The Agriculture Strategy Director will lead the design and implementation of an agriculture strategy to influence how Canada and its producers provide food while generating regional and global outcomes that benefit both people and nature focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, maximizing food security and production systems resilience.  Leveraging existing corporate and government engagement, science and research capacity, the Director will bring their understanding of the existing food system in Canada to develop new and diverse partnerships and innovative approaches to drive the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in key Canadian geographies.

The Director will work rapidly to refine strategy goals and objectives.  They will engage in and establish relationships with key external partners leveraging the experience, expertise and resources of our global affiliate The Nature Conservancy, especially in science, innovation and global corporate relationships. The Director will identify strategic risks, gaps and opportunities, and build the necessary team capacity and relationships to achieve Nature United’s 2030 Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) program goal for increasing landowner adoption of regenerative agricultural practices to reduce emissions by 37.8 CO2e Mt/yr while generating biodiversity and socio-economic co-benefits.

The responsibilities of this role include: 1) developing and communicating a strategy that leads to transformational change in agricultural production in Canada; 2) creating strong internal alignment within and support from TNC’s global program, Provide Food and Water Sustainably, to effectively execute this strategy in Canada; 3) building partnerships to educate and influence leaders and decision makers and to support execution of projects with farmer and rancher networks, government agencies, agribusinesses, agri-food companies and agribusinesses, and NGO partners; and 4) supporting organizational efforts to secure the necessary capacity and financial support from public agencies, corporations, private foundations and individuals to deliver on strategy goals.

Given the complexity of this work and the nascent stage of Nature United’s NCS Program, the Director will recruit and lead members of a dynamic, adaptable and regionally dispersed team that can deliver on the vision and goals of the NCS Agriculture Strategy. Team members are also expected to contribute to the efforts of the broader Nature United organization as members of the conservation team.  The NCS Agriculture Strategy team will identify and pursue high impact opportunities, while also implementing the NCS Agriculture Strategy, adapting as necessary to changing market or policy circumstances.

The Director will report to Nature United’s Natural Climate Solutions Program Director, collaborate with Nature United’s government engagement policy team, interact directly with key government officials to influence federal and provincial public policies, and direct resources to implement NCS agricultural solutions across and through relevant government programs. The Director will also work closely with the corporate engagement teams at Nature United and TNC to engage agri-food companies and agribusinesses, input providers, and farmer groups in the development of agricultural supply chains that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through improved soil health, nutrient management and avoided conversion of grasslands and wetlands while supporting profitable production of food, fiber, and other agricultural products sufficient to meet demands from a growing global population. The Director is expected to work with the broader Nature United team to assess legal, financial, reputational, and policy risks on a variety of issues related   to program development, public policy, and external partnerships, ensuring relevant Nature United and TNC organizational standards are met.