Farm Service Agency
Flower Hill Institute
FSA Disaster Assistance Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance Program Job Postings
Background: Flower Hill Institute is a Native-owned, community-directed nonprofit dedicated to preserving and enhancing cultural resources, preparing youth for leadership, improving economic self-sufficiency, promoting sustainable agriculture, and advancing food sovereignty and security. We also focus on addressing climate change impacts. In partnership with the USDA Farm Service Agency, Flower Hill Institute is providing outreach, education, and technical assistance (TA) for disaster assistance programs, specifically supporting underserved farmers and ranchers. Flower Hill Institute is focused on the following key areas: expanding outreach, education, and technical assistance to ensure greater participation of underserved producers in FSA disaster programs.
Outreach and Education: Increase awareness and representation of underserved farmers (Native, veteran, minority, and beginning farmers) in FSA disaster assistance and risk management programs. Host webinars, in-person workshops, and events to promote FSA programs, including help desks and regional outreach meetings.
Technical Assistance (TA): Provide one-on-one assistance to farmers for understanding program qualifications, completing applications, and managing risk through FSA programs like NAP, WFRP, and crop insurance. Use digital tools (e.g., Smartsheet) for TA request forms, tracking, and real-time updates.
Collaboration and Partnerships: Partner with organizations that serve underserved populations, such as the Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farmers Outreach Solutions, and Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, to maximize reach and effectiveness.
Trust-Building: Bridge the communication gap between underserved farmers and FSA by leveraging existing trust relationships in underserved communities.
Data Management and Evaluation: Collect, monitor, and evaluate program data to measure success, including producer demographics, location, and program participation.
Flower Hill Institute is looking to fill the following positions under this cooperative agreement.
Project Director
Outreach & Education Manager
Technical Assistance Manager
Intake & Award Manager
Project Coordinator
Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Manage and monitor the progress as outlined under the Cooperative Agreement to ensure all scope objectives and timelines are met.
Participate in conference calls and meetings (face to face or virtual) about the progress of outreach, education, and technical assistance activities, the development of TA resources, outreach and educational presentations, and other matters related to the activities as outlined in the Cooperative Agreement with USDA.
Communicate as needed with internal team and/or USDA providers to plan or follow-up on calls and meetings and requested assistance.
Ensure reliable, complete and timely reporting against project deliverables.
Help troubleshoot project risk.
Maintain a consistent look and feel for external communications.
Help implement strategies to increase the participation in programs and benefits to underserved clientele and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers and landowners.
Project Director Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Establish partnerships with organizations to provide outreach, education, and technical assistance especially to historically underserved farmers and ranchers.
Develop and maintain effective communication and working relationships with tribal, federal, community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations to engage them in fostering and promoting USDA FSA Disaster Relief
Provide national leadership and guidance on developing outreach plans and strategies for successful project delivery.
In cooperation with the team, establish team coordination and procedures to compile, monitor and measure the level of outreach, education, and technical assistance delivered.
Respond directly to inquiries as directed/requested.
Help establish procedures to monitor and measure the level of technical assistance delivered by the TA Manager and Sub-awardees.
Suggest implementation strategies to increase the participation in programs and benefits to underserved clientele and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers and landowners
Monitor the financial status of this agreement to ensure progress toward meeting measurable outcomes as well as compliance with Federal assistance regulations.
Establish reporting and financials process and procedures for all FHI contractors.
Follow all government requirements around financial reporting including Use the ezFedGrants (eFG) to manage Cooperative agreement, including requirements for financial management systems set forth or referenced in 2 CFR § 200.302.
Manage budget accounts, financial reporting and internal controls.
Maintain up-to-date financial records.
Provide all required federal financial reporting forms.
Ensure that reporting to FSA is comprehensive through the compiling of quarterly and final reports to demonstrate the progress made toward the completion of project goals, objectives, and outcomes, and the agreement’s overall financial status.
This position requires travel.
Outreach & Education Manager Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Establish and manage a program that effectively provides outreach and education to USDA inquiries, program applicants and awardees covering the scopes of the cooperative agreement.
Create targeted outreach campaigns to increase awareness of FSA disaster relief programs among underserved farmers, including socially disadvantaged, veteran, and beginning producers.
Utilize various outreach channels, such as community events, social media, and partnerships, to promote FSA programs.
Plan and facilitate in-person and virtual workshops, webinars, and informational sessions on FSA disaster assistance programs and working in collaboration with partners and collaborators to ensure consistent and widespread outreach.
Build relationships with producers to foster trust and encourage participation.
Develop and maintain online resources to assist projects in establishing and expanding successful processing enterprises.
Ensure that all outreach and education efforts are conducted with respect for cultural diversity and are inclusive of the unique needs of various underserved farming communities.
Conduct educational and informational presentations (in-person and virtual) on topics important to all aspects of processing, including financing, marketing, supply chain development and other issues.
Conduct active outreach to connect with organizations that can assist in connecting the technical assistance network with historically underserved producers and communities.
Evaluate outreach effectiveness through tracking and assessing the successfulness of the programs outreach by data collection.
This position requires travel.
Technical Assistance Manager Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Establish and manage a program that effectively provides technical assistance (TA) to USDA inquiries, program applicants and awardees covering the scopes of the cooperative agreement.
In cooperation with the team, establish Sub-awardee Coordination and referral process and procedures to compile, monitor and measure the level of technical assistance delivered.
Conduct direct technical assistance to projects, with assistance as specified in the Cooperative Agreement.
Help producers complete and submit applications for disaster relief, crop insurance, and risk management programs along with assist with record keeping best practices.
Coordinate with FSA county offices to ensure seamless communication and collaboration between producers and local representatives.
Facilitate introductions and help producers establish working relationships with their local FSA offices.
Develop and maintain online resources to assist projects in establishing and expanding successful processing enterprises.
Conduct educational and informational presentations (in-person and virtual) on topics important to all aspects of processing, including financing, marketing, supply chain development and other issues.
Conduct active outreach to connect with organizations that can assist in connecting the technical assistance network with historically underserved producers and communities.
This position requires travel.
Intake & Awardee Manager Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Oversee Intake activities, including reporting to HUB team and USDA as requested.
In cooperation with HUB TA team, establish Intake process and procedures to compile, monitor and measure the level of technical assistance delivered by individual TA providers.
As requested, develop and design information and outreach tools (e.g., webinars and workshops) to assist producer groups through grant preparation and application procedure as agreed upon with USDA-AMS.
Respond directly to inquiries as directed/requested including phone follow-up to bolster client satisfaction with USDA-FSA.
Help establish procedures to monitor and measure the level of technical assistance delivered by individual TA providers.
Oversee the development, distribution and tabulation of a survey so that end user feedback can be gathered 1-2 times annually. Data summary as specified in the Cooperative agreement.
Ensure that reporting to FSA is comprehensive through the compiling of quarterly and final reports to demonstrate the progress made toward the completion of project goals, objectives, and outcomes, and the agreement’s overall financial status.
Project Coordinator Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Assist in developing and maintaining detailed project plans, timelines, and schedules for FSA disaster relief initiatives.
Coordinate and manage logistics for outreach events, workshops, webinars, and other program related activities.
Organize and manage the logistics for virtual and in-person events.
Coordinate with FSA county offices, partner organizations, and stakeholders to ensure proper alignment and execution of project activities.
Gather and track relevant project data, such as attendance at events, technical assistance requests, and producer demographics.
Collaborate with the Technical Assistance Manager to schedule one-on-one assistance sessions for producers.
Assist with promoting outreach events and educational workshops through social media, email campaigns, and community engagement efforts.
Coordinate the distribution of educational materials and program resources to targeted producer groups.
Support the project director and other team members in day-to-day tasks, providing administrative assistance as needed.
Proactively identify potential challenges or roadblocks in project execution and work with team members to resolve them quickly and efficiently.
Help with the development and design information and outreach tools (e.g., webinars and workshops).
Manage FHI related public social media that is specific to this program.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of related experience or advanced degrees with 5 years of experience.
A strong background in underserved farming and ranching, marketing, and distribution.
Be a self-starter who can lead, take responsibility and who is comfortable in a work environment with substantial discretion on how goals are accomplished.
Excellent interpersonal skills in environments which involve interaction with diverse constituencies.
Excellent written and oral communication skills in environments which involve interaction with diverse constituencies.
Must be courteous and provide excellent customer service.
Must be a team player.
Maintain integrity and accurate reporting.
Location:
This is a remote position, travel to essential meetings is required.
Contact/Application information:
Interested and qualified applicants can apply by sending your resume to info@flowerhill.institute.
The above description reflects the minimum skills and experience necessary to fulfill the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.
All information presented has been produced by Flower Hill Institute under a cooperative agreement with the USDA Farm Service Agency Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance Program. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.