Sustainability Specialist

MDVA • Full-time • Pennsylvania • 3w ago

***MUST RESIDE IN SOUTHEASTERN PA OR RELOCATE TO THE AREA - TO BE CONSIDERED***

Why you will love working at Maola:

Owned by a cooperative of family farmers who are passionate about cultivating sustainable dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products.
100+ years of dedicated stability and growth across 11 states.
Competitive pay, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Life Insurance, Time Off Provisions, and more, available no later than one month after hire.
Our employees are an integral part of who we are — what you do and what you think matters.

SUMMARY:

Maola Local Dairies is a community of 850 dairy farm families in 10 states passionate about cultivating dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products. Our farmer-owned cooperative owns six dairy processing plants that process more than two billion pounds of milk annually. Our diverse portfolio of dairy products is then distributed to consumers in the United States and ingredients customers worldwide. Our cooperative is a leader in sustainability, partnering across the supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions to our member farms. We take pride in supporting the educational and nutritional needs of the communities in our milkshed through our Maola VA Fund.

This role will deliver, implement, and evaluate the Maola on-farm sustainability, animal care and workforce development programs on member farms. Connect producers to funding opportunities available through partnerships and outside sources.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Conservation & Sustainability Partnership Areas

Identify best practices across member farms and help to accelerate the adoption of best practices on member farms
Conduct Nutrient Management and Conservation Plans Implementation and Assessments
Expand conservation compliance program across MDVA – identify funding for all farms to improve environmental footprint.
Connect members to funding for implementation of conservation best management practice

Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program Area

Conduct FARM Animal Care Evaluations, FARM Environmental Stewardship Assessments and FARM Workforce Development Assessments
Follow-up on any Mandatory Corrective Action Plans (MCAPs) or Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs)– document follow-up visits and improvements in Salesforce and FARM Database
Develop FARM follow-up letters after the initial visits and evaluations
Assess risks that may be discovered on some operations and provide the opportunity for a proactive approach to develop a continuous improvement plan or path forward.
Assess the implementation of the MDVA FARM Animal Care SOP packet and identify areas that need to be improved and other resources that MDVA can develop to assist our membership in meeting the marketplace expectations.
Implement the FARM program with the highest level of integrity. Best practice is that evaluators do not have a prior or extensive relationship with a dairy to eliminate bias.

General Responsibilities

Organize training for member farms in cooperation with animal welfare experts, veterinarians, land grant universities and others.
Work with other Member Services Staff to ensure a consistent message to the membership
Assist in identifying farms that can host customers for farm tours and assist in the farm tours
Collect data on farm that is quantifiable and aggregated and easily communicated to customers.
Develop innovative programs that show the local brand to the end consumer
Performs other duties as assigned.

TRAVEL:

Must be able to set up a home office within our cooperative footprint, travel within assigned territory (Southeastern PA), traveling to the corporate office in Herndon, VA as needed. Will also travel to meetings, events, and as necessary to perform the essential functions of the position. Up to 90% travel with limited overnight travel required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position has no supervisory responsibility.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be able to build relationships, trust, and communicate at multiple levels of the organization.
Proven organization skills and ability to successfully manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
Highly organized.
Team oriented.
Excellent computer skills (MS Word, Power Point, Excel).
Ability to work in a collaborative, matrixed team environment.
Excellent communication (both oral and written) and interpersonal skills.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.), in animal science, crop, soil and environmental science, dairy science, agriculture economics, food science, environmental science, public relations, business or project management required.
5 years of related experience required.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

FARM evaluator credentials preferred. If an applicant does not have FARM evaluator credentials, they must meet the prerequisites to become a FARM evaluator. FARM evaluator training must be completed within 3 months of the start date.
Valid driver's license required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and peripheral vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Maola Local Dairies, owned by the farmers of Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA), sustainably produces a full suite of nutritious dairy products through our network of six dairy processing plants. With a keen eye on quality, freshness, and love for the environment, Maola delivers dairy products that are both nutritious and sustainable to our local communities. For more information about Maola, please visit www.maolamilk.com.