences with colonization in mind, working towards a narrative of reconciliation that places ecology, land stewardship, and Indigenous land title and rights at the forefront – if we are to sustain the Earth’s ecosystems in today’s rapidly changing climate.

Our deepest hope is that the future of our food systems is diverse, interconnected, and resilient, embraces people of all walks of life and sustains the water, plants, and creatures in ways that benefit and work alongside Indigenous Peoples and narratives and ways of knowing and caring for the land.

This farm, like many others, is surrounded by agricultural cultivated land, uncultivated land, Indigenous people and voices from non-settler walks of life. We encourage everyone to build relationship with the land and community that surrounds the place where you will be learning.