Agriculture Supply Chain Project Manager

With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, uncommon partnerships and market-based approaches. You can be part of a vibrant workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives, talents and contributions, where innovation and a focus on results are a way of life.
 
EDF’s Land Water and Wildlife Program (LWW):
When it comes to natural resources in this country, we don’t have a scarcity problem. We have an inefficiency problem. Current policies and market failures encourage waste and fail to reward environmental innovation. The result: scarcity and conflict. EDF is uniquely equipped to help fix this problem by accelerating the development of systems that make conservation and efficient land and water management profitable. We believe that such will be critical to helping the nation meet one of its greatest challenges: how to support a growing population without continuing to overspend our precious natural capital.

Overall Function
EDF seeks a talented, outgoing, and self-motivated Ag Supply Chain Project Manager to play a significant role in the development and execution of EDF’s work to leverage the supply chain to drive conservation agricultural management at the scale needed to meet pressing environmental goals while meeting growing food demands. The focus of this job will be to evaluate potential supply chain partnerships with key agricultural entities, such as commodity aggregators or agricultural retailers, and ultimately develop and implement those partnerships.  The goal of the partnerships is to support EDF’s environmental goals of reducing water quality impacts, creating climate benefits, and generating additional sustainability benefits. The Project Manager will reach out to and engage partners in the agricultural supply chain, foster improved and stronger collaboration with grain aggregators, ag retailers, and other key priority partners.  These partnerships will support EDF’s efforts to leverage corporate partnerships and the U.S. agricultural supply chain to advance EDF’s strategy to improve the sustainability of U.S. commodity agricultural production. The position offers the opportunity to build the scope and effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team working to accelerate LWW’s strategic vision for improving environmental resilience and agricultural sustainability.

Key Responsibilities
The Project Manager will work closely with the Director of Agricultural Sustainability and the supply chain team to develop and implement projects; develop strategic relationships and collaborations within the agricultural supply chain community; and support EDF work on supply chain sustainability.

More specifically, the Project Manager will:

• Support EDF’s agricultural supply chain partnership project(s)
• Be part of the supply chain sustainability team to help EDF play an effective role advancing our strategies through the development of partnerships with relevant ag supply chain entities.   
• Manage the work by overseeing budgets for project work, developing work plans, negotiating project agreements and scopes of work, identifying and procuring necessary resources, project work and deliverables.
• Help identify and develop economic and business drivers for our water quality work, including economic drivers for effective placement of watershed filters; this will include economic analysis, case development, and interaction with partners.
• Become sufficiently knowledgeable about the scope and breadth of the program’s activities to participate effectively in science team, policy team, and communications team discussions.
• Help develop and apply appropriate means for measuring the success of corporate partnerships.
• In addition to these responsibilities, the incumbent will play an integral role in other activities including fundraising, evaluating and recommending new project ideas; disseminating and communicating project results; and being a team player in the development of a vibrant and entrepreneurial program.           

Qualifications
We are seeking an individual with direct experience in successful project management and working with companies with a relevant graduate-level education and/or experience.  Understanding of agricultural and environmental sectors will be critical. In addition, the general qualifications for this position are:

• Master’s degree or higher in business administration, economics, farm management, or environmental studies, or equivalent work experience
• Experience working on agricultural conservation issues, in particular experience working with farmers and members of the agricultural community and an understanding of the U.S. commodity agricultural supply chain, including key actors and incentives is a plus
• A working knowledge of the current theory and practice of corporate sustainability, and the role business can play in solving environmental problems
• Three years of experience in project management, exceptional personal organization and attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues and partners of varied backgrounds and experience
• Strong analytical skills and experience in performing rigorous analysis in support of highly visible work
• Sense of humor and strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to adapt quickly to new situations and changing demands
• An ability to work both independently and as a member of small teams in a fast-paced, dynamic and creative environment

Note: Regular travel between project locations required.
 
Location
Preference is for the person to be based in Washington, D.C.

Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, EDF is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate.

Environmental Defense Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer