Illinois FarmLink Navigator – East and West Central Illinois

Position: Farmland Access Navigator

Organization: The Land Connection – Champaign, Illinois

Location: Remote, but located in east central Illinois

Reports to: Illinois FarmLink Director

Employment Status: Part Time, Non-Exempt; approximately 10-15 hours/week

NOTE: We will consider combining the east central Illinois and west central Illinois Farmland Access Navigator positions for the right candidate.

Salary: $17-$22/hour; based upon experience and qualifications

Benefits: Part time, non-exempt employees of The Land Connection have access to a variety of benefits depending on the number of hours they work, including paid time off, healthcare stipend, cell phone stipend, and more.

Summary Job Description

In March 2023, The Land Connection launched Illinois FarmLink, a statewide land access program designed to help Illinois farmers find land and farmland owners find farmers. Our services include website profile posting, education, useful resources, and personalized, one-on-one advice from our Navigators. Navigators, who are based regionally throughout Illinois, advise farmers on the complex process of securing land and advise farmland owners on how to find the appropriate farmer for their farmland. Navigators will work with farmers to assess their land access situations, clarify their goals, develop appropriate search plans, and provide guidance to them during the search. In a similar way, Navigators will also work with farmland owners to assess their farmland, identify their farmland stewardship goals, develop search strategies for finding the kinds of farmers they need, and suggest approaches for them during the search. Navigators will be expected to become knowledgeable about all aspects of land access (leasing, etc.) but will not be expected to be technical specialists. They will connect farmers and landowners with helpful resources and professionals when technical matters are in question.

In addition to this hands-on work, Navigators will help expand Illinois FarmLink’s network of partners, market the program, assist in education programming, and further improve its features.