Organic Farm Certification Specialist

CCOF Certification Services, LLC Published: July 4, 2020
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
Second Location
Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States of America
Skill Level
Mid Level
Job Type
Full-time
Categories
Farm / Organics

When you apply for this position, please say you saw this job on Green Dream Jobs!!

Description

~ CCOF advances organic agriculture for a healthy world. We advocate on behalf of our members for organic policies, support the growth of organic through education and grants, and provide organic certification that is personal and accessible. ~

CCOF is a nonprofit organization governed by the people who grow and make our food. Founded in California more than 40 years ago, today our roots span the breadth of North America and our presence is internationally recognized. We are supported by an organic family of farmers, ranchers, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. Together, we work to realize a future where organic is the norm.

Position Summary

CCOF Certification Services, LLC (CCOF) is seeking an Organic Farm Certification Specialist. The Farm Certification Specialist reviews inspection reports, mid-year updates, and/or applications of prospective and currently certified organic farm operations and simple post-harvest handling operations. This position includes, but is not limited to, review of land history, seed and planting stock use, input materials (fertility, soil amendments, pest control, etc.), harvest equipment, labeling and recordkeeping procedures for compliance to the USDA National Organic Program and international regulations.

This position does not include on-site inspections of certified organic operations and will not include field work in the future. There may be occasional opportunities to represent CCOF at trade shows and conferences, depending on interest and availability to travel. This is a full-time, exempt status position.

Please Note: To master this position requires approximately one year, so please only apply if you are willing to make a multi-year commitment.

Position Responsibilities

Essential Duties:

  • Provides technical services to certified organic clients, including reviews and communication with certified operations about mid-year updates, such as new labels, input materials, crop updates, products, parcels, etc.
  • Ensures timely review of client updates and inspection reports and completes a quantity of work on par with other Farm Certification Specialists.
  • Reviews and tracks new applications to ensure timely review and communicates application status to applicants.
  • Makes autonomous or semi-autonomous decisions about client compliance with USDA NOP and other organic standards and communicates those decisions to clients.
  • Provides written and verbal instructions to CCOF clients regarding compliance to all applicable standards via email, letter, phone, and occasional in-person meetings.
  • Works daily with a complex, proprietary database in order to perform the regular tasks of the job.
  • Ensures that the CCOF quality system is implemented to standards.
  • Ensures that database records are consistent and current.
  • Works on special projects as deemed necessary by the Farm Certification Manager, Director of Farm Programs, or the Chief Certification Officer.
  • May represent the organization at trade shows, conferences, and events as directed by the department manager or director.

Required Skills & Experience

Please do not submit an application unless you have all of the following:

  • A. or B.S. degree or higher in applicable field such as environmental science, agriculture, OR commensurate and relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of degree requirement.
  • One or more years’ experience in a professional office environment.
  • Practical field experience in agriculture; preferably organic.
  • Competency in word processing, formatting, databases, and email using applications including Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
  • Excellent communication skills in person, on the phone, and in writing utilizing correct grammar, spelling and sentence structure.
  • Excellent tracking skills to organize, monitor, and track numerous activities throughout the year.
  • Comfort using a computer for multiple hours at a time.
  • Ability to work with various groups and demographics of people.
  • Ability to multi-task in a busy environment.
  • Ability to logically solve problems under pressure.
  • Strong attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Spanish language skills sufficient to communicate in writing and on the phone with Spanish-speaking clients.
  • Experience in working with environmental regulatory programs.
  • Experience with organic regulations or industry.
  • IOIA Organic Farm Inspector training or equivalent experience.
  • Auditor training for food quality production systems or similar field.

Compensation

  • CCOF takes pride in offering competitive pay and excellent benefits.
  • The Farm Certification Specialist’s starting compensation will depend on qualifications and experience.   

To Apply

Hiring Process:

Interested applicants, please click "Apply" below to submit the following documents with “Farm Certification Specialist” in the subject line.  

  • Cover letter
  • Current resume
  • List of three professional references

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

  • Incomplete applications will not be considered
  • No phone calls please
  • Only short-listed candidates will be contacted

Thank you for your interest. 

When you apply for this position, please say you saw this job on Green Dream Jobs!!

(Visited 1 times, 3,001 visits today)