Location: Ideally a remote office in Manitoba. We will consider applicants from other provinces if they have significant Manitoba agricultural knowledge and/or experience. Please indicate where you live on your application.
Deadline for Applications: Aug 15, 2024. This position will begin once we find the right candidate.
Are you a detail-oriented spreadsheet whiz who thinks in numbers, and dreams in pastures? Do you love connecting people to each other for learning and growth? If so, you might just be our next BMN Coordinator!
JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
We are seeking an experienced project manager capable of taking a leadership role to support farm viability for new and young farmers in Manitoba. The primary focus of this position is to coordinate Business Mentorships. These Mentorships are focused on pairing up new farms in business with farmer business mentors. This role will include program administration, mentor and mentee recruitment, matchmaking, on-going support and online workshop facilitation.
For more information on the BMN, please visit:
https://youngagrarians.org/business-mentorship-network/
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 grows relationships towards Truth & Reconciliation. 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 in B.C. and has since has grown into a dynamic educational network and set of programs and projects that target the educational needs of new and young farmers. YA’s Grow-a-Farmer Strategy works to deliver the following programs:
- National: aggregate resources and opportunities online;
- National: coordinate educational and networking events on and off farm year-round, as well as e-learning;
- Western Canada: on-farm apprenticeship training program (YAAP) in regenerative agriculture;
- BC: land access programming and supports (BCLMP); and
- Western Canada: business mentorships (BMN).
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 on-farm training, 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, emotional intelligence and leadership, and working together to support farmers to overcome barriers and challenges.
COMPENSATION & HOURS
- Work hours:
- October to March: 32-35hrs/week
- April to September: 20hrs/month
- Hourly wage: $35 / hour
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- On-board into the YA workflow ecosystem and adapt to an existing program work plan.
- Provide excellent workplace documentation methodically from the workplan to the CRM (Salesforce).
- Coordinate program development activities including: application intake, ongoing scheduling, outreach and administration.
- Work with partnering organizations for program outreach and activities.
- Recruit, screen and orient new farmer business mentors and mentees.
- Match up new farms in the program with an appropriate farmer business mentor and support with ongoing communications.
- Support the mentorship process with tools and resources to advance the capacity of both the mentor and mentee(s) as they develop their mentorship objectives.
- Provide ongoing facilitation support to enable mentors and mentees to meet learning objectives, and problem solve as needed.
- Outreach using existing channels to promote and advertise the program.
- Engage and utilize the youngagrarians.org wordpress blog to share program content and business resources and opportunities.
- Maintain the YA Business page resources and add resources to the YA UMAP.
- Support project reporting through evaluation and impact assessment tools.
- Review business plans for farmers to assess ‘enterprise readiness’ as capacity allows.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Farm Literate: minimum 3-5 years of experience in diversified sustainable / ecological / organic agriculture.
- Business Savvy: solid understanding of business and production planning processes for agriculture.
- Experience working with organizations (for profit or non-profit) to deliver and manage projects / programs.
- Excellent administration and documentation skills.
- Facilitation and coaching skills.
- Joy and ease in communication, outreach and stakeholder engagement.
- Ability to meet people where they are at developmentally, and support their unique learning journeys.
- High personal motivation, timeline and self-management, as well as attention to detail.
- Ability to take responsibility to meet deadlines and make progress without direct day-to-day supervision.
- Working proficiency and ability to adapt to and learn how to use online platforms: Google Drive, Hangout, Calendar, Gmail, WordPress, Mailchimp, Zoom, Salesforce, and social media channels.
- Must have a home office including a computer, high-speed Internet, and a stable phone connection.
TO APPLY
Please send a PDF cover letter and resume as one document to om@youngagrarians.org, with the following file name: FIRSTNAME LASTNAME – MB BMN COORDINATOR.pdf
Please answer the following questions either within a cover letter, or in a short 3-5 minute video. If by video, please include a hyperlink in the body of your job application email.
- What is motivating you to apply?
- What business skills do you bring to this position?
- What do you think makes for good mentorship to support new farmers to weather today’s challenges starting new farms?
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