Market and Incentives Specialist

The Market and Incentives Specialist supports WaSHI programming by pursuing market opportunities and developing economic incentives for soil health practitioners.

• Implement, promote, and manage all activities relevant to the successful operation of the STAR program.
• Work with Senior Soil Scientist and National STAR to establish and meet STAR timelines and milestones.
• Promotes STAR at grower conferences, meetings, and webinars to educate and enroll interested producers.
• Distribute STAR ratings and program materials to participating growers.
• Manage the scientific rigor and timeliness of enrolled field verification including managing contracts and contractors.
• Partner with and trains conservation districts to use STAR in their operations and provide technical assistance to enrolled growers.
• Identify and successfully pursue market opportunities for enrolled growers including through industry promotion, grant writing, and innovative partnerships.
• Seek and implement opportunities for additional incentives, through STAR programming or elsewhere.
• Maintain awareness and respond proactively to opportunities for growers within the Farm Bill, carbon markets, pilot programs via crop insurers, incentive or grant opportunities, etc.
• Aggregate and communicate soil health and economic development opportunities through program newsletters, blogs, and website updates.
• Coordinate working groups to develop opportunities within crop insurance reform, landowner incentives. agricultural finance and lending. etc.
• Assist the Senior Soil Scientist, the WSDA Agricultural Economist, and WaSHI partners in evaluating economic impacts of soil health initiatives throughout the state.
• Assist Agricultural Economist in conducting economic analysis and/or ecosystem service valuation of conservation interventions throughout the state, as needed or on a project-specific basis.
• Work within the WaSHI network to contribute economic analysis of existing projects, including State of the Soils Assessment, Long-term Agroecological Research and Extension sites, and contribution to the Soil Health Roadmap.

• Bachelor's degree involving major study in agricultural marketing, education, economics, finance, business administration, sociology, land use or environmental planning, public policy, recreation, or closely allied field.
• Two (2) years of professional level experience in a related field.
• Ability to travel using a state-owned vehicle to conduct agency business as assigned.

• Health insurance
• Deferred Compensation
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Tuition Waiver
• Employee Recognition Leave
• 12 paid Holidays & Vacation and Leave Accruals
• Dependent Care Assistance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Sick Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• 401(k) matching

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years.