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Do you have a passion for connecting farms and agricultural producers to local food systems? Would you like to help the State of Maine achieve a higher goal to procure more locally sourced food and food products that are grown in Maine to be used by state institutions such as hospitals, higher education, and correctional facilities? If so, this job may be your future!
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION & FORESTRY
PLANNING & RESEARCH ASSOCIATE II
INSTITUTIONAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR - LOCAL FOOD PROCUREMENT
Opening Date: July 02, 2026
Closing Date: End of the day July 17, 2026
Location: Augusta
Position Number: 00500-0994
Position Type: Permanent Full Time/Year-Round
Class Code: 0040
Grade: 23 (Professional/Technical Unit)
Salary: $23.69 - $33.24 Per Hour
Interested applicants need to submit a Direct Hire Application, along with a Cover Letter, and a detailed Resume.
AGENCY DESCRIPTION: The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) is recruiting to fill a full-time Institutional Market Development Coordinator (Planning and Research Associate II) position with the Division of Agricultural Resource Development at its Augusta headquarters. Remote work options are available subject to management approval.
BRIEF JOB DECRIPTION: The person in this position plays a key role in Maine’s local food systems. Maine Revised Statute Title 7, §214-A Food and Food Policy established a Local Foods Procurement Program. Unlike previous local food procurement policies, this program includes a specific goal that, by no later than 2025, 20% of all food and food products procured by state institutions are Maine food or food products. Correlating to this program, is the Maine Climate Action Plan Goal to increase the amount of food consumed in Maine from state food producers to 30% by 2030.
This professional position plays a key role in developing and implementing a Local Foods Procurement Program to increase the use of local food by state-funded institutions and other entities (such as hospitals, higher education, and correctional facilities). This position will assist in developing connections between state purchasers, Maine food producers, distributors, and other institutional stakeholders. The selected candidate will establish guidelines to assist state institutions in assessing their ability to procure local foods, provide department education and outreach to farms, farmers markets, community supported agriculture and seafood providers to increase the sale and purchase of local foods by state institutions and food supplement programs.
Work involves assessing baseline data and establishing objectives; developing rules, policies, and procedures; recruiting participation in and maintaining a database of wholesale producers; developing written reports and online media; and collecting, analyzing, and reporting data outcomes. This position is situated within the Department’s Division of Agricultural Resource Development (ARD) which deploys several statewide programs benefiting farms, food producers, and the general public. The position provides administrative support to accomplish Division goals and objectives.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities required:
- Direct experience in local food system work with nonprofits or municipal or state government.
- Robust project management experience and ability to action plan and achieve benchmarks.
- Experience in convening stakeholder groups and helping such groups achieve consensus.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently on complex projects under deadline.
- Experience developing policies for an organization or network.
- High degree of comfort with public speaking.
- Creativity ability to write copy, create graphics, and develop basic marketing tools.
- Highly organized written communication skills, including succinctly yet thoroughly conveying program outcomes and objectives in written reports.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: An eight (8) year combination of education, training, and/or experience providing a knowledge of planning and research principles, practices, and techniques.
PREFERENCES: Excellent organizational, writing, communication, teaming, problem-solving, consensus-building, and process skills are essential. Those with a bachelor’s degree in sustainable agriculture, food systems, natural resources management, public policy, or a directly related field and four (4) years of professional experience in food systems management, supply chain or market development coordination, and/or related field. A master’s degree would be helpful. Related training and experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis. Preference will also be given to those with the following:
- Knowledge of grant administration processes and inter-organizational coordination
- Familiarity with federal funding processes and program management
- Knowledge of application management, contract management, and technical support
- Strong analytical skills
- Knowledge of monitoring, reporting, data collection, audit practices, and analysis.
- Experience developing and implementing budgets and knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
Currently, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.
No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:
- Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
- Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($11,857.68-$13,950.24 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
- Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements.
- Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value).
- Retirement Plan – The State of Maine contributes 14.11% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.
- Gym Membership Reimbursement – Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
- Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts – Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
- Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness – The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office.
- Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
- Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive calendar days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
- Voluntary Deferred Compensation – Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.
- Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.
There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.
As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.
If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.
Thinking about applying?
Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.
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If you are unable to complete the online application, please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.
