Senior Agriculture Policy Manager

Overview 

The Senior Agriculture Policy Manager (Manager) plans and executes policy analysis, advocacy and project implementation under the Agriculture & Water Restoration sections of the Alliance’s strategy. The Manager implements work across the Basin – with a particular emphasis in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin – to achieve the Alliance’s agriculture and water goals. They are the lead liaison to state and local decision makers, project partners and stakeholders in Ohio, and will grow and nurture similar relationships in other Alliance focus states. The Manager maintains a working knowledge of Ohio agriculture and source water programs and policies as they affect the Great Lakes and uses that knowledge to recommend new opportunities within the Alliance’s programs. The Manager ensures timely and high-quality execution of relevant Alliance strategic plan deliverables, and partners with a variety of other staff members to support internal work planning, external communications, and grant proposals and reports.  

A typical day at the Alliance is often self-directed and is based on balancing immediate tasks – tracking the status of a relevant bill in the Ohio Legislature– and longer-term projects within the Agriculture and Restoration Program like quantifying the costs to meet water quality targets in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. These short term and longer-ranging projects and tasks are developed in close coordination with the Director based on the goals under the Alliance’s strategic plan, but the Manager is afforded the flexibility and autonomy to develop their own approach to advance these goals on a day-to-day basis. Our policy work is highly collaborative, and the Manager should feel comfortable engaging – independently – with legislative offices and agency staff as well as facilitating meetings with stakeholders and partners on a regular basis. 

Responsibilities 

Planning & Policy 

• Work in collaboration with the Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director (Director), to assist with the implementation of policy, governance, and funding mechanisms to support the reduction of agricultural pollution across the Great Lakes region.   
• Manage relationships with the state of Ohio Administration, lawmakers, and regulatory agencies. Including tracking relevant legislation and administrative programs. 
• Track the implementation of the Maumee River (OH) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and the overall changes in water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin. 
• Identify emerging issues and programmatic reform opportunities to improve surface and groundwater quality in Ohio and Michigan 
• In coordination with the Director, assist in advancing policy and advocacy efforts in Ohio and Michigan with an emphasis on the Western Lake Erie Basin.  
• Identify trends in mission areas, create fundable concepts and leverage work and ideas for increased organizational impact related to agricultural pollution reduction. 

Outreach 

• Build issue focused networks of key stakeholders with a focus in Ohio. 
• Be a leadership voice for the Alliance and for the Great Lakes in Ohio and across the region. 
• Create and conduct external outreach opportunities, such as public speaking, conferences, and presentations. 
• Serve as an Alliance liaison to the Ohio environmental community, identifying advocacy and partnership opportunities and engaging other Alliance staff as appropriate. 
• Work with Communications and Engagement team to determine and take advantage of opportunities to communicate to the media and Alliance supporters about the Alliance’s work in in the Basin.  

Administrative 

• Create and keep current Alliance case statement supporting engagement in Ohio. 
• Assist in the development of short- and long-term work plans for Ohio and Michigan  
• Create opportunities to add strategic capacity to Alliance work through affiliate program, fellowships, and staff recruitment when possible. 
• Contribute content to grant proposals and reports 

Knowledge/Skills  

• Bachelor’s degree, graduate degree preferred, with at least seven years of increasingly responsible professional experience in managing natural resource stewardship, environmental organizing and coalition building, community-based planning or similar field. 
• Specific knowledge on state and federal agricultural and water quality policies and programs. 
• Familiarity with the process of policy development and advocacy as well as addressing the barriers and opportunities for policy implementation to be successful.    
• Established network and relationship portfolio including stakeholders, experts, influencers, and decision makers in Ohio and around the Great Lakes region 
• Excellent diplomacy skills – the ability to read and respond productively to the needs of different stakeholders at any time is essential. 
• Unwavering commitment to diversity, justice, equity and inclusion. Adhere to and exemplify these principles in addition to our values of community, relationships, courage, integrity, and optimism.  
• Ability to communicate a working knowledge of Great Lakes issues with confidence to diverse audiences. 
• Excellent listening, writing, and speaking skills. Must be able to speak publicly in a clear, compelling, and engaging manner. 
• Able to identify and engage target constituencies that are most likely to have an affinity for the Great Lakes and motivate them to act on that affinity.  
• Desire and ability to both lead and work as part of a staff team located in different offices with varying types of expertise and priorities. 
• Ability to pivot strategies and tactics to an ever-changing policy landscape 

Job Parameters 

• This position is full-time and consistent with Alliance employment policy. Salary range starts at $75,000 annually. 
• Benefits include medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, FSA, 11 paid holidays plus the business days between 12/26 and 12/30 (staff who must work on any holidays may take those holidays at another time subject to the employee handbook). Employees start with 3 weeks' vacation annually + PTO; Fidelity 401(k) with match of up to 6% of salary after one month of employment. 
• The Manager position can be based in any of the Great Lakes states but a preference is given to those candidates based within the state of Ohio.