Vacancies

Agri-Environment Specialist/Agricultural Advisor/Farm Planner

IRD Duhallow has been selected by the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to implement a new €1.46 million European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri). The five-year project is entitled Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments. The project aims to address the pressures of agriculture on the Allow River Catchment through the implementation of various actions and measures. Engaging with the farming community in the river catchment the project will protect and restore the ecological status of the catchment through an innovative results based payments scheme. Working closely with farmers in the catchment the results based scheme will reward sustainable agricultural practices which enhance wetland and freshwater ecosystems. This will be achieved through the (1) reduction of pollutant generation through nutrient and livestock management, (2) intercepting mobile pollutants before reaching the river and (3) restoring degraded wetland/river biodiversity and habitats.

Job specification
IRD Duhallow seeks to recruit a Agri-Environment Specialist/Agricultural Advisor/Farm Planner for the purpose of implementation of agri-environment projects at IRD Duhallow. Reporting to the CEO, the successful applicant will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of development officers and scientists at IRD Duhallow. The role will be to design and deliver the agri-environment elements of projects and to propose, perform and supervise actions as laid out in the approved EIP Project Plan. The successful candidate will identify, engage with and recruit project farmers. They will evaluate participating farms and co-design detailed farm plans in relation to water/sediment/nutrient/biodiversity management. They will negotiate and facilitate the implementation of results based measures on farms. The successful candidate will evaluate results-based measures in order to enable accurate calculation of payments for participating farmers. They will contribute toward monitoring and evaluating the success of the project through baseline data collection, continued on-site monitoring, and the input and analysis of data. The person will be required to work with ArcGIS and update information on the project website. The successful candidate will liaise with stakeholders and propose/deliver workshops, presentations, education initiatives and
outreach activity. The successful candidate will produce written reports to the project manager, operational group, governmental departments, auditors, funding bodies, stakeholders etc. as required.

Person Specification
The successful applicant will have:
 An honours degree in agriculture or agricultural science with a relevant postgraduate qualification.
 Three years’ experience in the evaluation of farms and the production of farm plans, including nutrient management plans and costing of payments.
 Extensive knowledge of EU and National policies/regulations relating to the agri-environment sector (e.g. CAP, RDP, GAP, Nitrates Directive etc.) and of farm incentives and development schemes (e.g. BPS, GLAS, ANC, TAMS etc.).
 Experience of high nature value farming and current farming practices in/near Natura 2000 sites.
 Detailed knowledge of the key pressures on river catchments and experience in the implementation of appropriate mitigation options without compromising farm productivity.
 Experience in the monitoring of biological, physical and chemical indicators of environmental quality and/or ecological status.
 Proven ability to communicate and negotiate effectively and efficiently with a wide range of stakeholders including farmers, government agencies, local communities and the media.
 Skilled in the collection, input, management, mapping (ArcGIS) and analysis of high quality data.
 Excellent administrative, reporting and IT skills (including Microsoft Office and online).
 An additional qualification or substantial experience in environmental science, ecology, sustainable development or similar is desirable.
 The ability to work as part of a diverse team, to employ one’s own initiative in the working environment, and to train, deploy and motivate work crews or volunteers on the ground.

Salary
Salary will be in the range of €32,000 to €35,000 per annum.

How to Apply
Please email a letter of application together with an up to date CV to [email protected] or post to Maura Walsh, CEO, IRD Duhallow, James O’ Keeffe Institute, Newmarket, Co Cork.
Application Deadline: 3rd April 2019
IRD Duhallow is an Equal Opportunity Employer.