Fiscal Assistant, Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture

The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture is a coalition of organizations, led by Virginia Tech, which will implement an $80 million, three-year project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). This project will be implemented across four states – Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Virginia – and will feature payments to farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture practices to increase resilience and climate adaptation. Farmer payments and enrollments will be managed by implementing partner organizations in each of the four states and a number of non-implementing partners will support the program in various ways. Virginia Tech faculty will conduct a rigorous research agenda to evaluate the efficacy of implementation. Under the three-year pilot program, Virginia Tech and its partners will help producers in the four states prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices that deliver public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, improved soil health, water quality, water conservation, and other environmental services. We aim to create a national model for incentivizing and rewarding farmers for adopting climate-smart practices. More information on the program can be found at this link: https://www.allianceforcsa.org

The Fiscal Assistant will assist with fiscal management and carry out other tasks as assigned by the Fiscal Manager and Project Director.

The base location for this position is Blacksburg, VA. Travel to Blacksburg on a routine basis will be required. The position is opened to hybrid or remote; however, the remote location must be within a reasonable commuting distance (i.e. Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., West Virginia).

Key responsibilities include:
• Assisting in preparing fiscal reports for the Principal Investigator, Project Director, Virginia Tech and USDA
• Processing purchases of all equipment and supplies, purchase orders and reimbursements for the Virginia Tech team
• Maintaining fixed asset inventory for all items purchased for the Virginia Tech team
• Processing contracts, reimbursements, and payments to consultants and contractors
• Assisting with travel arrangements and reimbursements for the Virginia Tech team

This position is restricted to a three-year timeframe and contingent on funding.