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 public-speaking, panel, or thought-leadership presence in the agricultural industry.

• Valid driver's license; ability to travel regularly across the region.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credential through the American Society of Agronomy.

• Experience evaluating precision agriculture, automation, digital, or imagery-based technologies.

• Experience with USDA biotech regulated trials and associated compliance documentation.

• Co-inventorship, patent, or peer-reviewed publication credit in agricultural technology.

• Prior advisory experience with AgTech research sites, innovation centers, or technology startups.

• FAA Part 107 Commercial Drone Pilot License.

• State Commercial Applicators License.

Core Competencies

• Technical and agronomic expertise

• ROI-driven research design and producer-economics judgment

• Producer co-creation and community partnership

• Understanding of rural economies and the levers of community economic development

• Communication and translation across technical and non-technical audiences

• Strategic thinking, scalability judgment, and portfolio decision-making

• Network building and stakeholder management

• Self-direction, accountability, and operational efficiency

• Leadership and mentorship

• Integrity and professional ambassadorship

Travel and Work Conditions

This position requires regular regional travel for farm visits, cooperator engagement, and industry events, as well as periodic travel for cross-Engine convenings. Work will be performed in a combination of office and field environments.