Deputy Director of Climate - Washington, United States - American Farmland Trust

American Farmland Trust

Verified Company

Washington, United States

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Mark Lane

beBee recruiter

Description

Who We Are

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work.

Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access).

Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agriculture's most pressing needs and opportunities.

The Position

Position summary

As an integral part of the Climate and Soil Health division, the Deputy Director oversees internal operations related to diversified program planning, communications, financial spenddown, staff development and, to a limited extent, Director support in fostering external partner relationships.

The Deputy will take an active role in defining the division's programmatic growth strategy and annual work plans to ensure the successful achievement of committed award outcomes and budget targets.

This effort will require the engagement of cross-functional staff to evaluate the impact of new funding on existing project timelines, staff capacity and/or other required parameters.

Duties and Responsibilities
Staff Support

Hire (if/as needed), mentor, and manage a team of diverse Climate and Soil Health staff while fostering a highperformance and equitable culture
Manage daily staff activities related to communications, project/program management and professional development efforts.
Lead weekly Climate and Soil Health staff meeting to discuss management approaches, upcoming deadlines, key capacity constraints and/or shared initiatives, colead programmatic, technical, and strategic discussions with Director.
Support Climate and Soil Health staff with collection of relevant project metrics and updates/summaries for Executive Bullet, Board Book and/or other reporting purposes upon request.
Support Director and division staff and assigned Project Manager(s) with management of division led projects, subawards, and/or program components to ensure successful execution of committed work on time, within scope and budget.
Support Director in defining priorities for Scientist(s) or other technical experts as needed.
Help Director foster synergy across AFT's National Initiatives and Regional Programs to leverage diversified insight, education and skillsets of cross functional staff.

Programmatic & Financial Management

Partner with Director on development of annual division work plan that establishes fiscal year deadlines, staff hour allocations, other expenditures, and committed outcomes in accordance with award agreements.
Oversee division development of annual budget that establishes fiscal year revenue projections, operating expenses, and associated labor costs in accordance with award agreements.
Collaborate with Director and partners to execute and monitor subawards on projects.
Participate in quarterly work plan and financial reviews to establish overall program status, deviations from budget, foreseeable delays and management actions required.
Monitor division level budget on a monthly basis in partnership with the Project Management Team (PMT) and Finance to track YTD spenddown, revenue recognition, identify coding discrepancies, and escalate >8% budget deviations to VP of Programs for National Initiatives with plans for correction, and to Finance during quarterly financial reviews.
Support Project Manager(s) in validating data for interval reports to state/federal agencies, foundations, and other funding partners, and support Director and staff in progress reporting, in accordance with Accounting and Development led processes.
Advocate across AFT Departments for dedicated crossfunctional staff support and commitment to division led projects.

Strategic Growth Planning

Serve as thought leader alongside Director to define current and future programmatic areas (i.e. scaling up diverse producer adoption of soil health practices, biochar integration, climate mitigation and resilience, etc.) to evolve the Climate & Soil Health division.
Identify opportunities to develop new partnerships in areas that elevate AFT's mission to expand education and outreach to underserved communities with a specific focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ).
Support Director in the development of compelling proposals to secure multiyear funding opportunities for priority programmatic areas.
Support Director in stewardship of current and prospective funders, including individual, foundational, corporate, and government agencies.
Work with National Communications staff to actively communicate about the Climate and Soil Health initiative, including