The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is seeking an experienced, strategic and collaborative policy leader to support our policy team and grassroots coalition in creating a major impact on federal farm and food policy. The successful candidate will be deeply committed to serving the sustainable agriculture movement and its federal policy work, experienced in direct advocacy strategies and campaign logistics, skilled in project management and coordination, and have demonstrated experience centering equity and justice in their work. The deadline to apply for this role is April 11th, 2022.

The Organization

NSAC is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities. For over 30 years, NSAC’s stellar track record of policy accomplishments has been guided by a vision of agriculture where a safe, nutritious, ample, and affordable food supply is produced by a legion of family farmers who make a decent living pursuing their trade, while protecting the environment, and contributing to the strength and stability of their communities. Racial justice – an understanding and acknowledgment of historical and ongoing racial inequities and a commitment to actions challenging those inequities – is a core NSAC tenet we seek to embed in our structure, analysis, policy development, and advocacy.

Position Summary

The Senior Policy Team Coordinator supports NSAC’s policy work through coordination of policy staff activities, direct and grassroots campaign planning, managing cross-portfolio projects, coordinating policy materials development, and assisting the Policy Director as needed.

This is a full-time, exempt position that offers benefits as outlined in the employee handbook and reports to NSAC’s Policy Director. All staff are currently remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic; we strongly prefer that candidates be able to work at least partially from our Capitol Hill office at 110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Suite 209, Washington, DC when public health and safety guidelines allow for full office reopening.

Key Responsibilities

Campaign Coordination and Policy Advocacy – 40%

• Facilitate policy campaign planning, development, and implementation – including developing shared direct advocacy or campaign coordination tools
• Assist in aligning cross-team campaign materials, messaging, and talking points
• Coordinate with the grassroots team to ensure consistency in strategy between direct and grassroots advocacy, including farmer advocacy lobby days
• In partnership with other staff, support team engagement in effective coalitions with other national and regional organizations, including strengthening relationships with organizations that serve primarily people and communities of color
• Manage emerging policy issues that span established team portfolios (e.g. COVID-19 response, budget reconciliation) or temporary issue coverage needs, including issue analysis, strategy development, and coordinated advocacy efforts

Policy Team Coordination – 30%

• Support the Policy Director in cross-team policy advocacy strategy development and implementation
• Support the development and monitoring of annual and quarterly policy team work plans, including anticipated deliverables, timelines, and metrics
• Assist in hiring, training, and onboarding policy staff

Cross-Organization Support – 30%

• Apply an equity lens to all work and strive to advance racial equity both within the coalition’s internal processes and through its external campaigns and policy goals
• Assist with organizational fundraising, including helping track policy-related deliverables
• Support the policy team and full organization in long-term strategy development and planning efforts
• Represent NSAC at relevant agency and coalition meetings, as well as Congressional hearings and briefings; attend and present at farmer conferences, webinars, and roundtables as needed

This role is suitable for someone with several years of policy advocacy and team-based project management experience, particularly in food and agriculture, with the opportunity for growth and development in other areas. We strongly encourage interested candidates to apply if they meet at least 75% of the qualifications. We also strongly encourage applications from people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, LGBTQ people, or those who are members of other marginalized communities.

• A strong understanding of and passion for sustainable food and agriculture policy, including but not limited to key farm bill programs (for example: agricultural credit programs, working lands conservation programs, and competitive grant programs).
• Significant knowledge of the federal policy-making process and key policy development skills to shape it (for example: policy evaluation, legislative language development and redlining, advocacy strategy, and budget and appropriations analysis).
• 8+ years of policy experience, including experience advocating on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies and/or experience working in a nonprofit organization, Congressional office, or federal agency.
• Demonstrated understanding of how racial equity intersects with agriculture and food systems and an ability to apply an equity lens to policy decisions.
• Strong skills in both strategy / vision development and project management, including building and managing coordination systems across a team for accountability.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills and demonstrated ability to work on legislative timelines.
• Exceptional initiative and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and collaboratively, listen well, build trust, and model healthy conflict resolution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking skills and ability to translate complex federal regulations and policies for a lay audience.
• Enthusiasm for and experience in cultivating lasting relationships and accountable partnerships with a diverse body of stakeholders and decision makers.
• Ability to work effectively with, value differences of, and incorporate the experiences and policy impacts on, diverse groups of individuals, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic circumstances.
• Self-motivated, organized, and able to stay on task when managing multiple projects.
• Willing to travel domestically several times a year (no travel required while operating under COVID-19 safety precautions).

Additional Experience That Will Help a Candidate Excel

• Experience with large, multi-organization grassroots coalitions or networks with diverse membership.
• Experience and training as a facilitator to develop consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Cross-cultural communication skills, including but not limited to fluency in a language other than English
• Background with grassroots advocacy campaigns (e.g. field organizing, lobby days, etc).

Salary and Benefits

NSAC offers a competitive non-profit salary, dependent on qualifications and experience, of $80-95,000+.

This position offers excellent benefits (as per the employee handbook), including generous vacation and other time-off policy, health, dental, and long-term disability insurance, contributions after two years in a retirement plan, and financial support for professional and personal development.