About us:

Ag Innovations is a nonprofit based in Sebastopol, CA with a 20-year history of unlocking the challenging issues at the intersection of agriculture and natural resources, including agricultural viability, fire and forest resiliency, water stewardship, and food systems. We serve our community by facilitating transformational collaboratives that help leaders think beyond their disciplines and unlock new ideas. Our methods have proven effective in stakeholder engagement, public input, and planning, which help improve the public plans and policies that allow for a better future. We are dedicated to serving the public interest by helping people think and work better together to solve the complex issues facing all of us who depend on our natural and working lands.

Grow your talents to facilitate collaboration, positive change, and community engagement. We look forward to hearing from you.

Position summary:

We are growing and looking for a Lead Facilitator to join our talented team. The Lead Facilitator supports and participates in Ag Innovations’ projects in the field by providing facilitation and program support to Ag Innovations’ clients, Program Team, and Senior Facilitator(s).

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Lead Facilitator collaborates with Program and Facilitation staff to plan and facilitate meetings and small group work, co-facilitate more complex projects, and facilitate under the guidance of a Senior Facilitator. The Lead Facilitator will also support planning, interviews and stakeholder engagement, development of meeting results, reports or other timely deliverables, communications, project tracking, invoicing, and documentation.

What you will do:

Facilitation Responsibilities: (50%)

• Design, implement, and lead projects where appropriate, or collaborate with a Senior Facilitator to work with program staff and leadership bodies of our collaborations on moderately complex projects to identify needs and issues, develop process approaches to address these, and design meeting agendas to implement these approaches.
• With direction and support from the Senior Facilitator or Executive Director, facilitate face-to-face and virtual meetings of the assigned collaborations and projects.
• Facilitate small group discussion, conducting and documenting interviews, and support the facilitation efforts as needed.
• Document group discussion and decisions as needed, and support development of accompanying deliverables as directed by Senior Facilitator.
• As needed, conduct virtual/live notetaking, online meeting facilitation, front-of-room flipcharting, and developing meeting summaries.
• As needed, co-facilitate with Senior Facilitator, Executive Director, or other staff, or facilitate groups or community engagement in concert with project needs and ability.

Program Responsibilities: (40%)

• Project management and project support (project planning and implementation, calendaring, deliverable tracking, client, stakeholder and participant communications and project tracking, research, materials preparation, collaboration technology tools, operations, invoicing, documentation, etc.)
• Coordinate virtual and in-person meetings logistics (venue, food/beverage planning, audio/visual, materials preparation, registrations, travel, presenters and speakers logistics, note taking, etc.)
• Project communications assistance (participant communications, website and social media postings, mass email notifications, publicity and outreach support, PowerPoint and other presentations preparation, etc.)

Communications: (10%)

• Produce content for AIN’s external communications upon request.
• Support fund development for identified projects as needed.

Who you are:

The following skills and experience are required unless otherwise noted:

• Bachelor’s degree, master’s preferred, in a related field.
• 3 or more years’ experience facilitating meetings and groups using outcomes, detailed agendas, and meeting summaries, in an online or in-person environment.
• 3 or more years’ experience managing projects that include planning and budget management, meeting and event management, including note taking, and writing and research.
• Certificate or equivalent training and experience in facilitation, organizational development, mediation, arbitration, or other field involving collaborative goal-setting, decision-making and evaluation.
• Aptitude and experience facilitating collaboration in a virtual environment, using platforms such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, or others.
• Aptitude and experience with a variety of technologies for supporting remote collaborations such as Asana, Zoom, Kumu, Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Docs), and a passion for implementing technology to increase efficiency.
• Applied skills in basic web-based research, analysis, and summarization.
• Ability to manage several tasks/projects concurrently, with ease and professionalism.
• Strong attention to detail, including proofing own work and that of others.
• Ability to focus and complete job duties in a fast-paced, complex office environment.
• Ability to communicate professionally, clearly, and concisely, orally and in writing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and customer service skills.
• Demonstrated passion for and interest in food systems, agriculture, and/or the environment.
• Work will be conducted frequently in northern California, and occasional travel throughout California is necessary. Remote or office work location is negotiable.

Why Ag Innovations?

• Work with a team of professional and talented leaders, facilitators, and consultants.
• You’ll have an opportunity to connect your passion for the environment to your work every day.
• Flexible work hours and location, as the job allows.
• We value diverse and inclusive work environments.
• We have a strong commitment to professional development.
• We offer health insurance, paid time off, and holidays for eligible employees.

Salary Range:

$65,000 to $75,000 per year, commensurate with experience.

Apply today!

We invite you to submit a resume and cover letter at HR@aginnovations.org, explaining why you would be an excellent fit for our Lead Facilitator. If your submitted materials indicate a potential match, we will contact you directly.

We believe that the unique contributions of each individual are drivers for success. Ag Innovations values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

Visit https://aginnovations.org/current-work/ to learn more about our work and join our team.