Agriculture + Soils Analyst

START DATE: Immediate, position open until filled.
STATUS: Part-Time or Full-Time
PAY: $75,000 - $95,000 Annually 
FULL-TIME BENEFITS: Vacation, Training/Wellness Stipends, 401k Match, Long/Short Term Disability
LOCATION: Southern and central California (Sierra Nevada or Ojai offices), 80% remote work with occasional travel. 
TO APPLY: Submit resume and cover letter to applications@h2oprogressive.com

Watershed Progressive (WP) is a leader in sustainable water conservation providing design/build services, consultation and water education for residential and commercial clients. WP integrates onsite water capture (rainwater, greywater, stormwater) with watershed level planning and monitoring to conserve water, sequester carbon and create beautiful ecologically sustainable landscapes. Watershed Progressive is hiring a licensed Civil/Stormwater Engineer to join our team! As a Civil/Stormwater Engineer at Watershed Progressive, you will play a crucial role in advancing our mission of water conservation and reuse through your technical expertise. Your responsibilities will encompass a wide range of tasks related to water resource analysis, site design, data visualization, technical writing, and team collaboration. Your work will contribute to the development and implementation of nature-based water management solutions. This position offers an opportunity to expand your career in integrative water strategies for climate resilient communities. 

 Job Summary: Watershed Progressive (WP) is currently seeking qualified applicants for an Agricultural and Soils Analyst position to join the Central Coast Office Team in Ojai, CA.). The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to solve problems creatively, excellent analytical skills, an elevated level of resourcefulness and ability to complete projects according to scope, budget, and timeline. This person should be very comfortable acting as a liaison to ag managers, landowners, and regulatory leaders. This position will include intermittent field work and site visits at project sites across California, primarily in Central and Southern California, dispatching from one of our physical office’s locations. 

The position will report to the Tech Hub Manager and collaborate and work closely with the Director of Environmental Design, GIS Manager, and other staff; will be expected to coordinate team members on project-based tasks, and to coordinate with project consultants and contractors. 

 In this position, you will: 

  • LEAD analysis, design, and development of agriculture-based projects. 

  • TEACH soils and food systems concepts to clients and our multi-disciplinary team. 

  • LEARN how to integrate Watershed Progressive’s unique approach using multiple benefit tools including climate appropriate landscaping, greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, and more. 

  • IMPROVE our team’s ability to scale carbon and water resilience projects across the state via agriculture and more. 

  • FACILITATE technical assistance to support farmers and ranchers with water, nutrient, and carbon budget planning. 

The ideal candidate has: 

  • 4 to 8 years of practical field experience through any of the following: applied research work, resource conservation, agricultural BMPs and farm/ranch management, and project management. 

  • Advanced understanding of data representation and visualization for client/public review and interpretation. 

  • Five or more years of experience with Citrus and Avocado Orchards and/or field crops on the Central Coast. 

  • Understanding or experience working with regional agricultural plans, agricultural easement programs, agricultural economic development (food hubs) programs. 

  • Experience working with NRCS, USDA, CDFA or other grant and incentive programs. 

  • Ability to develop monitoring and reporting capabilities for farmers and ranchers for permitting, licensing, water rights, carbon planning, nutrient management, and composting. 

  • Ability to collect, conduct, organize, and interpret water resource-based data and calculations in an agricultural context. 

  • Ability to interpret weather, climate, irrigation, soil, plant, and crop data and analyze results using statistical techniques. 

  • Experience researching and analyzing the relationship of on-farm design and practices to soil, water, climate, wildfire, and ecosystem health. 

Any of these additional skills and experience are a plus: 

  • Experience (working knowledge) of on-farm recharge approaches and multiple benefits for Central California. 

  • Thorough knowledge and practical experience with practices and trends in water supply; facility and financial planning; and development and management of water in California. 

  • Strong understanding of regulatory framework for water, wastewater, groundwater, storm water, agricultural water, or recycled water issues. 

  • Five or more years of experience with livestock and grazing BMPS to meet water quality and carbon farming plans.

  • ArcView GIS software experience, GIS/CAD nexus, or ESRI Geoplanner 

  • Cost estimating at various project phases.

  • Basic understanding of wildfire hazards and mitigation for agricultural operations. 

  • Strong understanding of state and federal legislative processes, especially CEQA and NEPA. 

  • Advanced Excel experience and skills. 

  • General knowledge and/or certification of water conservation, greywater, rainwater, watershed hydrology, stormwater systems and agricultural BMPs 

    Onboarding 

    Within 1 month in this role, you will: 

  • Begin to understand the intersection of Watershed Progressive’s multiple programs and projects and how they work towards the organization’s mission statement. 

  • Begin to understand the integration of WP’s toolkits and multiple benefits. 

  • Be comfortable working across multiple platforms to communicate with team members and external partners, complete and delegate project tasks, find relevant project background information and document project steps. 

  • Begin to conduct ag and soils design and analysis for an established project(s) 

    Within 3 months in this role, you will: 

  • Be involved in multiple projects that involve a and soils work both as part of a team and as a project lead. 

  • Understand who our various project partners, collaborators, funders, and stakeholders are and their roles in our projects and programs. 

  • Understand our modeling and opportunities analysis work and begin to help review and give feedback on innovative processes for quantifying projects. 

  • Be able to lead a technical training at an all-hands (company-wide) staff meeting. 

    Within 6 months in this role, you will: 

  • Manage and lead multiple projects pertaining to AG and soils or other closely related areas. 

  • Be able to work across hubs/disciplines with WP’s designers, ecologists, and specialists towards project goals. 

  • Be able to lead QA/QC of technical design work, including Geodesign review. 

  • Be comfortable suggesting/proposing innovative ideas and opportunities for more efficient work processes. 

  • Be comfortable suggesting/proposing current ideas and opportunities for new and inclusive practices to expand equity and diversity in projects and within the company culture. 

  • Continue to define and work towards your own personal and professional development goals with support from mentors and company paid training funds. 

  • Support with proposals for grants and project development and lead technical writing and review for proposals.