Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) is a national farmer and rancher-led coalition advancing solutions that help the agriculture sector prosper in a changing climate. We offer peer-to-peer field programming that supports farmers and ranchers to adopt on-farm practices that build resilience and improve economic and environmental sustainability. We amplify farmer and rancher voices to policy-makers, industry, and financial institutions so that, together, we can build a future in which Canadian agriculture thrives.

FCS is seeking a Strategic Initiatives Manager to support the development and implementation of strategic projects in high priority areas.

FCS’s strategic initiatives are advanced when specific and unique opportunities arise. It is through these strategic projects that FCS can explore emerging issues and test novel ideas in the sector, remaining on the forefront of innovation in climate solutions in Canadian agriculture.

This position will support the management and coordination of strategic projects, such as our current initiative exploring and testing innovative de-risking tools to support Beneficial Management Practice (BMP) adoption. This is an opportunity to work with a dynamic team and diverse sector partners across Canada to advance resilient, low emission agriculture in Canadian agriculture.

Experience we are seeking

Listed below is the mandate of the Strategic Initiatives Manager, and the experience/qualifications needed to succeed in the job. If you possess approximately 80 percent of the essential experience/qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

The Manager of Strategic Initiatives will report to the Director of Strategy and Development and collaborate with the rest of the FCS team to fulfill the following mandate described below.

Mandate of the Strategic Initiatives Manager

Advance the development, management and coordination of Strategic Projects by:

• Contributing to the development and leading the coordination and implementation of the de-risking BMP adoption” project, in collaboration with project partners
• Supporting the conceptualization and leading the implementation and coordination of strategic projects
• Supporting the development and leading in the operationalization of project plans.
• Facilitating engagement of project participants by sharing information and providing assistance where needed. 
• Leading data collection, management, and analysis, where applicable 
• Coordinating with and supporting project advisors, such as advisory groups or consultants.
• Developing and administering project verification systems, monitoring and evaluation. 
• Supporting in translating strategic project results and learnings into policy advocacy

Experience/Qualifications
ESSENTIAL:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in related field
• Project Management training and/or experience
• Familiarity with successfully implementing a range of Project Management tools to drive successful outcomes and impact in high-risk project environments
• Experience synthesizing complex information and tailoring messages to communicate clearly and plainly to various audiences
• 5-7 years experience in a professional environment  in a related field
• Awareness of the diversity of challenges, values, needs and demographics of farming communities in Canada and strong understanding of resilient, low emission agriculture
• Experience developing learning materials catered to targeted audiences
• Excellent interpersonal skills and written and verbal communications in English

ASSET:

• Training as a professional agricultural economist, and/or demonstrated strong understanding of the agricultural economics of low-emissions, high-resilience agriculture practices and Business Risk Management programs
• Ability to use and/or quickly learn to use event, design, mailing, conferencing, project management and other software platforms
• Training as a professional agronomist, practicing or former farmer

Support the development and lead the implementation of an organization-wide Strategic Initiatives Process aiming to:

• Identify, assess, and prioritize high-impact initiatives
• Ensure a steady, capacity-aligned integration of these initiatives into FCS’ work and fundraising strategy

Experience/Qualifications
ESSENTIAL:

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to meticulously track and re-prioritize multiple tasks and details based on changing project and organizational needs
• Ability to manage work and deadlines independently, and collaborate with a team and diverse stakeholders, ensuring colleagues are informed and able to contribute as needed
  

Support daily FCS operations as required by: 

• Assisting FCS’ communications team in developing communications tools, campaigns, products and messages related to strategic projects. 
• Contributing to funding applications and reporting related to strategic projects.
• Collaborating with all FCS staff, teams and external partners to carry out FCS’ mission, and acting as an ambassador for FCS and its mission at all times
  

Experience/Qualifications

ESSENTIAL:

• Solid computer skills with competence in the Google workspace environment
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing project needs and priorities
• Ability to communicate clearly in written and verbal English
• General understanding of program evaluation and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (M.E.L.) frameworks
• Available to travel occasionally for staff retreats, meetings or trainings

ASSET: 

• Ability to communicate clearly in written and verbal French

This is a full time, term position until September 2027, with possibility of renewal should additional funding be secured. You must be based in and have the legal right to work in Canada. Benefits available for this position include:

• Extended health, pharmaceutical, and dental coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Pension plan
• 4 weeks of annual vacation, as well as emergency and sick leave (plus two week office closure between Dec 25th and Jan 1st)
• Flexibility regarding working hours and location
• Salary starts at $77,326.95 with annual wage step increase to a top step of $84,137.55 
• Benefits and protections as a member of Union of Public Service Alliance of Canada 

FCS staff work remotely from locations across Canada. Staff require reliable internet service that allows for smooth online video and audio communication. FCS staff receive a computer, contribution to a phone and internet plan, and other support to facilitate a remote workplace.

Commitment to Equity

FCS works within, and is representative of, a Canadian agricultural sector that has significant work to do to advance action for reconciliation and decolonization,improve intersectional analysis, and amplify the voices and leadership of equity-deserving farmers (i.e. young farmers, women farmers, farmers with disabilities, Black farmers, Indigenous farmers and food providers, farmers of colour, small-scale farmers, and 2SLGBTQ+ farmers). We are committed to policy and programming that acknowledges and serves the diversity within our sector. FCS believes that our sector, and our work as a coalition, will be stronger with decreased barriers to entry and better opportunities to succeed for equity-deserving individuals. If you belong to an equity-deserving group, we encourage you to apply to join our team and self-identify in your application if you feel comfortable doing so. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Application instructions 

To apply for the position please click on this application link:
https://fcs.bamboohr.com/careers/27

Please include a cover letter referencing your motivation to apply for this role, reflections on your relevant experience and skills, and any other information you would like to share, as well as a résumé.

The deadline for applications is August 27th, 2025.

Interviews of short-listed candidates are anticipated to be held during the weeks of September 1 and 8, 2025.

Only candidates short-listed for the position will be contacted. We are unable to accept questions about the position or recruitment. Thank you for your interest in working with Farmers for Climate Solutions!