Practical Farmers of Iowa Is Hiring a Senior Farm Viability Manager 

About PFI 

Practical Farmers of Iowa is a nonprofit organization that has worked to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities since 1985. We create learning opportunities via farmer-led events, on-farm research and educational content through our robust network of farmers. We also provide funding and technical assistance to help farmers adopt regenerative farming practices and grow farm businesses. Our vision is an Iowa with healthy soil, healthy food, clean air, clean water, resilient farms and vibrant communities. 

This work has always been rooted in our value of welcoming everyone and creating a culture of mutual respect. We believe that a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives strengthens our ability to find creative solutions, enriches our understanding and broadens our impact. At Practical Farmers, we celebrate this diversity and are committed to ensuring that our policies and practices create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and seek to empower and support all applicants and teammates.  

Practical Farmers offers a flexible, supportive and fast-paced work environment. Professional development is a core part of our culture, and team members are encouraged to take independent initiative to help fulfill our mission.  

About the Farm Viability Department 

Our Shared Purpose: We make it easier for farmers and landowners to implement conservation, production and business changes that make their farms more resilient. 

How We Do It: We remove barriers and reduce risk in two main ways: 

• Offering personalized support
• Helping farmers and landowners define success for themselves and providing practical tools to help them reach it, including through:
• Technical assistance  
• Business coaching
• Financial assistance 
• Connections to trusted resources and service providers
• Engaging broader systems and industry leaders

We work to create a more favorable environment for farmers and landowners by:

• Educating “enablers,” such as lenders, advisors, agencies and technical service partners
• Supporting supply chain development across short, medium and multinational markets
• Building relationships with organizations and companies that influence farmer opportunities
• Supporting local, state and federal policies that advance resilient farms and communities

Over the past 12-plus years, the farm viability department, which was recently restructured to fulfill greater farmer demand, has sought to address barriers farmers face to reaching their goals. The department houses a rapidly growing suite of programs that help farmers improve the financial, operational and ecological resilience of their businesses.

At present, we oversee between 22 and 25 ongoing programs that collectively enroll and engage over 4,000 farmers each year. Programs operate on overlapping timelines with varied requirements, deliverables and funding cycles. These include:

• Cover Crop Business Accelerator 
• Cover Crop Cost-Share
• Empower Farmers Program
• Extended Rotation Cost-Share
• Farmland Access Navigators
• Farm Mentors
• Farm to Institution Peer Mentorship
• General Cover Crop Consultations
• Grazing Infrastructure Cost-Share
• Labor4Learning
• Local Foods Purchase Assistance Shared Producer Onboarding
• Monitoring, Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MMRV)
• Nitrogen Rate Risk Protection Program
• Phosphorus Stewardship Program 
• Petite Prairies 
• Prairie Strips 
• Precision Conservation Analysis 
• Produce Safety Cost-Share
• Row Crops to Prairie
• Rural Grocery Pilot Program
• Savings Incentive Program
• Sustainable Agriculture Business Incubator 

About the Position  

Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking a diligent, collaborative and mission-driven leader to serve as the senior farm viability manager. For more than 40 years, Practical Farmers has equipped farmers to build resilient farms and communities across Iowa and beyond. The senior farm viability manager plays a critical role in coordinating this work by supporting managers, aligning processes, securing funding and ensuring high-quality execution across the department.

Duties 

• Facilitate teamwork within the farm viability department.  
• Foster a collaborative, supportive and accountable team culture. 
• Oversee contractors, staff members, volunteers and partners who conduct business development, market development, technical assistance and financial assistance projects and work. 
• Lead, coach and support three program managers who oversee about 25 programs across business development, market development, technical assistance and financial assistance. 
• Ensure accurate and timely tracking, reporting and evaluation for all programs. 
• Manage farm viability projects. 
• Oversee delivery of 22 to 25 concurrent multiyear projects that engage over 4,000 farmers annually. 
• Design and implement processes to ensure consistency and efficiency of farm viability work 
• Develop and refine departmental workflows, tools and processes that improve clarity, efficiency and cross-team coordination. 
• Manage capacity and budget efficiently to complete work. 
• Monitor staff capacity and budgets across all projects, identify gaps and advocate for additional resources when needed. 
• Oversee departmental spending and ensure that funding and personnel are aligned with project commitments. 
• Develop and oversee farm viability vision and strategy to achieve strategic plan. 
• Ensure PFI programs are strategically aligned, well coordinated and executed with consistency and high quality. 
• Develop evaluation processes and make decisions based on evaluation results for farm viability. 
• Represent the farm viability department in organization-wide planning and evaluation efforts. 
• Write proposals for grant and/or fee-for-service funding opportunities. 
• Write or cowrite grant proposals and fee-for-service contracts. 
• Facilitate collaboration between departments and teams to achieve farm viability project deliverables. 
• Coordinate with other PFI teams to ensure smooth communication, shared priorities and efficient execution of multiteam projects. 
• Facilitate change management for the farm viability department. 
• Other duties as assigned or volunteered to support the department or team projects. 

Required Qualifications and Characteristics 

• At least five years of experience managing complex projects with multiple timelines and stakeholder requirements 
• At least five years of experience supervising managers or team leads 
• Demonstrated experience overseeing programs with diverse eligibility rules, timelines and deliverables 
• Knowledge of Midwestern agriculture and sustainable farming systems  
• Experience in one or more of the following: 

     -Business and market development 

     -Farmer technical assistance 

     -Financial assistance or cost-share programs 

     -Food system program management 

• Strong skills in: 

     -Project management: ability to manage 22-25 concurrent multi year projects 

     -Workflow and process design 

     -Staff supervision and coaching 

     -Meeting facilitation 

     -Budgeting and financial oversight 

     -Fundraising, grant writing and reporting 

     -Data management 

• Understanding of program management structures 
• Ability to oversee complex, multistakeholder projects
• Ability to align programs strategically across teams
• Ability to cultivate relationships with funders and partners

Desired Qualifications and Characteristics 

• Minimum of seven years of professional experience 
• Willingness to travel several times a year to foster relationships with funders and key stakeholders 
• Deep knowledge of multiple farming sectors
• Familiarity with specific conservation programs (MMRV, prairie strips, etc.) 
• Experience evaluating programs and making data-driven decisions 
• Demonstrated ability to build trusting relationships with a wide diversity of farmers
• Advanced communication or public speaking skills 
• Systems thinking and organizational development skills
• Ability to learn quickly, manage competing deadlines and give and receive feedback 

This is a full-time position based in our Ames, Iowa, office with potential for a hybrid schedule. We require someone who can commit to being in the office a minimum of two days per week. The position also requires seasonal travel around Iowa and surrounding states. The beginning salary range for this position is $76,000-$80,000 with annual opportunity for merit salary increases and position advancement.

PFI values its employees and is a flexible and supportive work environment. We offer employees a competitive benefits package that includes employee health insurance with 100% employer-paid premium, generous paid time off, flexible hours, six weeks of fully paid parental leave and 5% automatic 401k contribution after one year of employment.

We also encourage employee professional development and offer a range of specialty benefits employees can use to support their wellness, sustainability and financial goals. Examples of our specialty benefits include contributions towards spouse or dependent health insurance, stipends for remote or hybrid workers and reimbursements for wellness costs, local food purchases or CSA subscriptions, student loans or eco-friendly purchases. Practical Farmers is a family-friendly employer.

Please apply by completing an application (including contact information, cover letter, resume and references). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.