Summer jobs, Student jobs

Position: Program Coordinator - Regenerative Organic Oats
Type: age 30 & under / summer
Organization: Canadian Organic Growers (COG)
Location: Regina, Yorkton, Brandon and surrounding rural areas, Saskatchewan & Manitoba

Canadian Organic Growers is a national not for profit organization with a mandate to provide education, advocacy and leadership to help build an agricultural system that empowers farmers and consumers, enhances human health, builds community and mitigates climate change while increasing Canadian food sovereignty.

Job Title: Regenerative Organic Oats (ROO) Program Coordinator (1 position to fill)

Canadian Organic Growers is seeking a seasonal program coordinator to support existing staff with on the ground aspects of the program including soil testing, event planning and farm visits across Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The ideal candidate will be located in or between Regina, Yorkton and Brandon but candidates from across SK and MB are encouraged to apply. This is a remote, work from home position with a travel component.

• Reporting Relationship: The Program Coordinator reports to and works under the direction of the Director of Education, Extension and Outreach. They will also receive professional mentorship from the ROO agronomy consultant. 
• Wage and Hours: This position is full time seasonal; 37.5 hrs/week for 16 weeks (May – August). Compensation will range from $20 - $25/hr and is commensurate with experience.
• Working Conditions: This role is fully remote and will require travel throughout portions of the prairie provinces (primarily SK and MB) with the potential for several overnight stays. Access to a computer, internet connection and a personal vehicle for travel to farm sites is required. Compensation will be provided for mileage and overnight stays.

Summary:

Regenerative Organic Oats (ROO) is run by Canadian Organic Growers in partnership with Riverside Natural Foods, Nature’s Path, MGM Seed and Grain/Bay State Milling and organic oat growers across the prairies. This program works up and down the organic oat supply chain to foster network connections, create farmer networks and drive realistic solutions that will increase on-farm resilience and regenerate soils. ROO focuses on the mobilization of information and resources to support organic farmers interested in transitioning to regenerative, organic, systems-based management. Through ROO, participating farms are introduced to data benchmarking and are provided with the resources needed to collect and understand the soil data that will inform their farm management by looking at the existing state of soils in their best field, worst field and a nearby unmanaged area and planning their regenerative efforts accordingly. Program coordinators will be responsible for on-the-ground implementation of the ROO program under the direction of the Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collect on-farm soil and crop samples following established methodologies, submit to commercial labs for analysis
• Conduct infield soil health assessments and record results
• Be able to learn and demonstrate sampling methods, soil health assessments and underlying concepts to participants
• Research and design digital and print resource materials
• Keep organized notes and maintain up to date data entry for all participating farms
• Prepare data for interpretation by senior agronomists
• Organize on the ground meetings for producer communities of practice
• Help organize and deploy field days
• Help develop resources for participants
• Developing digital resources for inclusion on the online RO Hub
• Disseminate resources to assigned groups of participants

Employment Requirements:

The preferred candidates will have:

• A strong interest in regenerative agriculture
• Willingness and ability to work outdoors in a variety of conditions
• Experience traveling through and working in rural areas
• Post-secondary degree (complete or in progress) in Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, Biology or related field
• Computer literacy including use of spreadsheets and familiarity with Google Drive, Microsoft Office and Canva

Core competencies:

• Strong interpersonal skills – ability to speak with a diverse group of program participants
• Self-directed, exceptional time management skills, and the ability to work autonomously
• Assessing the needs of participants and adapting on the spot to address these
• Highly motivated, willingness to learn be adaptable and participate in a collaborative team
• Attention to detail in collection of samples and associated data
• Strong ability to identify challenges and opportunities, create effective plans and deliver results

Other Duties

Please note that this job description is not meant as a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for this position.

Equal opportunity

COG is committed to policy and programming that acknowledge and serve the diversity within our sector. COG provides equal employment opportunities to employees and contractors regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. COG believes that our sector, and our work as a national organization, will be stronger with decreased barriers to entry and as such we strongly encourage people who belong to an equity-deserving groups (2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, women, etc) to apply to join our team, and to self-identify in your application if you feel comfortable. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

Please submit your cover letter and resume by March 24, 2025. This position will remain open until a suitable candidate is hired.

If you are interested in the opportunity and have the above qualifications, please forward your resume and cover letter to the attention of Director of Education, Extension and Outreach Dorthea Gregoire at Dorthea.Gregoire@cog.ca

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

You can learn more about COG at: cog.ca

Thank you for your interest.