Research Scientist I - Policy (part time - 20 hours per week))

Policy Research & Analysis - 30%

• Conduct research and analysis on federal, state, and regional agricultural support programs, including conservation, risk management, and disaster assistance programs, to assess their applicability and accessibility for perennial grain producers.
• Identify policy, administrative, economic, and operational barriers that affect producer participation in agricultural support programs and develop recommendations to improve program effectiveness.
• Monitor emerging agricultural risk management policy developments and evaluate opportunities to support perennial grain adoption through existing and future programs.
• Synthesize stakeholder feedback, program outcomes, and policy research into actionable recommendations for internal and external audiences.
• Develop and maintain a clear, evidence-based policy pathway for integrating Kernza into relevant agricultural support programs, with identified opportunities, barriers, recommended actions, and progress toward implementation.

Program Development & Implementation - 30%

• Support the development and refinement of agricultural risk management pathways for Kernza producers by working with farmers, agency partners, program administrators, and relevant stakeholders.
• Develop resources that improve grower understanding and utilization of available support programs.
• Contribute to education tools that increase institutional readiness among government agencies and partner organizations to support perennial grain adoption.
• Assist in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that advance perennial grain risk management policy priorities and support commercialization efforts.
• Advance priority risk management pathways from concept to implementation by establishing clear plans, engaging appropriate partners, and tracking progress toward adoption of programs, tools, and practices that improve support for Kernza producers.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building - 20%

• Build and maintain strong relationships with growers, conservation organizations, agricultural service providers, government agencies, policymakers, and other stakeholders focused on advancing identified risk management priorities and improving access to relevant programs.
• Facilitate communication between producers and policymakers to ensure stakeholder needs, opportunities, and constraints are incorporated into efforts to advance identified changes to federal, state, and regional support programs.
• Represent The Land Institute in external meetings, working groups, conferences, and collaborative initiatives.
• Gather and synthesize stakeholder perspectives to support implementation of established policy priorities and advocacy efforts, and identify opportunities to strengthen execution.

Advocacy Support & Knowledge Sharing - 20%

• Support program-based advocacy efforts to advance identified changes to risk management programs at the state and federal levels, including efforts related to programs such as EQIP and NAP. This may include developing state-specific materials and talking points, coordinating grower and partner input, communicating identified program barriers and recommendations to relevant agency staff, and supporting follow-through on agreed-upon actions.
• Track and evaluate stakeholder engagement activities, training outcomes, and policy-related initiatives against established objectives and milestones to inform continuous improvement and organizational learning.

Organizational Competencies 

• Mission Driven: You are passionate about the mission of The Land Institute and are interested in aligning your skills and personal genius to benefit this work.
• Courageous: You do not retreat or shy away from hard things. You face challenges and conflict with professionalism, grace, and resolve.
• A Boundary Spanner: You bring an interdisciplinary skill set and you model self-awareness in your own preferences. You are motivated to always be learning and you adapt to span boundaries with people across a range of different perspectives.
• Inspiring and Inspired: You are inspired by the people around you, finding and harnessing the genius in your colleagues to meet the organizational objectives, and you are inspiring to others through example and your own genius applied.
• Growth Mindset: You have the vulnerability to know what you don’t know, admit your flaws, and learn from others to grow and develop yourself and the organization.
• A Creative Collaborator: You believe in the power of a diverse collective to generate ideas and solutions. You excel at strategic thinking, being open to new perspectives, and managing innovation. You bring a playful, positive approach to the work and like meeting new people and deepening connections with those you already know.
• Excited by change: You embrace nascent and evolving situations and enjoy engaging new people, ideas, and possibilities. You think about change holistically: internal, external, organizational, and cultural. You like iterating systems, building efficiency and operationalizing design.  You are willing to jump in and contribute to new projects as needed. 

Who you are

• Master’s level degree or equivalent experience in ecology, sustainable agriculture, public policy, or related fields.
• Demonstrated skills in strategic planning and analysis. 
• At least 3 years of policy research experience; experience with risk management programs a plus. 
• Excellent communication, organization, and collaboration skills
• Ability and enthusiasm to effectively engage a wide range of people and communities
• Intellectual curiosity and commitment to lifelong learning
• Ability to work well with others, including people from different cultures, political parties, socioeconomic classes, etc.
• Ability to provide training on basic tasks, supervise hourly workers, and create a supportive atmosphere
• Ability to work on a flexible schedule to meet the demands of the organization.
• Desire to work independently, with minimum supervision.

Hours

Generally available to work twenty hours per week, including in-person and digital meetings, primarily during either 8 a.m.-12 p.m. or 1 pm-5 pm Central Time on weekdays when most of our staff and collaborators are working. Some evening and weekend working hours may be needed. We are flexible for caregivers who might need to provide rides or support, attend appointments, or be available for caregiving.

Location + Travel

This position will have a flexible location, but will require time spent and travel to producer locations to visit other collaborators and growers as needed.

Environmental + Working Conditions

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer and phone.
• Travel in varying conditions 

To Apply: Submit resume/CV and letter of interest by October 5, 2026.

Compensation + Benefits

The Land Institute offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience. 

The salary range for this position is $28,500 - 35,500 annually.

• Remote-friendly work environment
• Competitive, equitable compensation
• 403(b) Retirement 
• 403(b) Employer contributions
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Paid holidays
• Generous paid time off
• Complete laptop workstation and set up for remote work

The Land Institute is an equal opportunity employer and embraces the opportunity to provide employment to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.