Company description

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to farmers and beekeepers who produce food for their local communities without the use of synthetic chemicals or GMOs. More than 600 farmers and beekeepers throughout North America participate. Farmers appreciate Certified Naturally Grown as a way to verify their ecological farming practices and demonstrate their commitment to the highest ideals of the organic movement. CNG is a private non-profit organization that is not affiliated with the USDA Organic Program. Our approach goes beyond enforcing regulations by encouraging knowledge exchange and supporting farmers to adopt best practices with scale-appropriate methods.

CNG's approach to certification - a participatory guarantee system, or PGS - is recognized by IFOAM - Organics International as an important way to include small-scale producers in the organic movement and to help them succeed.

We value diversity within our farming operations as well as in the CNG staff and our community of farmers, so we strongly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within North American agriculture. Certified Naturally Grown is an equal opportunity employer and hires without regard to race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation or physical disability.

Job description

The Programs Coordinator will support the development and administration of CNG’s educational and networking initiatives. They will regularly interact with other CNG staff members and farmers in carrying out their work. The core responsibilities of this position are seasonal, with greater hours during the late fall, winter and early spring months. Additional projects may be identified for the summer months to maintain a baseline number of hours, depending on the candidate’s interests and skills. Candidates must be detail oriented and have strong communication skills. Ideal candidates will also have a background in farming, and an aptitude for facilitating group discussions online. 

 

CNG staff work remotely and collaborate via video, email and phone, therefore candidates must be self-motivated, comfortable working independently and adept at using these tools for communication. Work is to be done primarily during regular business hours, though there is considerable flexibility. This is a part-time position of 20-25 hours per week.

Candidates have the option to apply for another part time position as a Certification Specialist, and will indicate their interest when completing the application.
 

Position Responsibilities 

• Oversee delivery of educational offerings for farmers, including registration, email promotion in coordination with partner organizations, and creation of homeroom resource documents for each class
• Coordinate development and delivery of a consumer-facing newsletter
• Coordinate with regional ambassadors to conduct outreach to farmers markets and independent grocers in targeted regions, and to support them in hosting events to raise awareness of local food, including drafting and distributing press releases for local events
• Facilitate connections between local producers and independent grocers 
• Attend trade shows at select regional conferences
• Assistance with other initiatives as needed

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Familiarity with diverse farming operations and ecological production methods
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including an ability to connect and relate to people from a wide variety of backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • give consistent attention to details
  • work independently and as part of a team
  • manage a variety of projects concurrently
• Self-starter who reliably takes initiative while working effectively as part of a team
• Strong time management and organizational abilities for completing detailed administrative, outreach and communications tasks
• Strong writing and editing skills

Desirable Skills and Qualifications

• Multiple years of farming experience, including on a CNG farm
• Professional experience developing educational and/or training programs
• Creative thinker with a strategic mind and an inclination to suggest new and improved approaches to our work
• Prior experience in a grassroots organization serving farmers committed to ecological practices

Compensation is $22/hour or more, depending on experience. 

Deadline to apply: 9/18/24 at 5pm Pacific

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

Deadline

September 18, 2024