Director Farm Innovation

Position: Director - On-Farm Innovation
Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Agronomy and Outreach

* Serve as the Engine's senior agronomic subject-matter expert and primary point of contact for the regional grower, agronomist, ag-retailer, and rural community stakeholder networks.

* Collaborate with partners through an on-farm testing network of cooperator producers, with attention to geographic, cropping-system, and community representativeness - including engagement with Tribal producer partners where relevant.

* Conduct regular farm visits to support cooperators, observe trial execution, and maintain field-level engagement across the network.

* Design and oversee trial protocols that produce actionable, ROI-focused data capable of informing producer decision-making and improving regional farm profitability.

* Plan, coordinate, and represent the Engine at local and regional educational events, field days, and industry convenings.

* Maintain technical currency in regional cropping systems, crop inputs, agronomic practices, and commodity marketing through ongoing professional development, peer engagement, and field exposure.

Research and Development

* Participate in initial review and evaluation of RFP submissions, applying a producer-economics and rural community impact lens to technical and commercial merit.

* Ensure R&D activities funded by the Engine are grounded in validated, on-farm problems with credible pathways to farm-gate ROI and scalable, real-world adoption.

* Champion producer co-creation at the earliest stages of project scoping and design - ensuring producers are partners in defining the problem, not just consulted on the solution.

Translation into Practice (TIP)

* Support startups and technologies progressing through the TIP pipeline, including seed fund applicant evaluation and post-award support.

* Embed producer co-creation into TIP engagements - ensuring funded teams build with producers, not just for them - and serve as the producer's voice during applicant filtering and funded-project review.

* Advise startups on the design of testing, development, and evaluation plans, leveraging the on-farm testing network to assess product-market fit, quantify return at the farm gate, and stress-test scalability under field conditions.

Portfolio Strategy

* Contribute to the design and ongoing refinement of the Engine's strategic investment portfolio, with farm-gate ROI, scalability, rural community impact, and food-security relevance as core evaluation criteria.

* Help develop top-level strategy documents that define the scope, criteria, and guardrails of the Engine's R&D funding pathways, including frameworks such as Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and structured risk/effort assessment.

* Support development of scoping documents that balance focused investment with flexibility to fund pre-product capabilities, while ensuring funded work avoids "$100 solutions to $1 problems" and prioritizes opportunities with credible pathways to regional economic impact.

RFP Development

* Collaborate with Engine leadership and program staff to define RFP focus areas, topic mix, and risk tolerance.

* Contribute to definition of the Engine's working scope of "AgTech."

* Ensure RFPs are aligned with portfolio strategy and rooted in producer-validated problem statements.

Program Management and Cross-Engine Collaboration

* Partner with the Engine's program management function (in coordination with the Endeavor PMO group) to support program execution and reporting.

* Represent the Engine in cross-Engine collaboration activities and convenings.

* Operate as part of an integrated regional innovation ecosystem alongside research institutions, technology transfer partners, producer networks, and partner organizations.

* Engage in hands-on field activities, including site visits, trial observation, and direct engagement with cooperator producers.

* Contributing to data gathering, packaging, and reporting as required by NSF Engines program.

Required Qualifications

* Master's degree in Crop Science, Plant Science, Crop Physiology, Agronomy, or a closely related agricultural discipline.

* Minimum ten (10) years of progressive professional experience in agronomy, applied agricultural research, or precision agriculture.

* Demonstrated experience designing and executing ROI-focused agronomic research programs and protocols.

* Proven track record building or significantly scaling agronomic research operations, including establishing testing sites, recruiting cooperator producers, and developing partner networks.

* Established relationships within the regional grower, agronomist, and ag-retailer/dealer community.

* Experience leading or mentoring research teams, including cross-functional and/or geographically distributed teams.

* Demonstrated ability to translate research findings into customer-facing strategies, product positioning, or producer recommendations.

* Strong communication skills across audiences ranging from research scientists and engineers to working producers.

* Recognized…