Illinois Agricultural and Conservation Technical Specialist

Location: Hybrid, based in Southeast Illinois within approximately 100 miles of Effingham County; approximately 40% travel to farmers and partners in the region, including the Embarrass and Little Wabash watersheds. Candidates must currently live in or be willing to relocate to Southeast Illinois.

Salary: $70,000–$75,000 per year, based on experience.

Company

hirify.global is a conservation organization focused on protecting farmland and advancing farmer-led agricultural and water quality programs.

What you will do

• Provide conservation and agronomy technical assistance to farmers, landowners, farm advisors, and agricultural partners.
• Develop conservation practice recommendations and verify implementation against USDA-NRCS standards and specifications.
• Collect and manage field data, including soil health assessments, soil sampling, and forage or biomass sampling.
• Develop technical documents, presentations, reports, fact sheets, and educational materials.
• Launch and coordinate farmer-led watershed programs and support watershed groups with meetings, events, and administration.
• Represent AFT at public meetings, field days, workshops, and other regional educational events.

Requirements

• BA or BS degree and at least 3 years of related experience in agriculture or watershed and water quality outreach and planning; an advanced degree may substitute for one year of experience.
• Experience with Midwest conservation and agriculture, nutrient management, soil health principles, conservation cropping systems, and the USDA-NRCS conservation planning process.
• Experience with public outreach, community engagement, partner coordination, and developing responsive educational programming.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical content to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic environment, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and willingness to travel approximately 40% within Southeast Illinois.

Nice to have

• Certified Conservation Planner and/or Certified Crop Advisor certification.
• Experience with ArcGIS and other spatial mapping tools.
• Additional travel experience across the Midwest or Illinois.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote work opportunity within a hybrid role and a purpose-driven, diverse, and inclusive work environment.
• Medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage.
• Company-paid life insurance, long-term disability insurance, FSA, HSA, and 401(k) plan.
• Paid sick leave, vacation leave, twelve fixed holidays, floating holidays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Mileage reimbursement for work travel.

Hiring process

• Submit a resume, answer all screening questions, and provide a cover letter explaining suitability for AFT and the role.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.