Job Opportunities at NOFA OLC

You may have heard – the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Organic Land Care Program (NOFA OLC) is hiring two part-time positions: Program Director and Program Coordinator for the NOFA OLC Program.  Please read the descriptions below.  To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Bill Duesing, bill@ctnofa.org or P.O. Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, May 11th.

Program Director
NOFA Organic Land Care Program

CT NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association)

The NOFA Organic Land Care Program seeks an experienced and dynamic program director who will take over leadership of our highly successful regional professional education and accreditation program in the new and rapidly expanding field of organic care of lawns and landscapes. Our trained professionals have established that, over the long term, organic management techniques offer the same cultural benefits, such as beauty, functionality, and cost effectiveness, as synthetic chemical methods, but at a much lower environmental and health cost. The widespread adoption of organic management practices is paramount to the reduction of non-point source pollution and excess inputs carried into our nation’s waterways.

The Organic Land Care program is a multi-state program run out of the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association.  Its mission is to extend the vision and principles of organic agriculture to the care of the landscapes where most people live, work, play, and otherwise spend their daily lives.   We are the first program in the country to publish and maintain a comprehensive set of organic standards for the land care profession. We offer a 5-day training program based on these Standards and maintain an accreditation program for professional landscapers. We currently support over 500 Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (AOLCP) in twenty states.
The OLC program is guided by a  multi-state, volunteer,  Governing Body and eight active sub-committees. The program currently has four staff members.

The Program Director will:

·         Provide leadership to the organic land care program

·         Oversee the operations and finances of the program

·         Provide regular budgeting and reporting to the Governing Body

·         Act as the central communication point

·         Help plan and oversee the design and implementation of all Organic Land Care projects

·         Develop, pursue and implement financial strategies (includes fundraising and grant writing)

·         Ensure compliance of grant requirements related to OLC

·         Implement and pursue Marketing Program

·         Expand Accreditation Program by:

1)       developing a more comprehensive set of course materials and

2)      creating an application process that will allow institutions of higher learning to become approved NOFA OLC education providers.

·         Ensure the healthy development of the OLC committee under its new structure

·         Maintain and develop strong based partnerships with like-minded organizations, government agencies, and city officials in efforts to increase program awareness, resources and support

·         Create an internship or fellowship program that will provide engaging opportunities that meet the needs of the program and its ongoing projects

·         Perform other related tasks and duties as needed

Qualifications:

·         Three or more years management experience in the non-profit sector strongly preferred, including familiarity with budgeting, finance and/or accounting; human resources; grant writing and reporting

·         Fundraising experience

·         Experience in developing, marketing and implementing programs

·         Experience in public speaking

·         Excellent communication, conflict resolution and creative problem solving skills

·         Familiarity with Drupal or similar content management system a plus

This is a part-time position for an estimated 25 hours of work per week.   Some of the job can be done at home, but a portion of time must be spent at the NOFA OLC office in Oxford, CT. Contact Bill Duesing: 203-888-5146, bill@ctnofa.org

Program Coordinator

NOFA Organic Land Care Program

CT NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association)

The NOFA Organic Land Care (OLC) Program, an initiative of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is looking for a highly motivated person to coordinate, Organic Land Care courses and various projects, for our rapidly growing multi-state program for organic land care professionals. Our trained professionals have established that, over the long term, organic management techniques offer the same cultural benefits, such as beauty, functionality, and cost effectiveness, as synthetic chemical methods, but at a much lower environmental and health cost. The widespread adoption of organic management practices is paramount to the reduction of non-point source pollution and excess inputs carried into our nation’s waterways.

The Organic Land Care program is a multi-state program run out of the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association.  Its mission is to extend the vision and principles of organic agriculture to the care of the landscapes where most people live, work, play, and otherwise spend their daily lives.   We are the first program in the country to publish and maintain a comprehensive set of organic standards for the land care profession. We offer a 5-day training program based on these Standards and maintain an accreditation program for professional landscapers. We currently support over 500 Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (AOLCP) in twenty states.

Description of work:

• Work with Project Director to implement OLC programming and special projects.
• Maintain and oversee organiclandcare.net and its database of Accredited professionals.  Work with the appropriate contractors to troubleshoot any issues that may arise 
• Publicize and maintain our scholarship program and work with recipients to ensure that volunteer hours are met
• Coordinate OLC 30 – 250 attendee courses and workshops including but not limited to the NOFA OLC Accreditation Course, Annual Gathering and Advanced Workshops.
• Research and book locations/dates/times
• Conduct publicity/outreach/marketing (design and create copy for publicity material, press releases, articles, calendar listings, etc.)
• Partner with other non-profit and community groups
• Contract  caterer and arrange for a locally produced and organic lunch
• Conduct recruitment of speakers and students
• Coordinate delivery of all speaker material
• Conduct and coordinate volunteer recruitment and activities
• Act as a contact for sponsors/vendors
• Act as emcee during the events
• Sell OLC Program literature during the course
• Assist in press efforts  both before and after the event
• Grade course exams
• Compile and report on course evaluations.
• Perform other related tasks and duties as needed

Qualifications:  Self-motivated, responsible and organized, good at communicating with people in person, on the phone and over e-mail.  Experience with Microsoft Office, FileMaker, HTML, Constant Contact, Drupal or other content management system preferred but not required.

This is a part-time position for an estimated 25 hours of work per week. The rate of pay will be between $13/hr and $17/hr, depending on experience.  Some of the job can be done at home, but a portion of time must be spent at the NOFA OLC office in Oxford, CT.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to Bill Duesing, bill@ctnofa.org, or CT NOFA, Box 164 Stevenson, CT 06491.