Equity Associate Director

POSITION SUMMARY

CAFF has grown in size over the past few years and refined its focus on communities of farmers it aims to serve. This position will develop trainings and processes for staff to build a shared understanding of the organization’s mission, vision, and core values and support staff in their efforts to build an anti-racist organization; this work includes efforts to serve an increasingly racially diverse farmer base, as well as advance conversations around racial justice with our white and Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) members. The Equity Associate Director will serve on the CAFF Leadership Team and work to support the implementation of our 5-year strategic plan and the transformation of organizational culture in alignment with our organizational core values and capacities. This position will work closely with Program Directors to adapt programs to best support underserved farmers. The preferred candidate comes with experience supporting organizations through similar processes. 

In 2020, after an extensive discussion and reflection process, CAFF affirmed justice and equity as a core value, and a commitment to better serve the needs of BIPOC farmers. In 2021, we developed and adopted a Racial Equity Action Plan, with a particular focus on growing our capacity to serve Spanish-speaking Latino/a/x/é (Latinx) farmers. Since that intensive process, many new staff have joined the organization, and CAFF needs to collectively hold a clear and shared plan moving forward. The position will facilitate CAFF’s internal staff-led Justice & Equity Committee as an organizational accountability structure and learning space, and support any other affinity or aligned internal spaces. The position will supervise the Bilingual Communications & Farmer Engagement Co-Director whom we are also currently hiring for — please see the listing for that position at caff.org/jobs-at-caff. 

The position is preferred in Northern California, given frequent trips to Davis and proximity to staff. Additional travel will be required throughout California to support staff and attend two annual in-person retreats. 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

% Time — Description

35% — Lead Organizational Implementation of Justice & Equity

• Provide overall leadership on justice and equity topics by facilitating ongoing staff learning through internal curriculum development and staff-wide trainings
• Provide ongoing support to Program Directors to implement justice and equity in team (program, project, initiative) plans
• Support audit of CAFF operations, policies, and procedures to uplift stated goals with the Human Resources Manager
• Bridge different perspectives and experiences within the organization to ensure organizational accountability and healthy communication across staff and teams
• Partner with Bilingual Communications & Farmer Engagement Co-Director to enhance Latinx organizational structures and processes to support staff 
• Supervise Bilingual Communications & Farmer Engagement Co-Director
• Provide support and allyship for Latinx staff in advancing the cultural and linguistic needs of Latinx farmers
• Lead fundraising for justice & equity-related projects and trainings at CAFF 

35% — Facilitate Strategic Assessment, Planning & Partnerships

• Revisit existing Racial Equity Action Plan, update organizational survey, analyze survey, and share summary of findings
• Support assessment of partner technical assistance hub for Latinx-serving TA providers across the state
• Engage colleagues in other organizations in ongoing peer learning and mutual support around organizational equity work, as appropriate
• Conduct landscape analysis of Latino farmer-serving organizations with partners, including who is providing what support in particular regions of the state, how they are providing, and where needs remain
• Facilitate the organization-wide process for evaluating progress towards or changes needed on annual goals
• Support program directors with annual goal-setting and team planning activities, including how to best serve Spanish speaking farmers
• Lead development and design of CAFF annual report, in coordination with Communications and Fundraising Team

15% — Support Farmer Accountability & Engagement 

• Support and enhance annual or bi-annual farmer listening and accountability process, partnering with Policy Director
• Maintain and improve farmer compensation guidelines and practices
• Recruit, onboard, and support ongoing participation of Latinx farmers in organizational bodies (e.g. ad hoc committees, advisory committees, board of directors, etc.) for organizational accountability

15% — Participate in Organizational Activities

• Serve on CAFF’s Operations Team and Management/Leadership Team and lead the Program Facilitation Team and the Justice & Equity Committee
• Participate in quarterly program area team meetings (e.g. Farmer Services, Ecological Farming, etc.)
• Participate in weekly CAFF all-staff meetings and two retreats or full-day all-staff meetings per year 
• Participate in local grassroots engagement efforts, including outreach and relationship-building with farmers in your local community
• Assist in hosting at least one event as part of the regional gatherings taking place on the final day of the California Small Farm Conference
• Represent CAFF by participating in community activities and events as necessary
• Participate in other administrative and fundraising tasks as needed 
• We know it’s impossible to convey every single task for a particular job in one job description. Our hope is that as we work together, and your role evolves over time, we can adjust your job description accordingly

QUALIFICATIONS

Educational and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent experience
• At least 5 years experience working in a similar position, ideally with a nonprofit organization
• Experience working with farmers in sustainable agriculture, or related fields preferred
• Experience working in Latinx cultural communities is preferred
• Experience in mediation, conflict resolution, and building organizational accountability are preferred
• Demonstrated ability to create processes to advance justice and equity goals is preferred 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Leadership experience within a non-profit setting
• Experience with team building in a virtual/hybrid work environment
• Skilled at facilitating conversations around racial equity 
• Strong understanding of what racial equity looks like in organizational practice
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong organizational skills with an ability to handle competing demands
• Effective English language written and oral communication skills 
• Proficient in Spanish language written and oral communication skills is preferred
• Ability to work independently and remotely if necessary
• Strong computer skills, including above-average knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, Google Workspace, and WordPress or similar

• Demonstrated ability to effectively work with and support diverse team members through your understanding of self, language, culture, and community
• Familiarity with and enthusiasm for social media platforms: WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
• Willing to listen and able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Desired experience: Salesforce and Adobe Creative Cloud 

Physical Abilities

• Ability to sit for long periods of time working at a computer
• Ability to travel to different regions of the state

CAFF’s policy is that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. We strongly encourage those from diverse backgrounds and from historically underserved communities to apply.

TO APPLY:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and sample of your work that you feel is relevant to this position with the subject line “Equity Associate Director” to jobs@caff.org by June 30, 2024. Reference requests will be made further along in the application process.

https://caff.org/equity-associate-director/