Title:
Senior Manager, Community and Equity, Ag Methane
Location:
NY, DC, Raleigh or Remote (U.S. East coast hours)
Reporting Relationship:
Reports to Senior Director, Global Agriculture Methane
Program Overview
This position will be part of the People & Nature impact area, which has a fundamental purpose centered on the EDF vision that people and nature can thrive together in a climate impacted world and that working lands and natural ecosystems can be an important part of the climate solution. Furthermore, we must work to ensure all people benefit more equitably as we implement climate solutions.
This position sits in the Climate-Smart Agriculture initiative, which aims to put farmers at the center of climate adaptation and mitigation and embed principles of a just rural transition by focusing on solutions that work for farmers and communities and are grounded in robust science and economics. A key aspect of this work is ensuring that solutions to address the global challenge of climate change are implemented in a way that protects the local environment and communities. We advance solutions through policy, finance, supply chains, and other levers for change. EDF’s Climate-Smart Agriculture work is focused on four anchor geographies: China, India, EU and U.S. The tools that we apply differ in these regions, but we are a cohesive team of experts and professionals working across a matrixed organization to leverage the best solutions.
EDF’s Climate-Smart Agriculture initiative is working to reduce global methane emissions from agriculture by 30% by 2030 through innovation, improved animal health and nutrition, climate finance and incentives as well as improved manure management. Methane is expected to cause nearly half of the projected temperature rise due to new greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. Agriculture is the largest source of human-caused methane emissions globally (approximately 40%), and livestock alone accounts for approximately two-thirds of those emissions. Methane solutions, particularly related to manure management, must take into consideration community needs and priorities.
Overall Function
The Senior Manager, Community and Equity, Ag Methane will work with a cross-cutting team of EDF scientists, policy, and technical experts to implement a community-engaged strategy to address agriculture methane. This role will report to the Senior Director, Global Agriculture Methane and will be responsible for leading EDF’s work to ensure that on-farm methane mitigation solutions, specifically manure management, are implemented in a way that protects the surrounding communities, contributes to improved local environmental conditions, and considers equity and environmental justice in their implementation.
This is a fixed-term position through May 2026 with opportunity for extension.
Key Responsibilities:
- Identify, build and maintain relationships with key U.S. stakeholders in agricultural policy, energy and environmental justice sectors with the goal of ensuring community advancement and environmental justice objectives are part of manure management solutions.
- Participate in strategy development and refinement and translate into workplans.
- Develop partnerships with local leaders and community groups with the goal of enhancing their capacity to more effectively engage in solutions around livestock systems and local environmental protections.
- Leverage EDF’s ability as a stakeholder convener, bringing together farmers, communities, companies, researchers and policy makers to find unique solutions that balance the need for livestock operations to address methane emissions while also making improvements to the local environment and communities.
- Work with a range of organizations from community-based organizations to industry trade groups to establish and amplify best practices for community-informed manure management systems.
- Manage projects including overseeing budgets, developing and implementing workplans, establishing metrics, tracking progress, negotiating project agreements and scopes of work, and communicating proactively about challenges or obstacles.
- Oversee consultants and coordinate with staff and partners to ensure aligned execution of work to achieve results and work closely with financial operations lead on budget matters.
- Manage a work plan across a matrixed organizational structure in order to maximize impact.
- Communicate project goals and results to EDF staff, companies, policymakers, environmental groups, the media and the public through reports, interviews, presentations, and other methods.
- Participate in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.
- Act as a liaison with EDF’s Justice and Equity and Community Engagement teams to ensure application of best practices and ultimately create replicable models for a just transition where communities engage in and support climate-smart agriculture solutions.
- Represent EDF in panels, work groups, conferences, and direct engagements.
- Identify, build and maintain relationships with key U.S. stakeholders in agricultural policy, energy and environmental justice sectors with the goal of ensuring community advancement and environmental justice objectives are part of manure management solutions.
- Participate in strategy development and refinement and translate into workplans.
- Develop partnerships with local leaders and community groups with the goal of enhancing their capacity to more effectively engage in solutions around livestock systems and local environmental protections.
- Leverage EDF’s ability as a stakeholder convener, bringing together farmers, communities, companies, researchers and policy makers to find unique solutions that balance the need for livestock operations to address methane emissions while also making improvements to the local environment and communities.
- Work with a range of organizations from community-based organizations to industry trade groups to establish and amplify best practices for community-informed manure management systems.
- Manage projects including overseeing budgets, developing and implementing workplans, establishing metrics, tracking progress, negotiating project agreements and scopes of work, and communicating proactively about challenges or obstacles.
- Oversee consultants and coordinate with staff and partners to ensure aligned execution of work to achieve results and work closely with financial operations lead on budget matters.
- Manage a work plan across a matrixed organizational structure in order to maximize impact.
- Communicate project goals and results to EDF staff, companies, policymakers, environmental groups, the media and the public through reports, interviews, presentations, and other methods.
- Participate in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.
- Act as a liaison with EDF’s Justice and Equity and Community Engagement teams to ensure application of best practices and ultimately create replicable models for a just transition where communities engage in and support climate-smart agriculture solutions.
- Represent EDF in panels, work groups, conferences, and direct engagements.
Travel Expectations:
25-30%
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s with at least eight years relevant experience. An advanced degree can supplant two years of experience.
- Demonstrated commitment to and a conversant knowledge of justice and equity principles including recognitional justice, procedural justice, and distributive justice.
- Knowledge of livestock management, dairy industry, agriculture, greenhouse gas mitigation, U.S. policy, and/or other relevant fields.
- Experience working with community groups to advance environmental justice objectives.
- Demonstrated experience working with science and/or engineering concepts is preferred.
- An ability to work on multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of small teams in a dynamic and creative environment.
- Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues and partners of varied backgrounds and experience.
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and apply new concepts to projects.
- Self-starter, detail oriented, well-organized, and able to plan and execute projects from conception to completion.
- Willingness and ability to engage in domestic travel, 25-30% expected.
- Bachelor’s with at least eight years relevant experience. An advanced degree can supplant two years of experience.
- Demonstrated commitment to and a conversant knowledge of justice and equity principles including recognitional justice, procedural justice, and distributive justice.
- Knowledge of livestock management, dairy industry, agriculture, greenhouse gas mitigation, U.S. policy, and/or other relevant fields.
- Experience working with community groups to advance environmental justice objectives.
- Demonstrated experience working with science and/or engineering concepts is preferred.
- An ability to work on multiple projects concurrently, both independently and as a member of small teams in a dynamic and creative environment.
- Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues and partners of varied backgrounds and experience.
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and apply new concepts to projects.
- Self-starter, detail oriented, well-organized, and able to plan and execute projects from conception to completion.
- Willingness and ability to engage in domestic travel, 25-30% expected.