Director, Soil Health and Sustainable Crop Production

People. Planet. Community.

Dairy’s journey starts on the farm, and the road we travel demonstrates our unwavering commitment to sustainable nutrition, as our farmers provide lasting and meaningful nourishment to people, the planet and our communities, both urban and rural.

ABOUT DAIRY MANAGEMENT INC.

Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s 31,000+ dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. DMI works with state and regional promotion organizations to implement these programs across the country.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The individual in the Director, Soil Health and Sustainable Crop Production role will support the Dairy Net Zero Initiative in the areas of feed production and soil health as part of the Environmental Research Team (ERT).

A key element of this position will be supporting the VP Agronomy/principal investigator and project administrator in the day-to-day management and execution of a 5-year research effort, part of the Net Zero Initiative (NZI), titled “Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration” (DSWR) project. DSWR is highly unique in that it involves a coordinated, multi-institution/multi-state project for the purpose of measuring environmental outcomes including greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration associated with soil health practices and various manure products in dairy forage production, primarily corn silage. This project will help fill important gaps in scientific knowledge about dairy farm crop systems and supports the US Dairy commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050 by focusing on opportunities to improve nutrient utilization, reduce nitrous oxide emission and sequester carbon in croplands that are used to produce dairy feed. Duties include maintaining close working relationships with multiple project partners including staff of NGO’s, research institutions, dairy farmers, and dairy processor community; assist with tracking, budget and contract development and related oversight. Additional opportunities to interact with other dairy professionals, build a deep understanding of the overall dairy farm production system, nutrient management, soil health and carbon farming, assist with interpreting scientific results, co-author journal publications, develop communication points and materials will evolve with the position.

This position reports to the VP of Agronomy and will support the research agenda (aligned with the 2050 Goals and Net Zero Initiative and Enterprise’s Unified Management Plan) and execution of the research strategy.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Support DSWR project needs, tracking budgets, invoices, help to develop and track project calendar and timelines, assist with experimenteloping and coordinating project meetings.
• Work with ERT measurement, enal design, troubleshoot, coordinate quantities and deliveries of new manure products, assist with devteric, manure teams to develop and support advancement of NZI efforts.
• Support Sustainability, Community of practice, related outreach efforts as needed in consultation with VP Agronomy.
• Understanding the dairy farm system is critical to supporting 2050 NZI goals, candidate is expected to both contribute to and learn from team members with other areas of expertise. DSWR relies heavily on partners and maintaining relationships is also critical. DSWR involves several each of consultants, research institution staff, dairy farmers and suppliers.
• Coordinate with Accounting on funds received from grant and expenditures.
• Collaborate with overall sustainability team and individuals to translate work from DSWR and other related workstreams.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience:

• MS or PhD in soil science, agronomy, environmental science or related field
• At least 5 years of production agriculture/dairy farm or related experience desired

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Solid understanding of nutrient management, nutrient cycling, manure management and its use as fertilizer, dairy forage systems
• Strong communication, interpersonal and leadership skills
• Experience with field research and experimental design, statistics
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with tight deadlines and deliverables
• Demonstrated capacity to be self-directed within a team and have passion for collaborative efforts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Analytical and technical skills essential

Other:

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally approximately up to 20% of time

BENEFITS

We know that in order to meet our goal of growing dairy demand, we need the best people. We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits to help our employees balance their work and personal lives.

Our comprehensive health and welfare plans offer medical, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability and flexible spending accounts (health care, dependent care, transit and parking). Our 401k provides up to a 10% match and includes a Roth account. DMI reserves the right to change or end its benefits plans or programs at any time.

Dairy Management Inc.™ is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to the principles of diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Note: We regret it is not possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our requirements. Thank you.