WHO WE ARE
Farm Aid is a national nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate a vibrant and just family farm-centered system of agriculture in the United States. Through our annual music festival, grant funding, public education, activism, direct service, and strategic partnerships, we amplify the voice of family farmers, connect farmers to resources and to eaters, and invest in efforts that bring lasting, positive change to the farm and food system. We work to empower farmers and eaters alike to participate in a democratic, just, and sustainable agriculture.

In 2024, Farm Aid launched the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network (DBAN), a $4.2 million national initiative funded through a Cooperative Agreement with USDA/FSA, to build the capacity of farm support organizations to provide one-on-one technical assistance to financially distressed farmers and ranchers. Farm Aid leads DBAN in partnership with the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) and the Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG), and the initiative now operates through a network of 30 to 40 partner organizations and more than 150 practitioners nationwide.

The results to date reflect both the depth of need and the power of community-rooted support. In 2025, DBAN partner organizations reached more than 25,000 farmers with one-on-one assistance and connected over 600 additional farmers to critical resources through triage and referral support, more than half of whom self-reported as financially distressed. DBAN has also trained over 100 Farmer Supporters, many of them farmers themselves, with the skills to assist their peers. The initiative continues through December 2027.

WHAT YOU'LL DO
Reporting to the DBAN Project Lead, the Project Administrator will serve as the financial and compliance backbone of the project. This role owns the administrative infrastructure that keeps a complex, federally funded initiative running, inclusive of managing budgets and contracts, ensuring documentation and reporting are airtight, and keeping the project's day-to-day operations on track. This is a hands-on, detail-oriented role that requires both the ability to take initiative independently and the judgment to know when to escalate.

Specifically, the Project Administrator is responsible for:

Financial Administration and Compliance: Serve as the primary financial liaison between the DBAN project team and Farm Aid's finance staff. Manage project budget-versus-actuals tracking, ensure full documentation of expenditures, and lead the preparation of quarterly financial reports to FSA. Collaborate and work closely with Farm Aid’s finance team on ensuring financial controls that support financial integrity and transparency, including for Single Audit requirement and federal compliance.
Contract Administration: Lead the end-to-end contracting process for DBAN vendors, consultants, and venues, including drafting agreements, managing the bid process, tracking deliverables, receiving invoices, and processing payments. Coordinate with operations staff to ensure documentation requirements are met. Support the project team in bringing on additional contractors as needed to meet project goals and spend down remaining funding responsibly.
Participant Reimbursements: Coordinate and execute participant reimbursements for DBAN network convenings and training events, including managing documentation, ensuring compliance with federal requirements, and providing a smooth and timely experience for reimbursement recipients.
Evaluation Support: Provide administrative support to DBAN's evaluation contractor, including tracking timelines, facilitating data sharing, and helping to connect evaluation activities with the broader project team. Participate in the Evaluation Committee and contribute to discussions that use evaluation data for continuous project improvement.
Event Support: Collaborate with the Project Lead and Project Coordinator on the financial and logistical administration of DBAN network gatherings and training sessions, including event budgets, vendor contracts, invoicing, and reimbursement logistics.
Team and Project Coordination: Work with the Project Lead and Project Coordinator to maintain effective coordination across the DBAN team, Farm Aid staff, and partner organizations. Use shared systems (e.g., AirTable, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack) to support seamless communication and project tracking.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a supporter of Farm Aid's mission. You care about the work of building an agricultural system that supports family farmers, healthy food, and strong rural communities. You're comfortable on a small, collaborative team where relationships and shared values are central to the work.
You bring meaningful experience with federal grants administration. You have at least 5 years of experience with federal financial reporting, documentation, and compliance. You know how to navigate a cooperative agreement and find the right answers when complex issues come up. Experience with USDA, FSA, or land-grant institutions is a plus.
You are confident and meticulous in budget management. You have managed project budgets of $500K or more and are comfortable reading financial reports and working across budget spreadsheets. You keep documentation thorough and current and understand why that matters in a federally funded environment.
You are a systems thinker who executes with precision. You take an organized, analytical approach to building and maintaining the systems that keep a complex project on track. You're proficient in Excel, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Dropbox, AirTable, and Slack, or you pick up new platforms without much ramp-up time.
You are an effective communicator and collaborative team member. You keep stakeholders informed and communicate proactively about progress, challenges, and next steps. You find common ground with a range of internal and external partners and can navigate bureaucratic relationships steadily. You understand that your work is one part of a larger ecosystem involving multiple organizations.
You are a self-driven problem-solver. You take initiative and act on what the project needs without waiting to be directed. You also know when it's the right call to loop in your manager rather than proceed on your own. You're comfortable holding both of those things at once.
You're comfortable joining a project that is already underway. You can orient yourself quickly, manage real deadlines, and contribute without needing an extended ramp-up period. You know how to find your footing in an active environment without slowing things down.

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with program or process evaluation, data management, or supporting evaluation contractors in a team environment.
Familiarity with USDA, FSA, or university/extension systems.

COMPENSATION, LOCATION, AND TRAVEL
The salary range for this position is $74,000 - $80,000. This is a full-time position eligible for all Farm Aid benefits, including: 100% health insurance premium coverage (for up to full family coverage, ranging in value of up to $30K+ annually depending on family size); 20 days of paid vacation and 15 days paid Sick and Excused time; Civic Engagement days; Organizational Holidays and general office closure from December 24 through January 1; option to participate in company IRA, FSA, and Employee Assistance plans; and a longevity bonus program rewarding each year of service.

Farm Aid operates in a hybrid environment with one physical office in Cambridge, MA. The Project Administrator may work full-time from our office, hybrid, or request to be fully remote. Candidates based in or near the Boston area or near the Research Triangle region of North Carolina are particularly encouraged to apply.

This position requires travel approximately 4–6 times annually, including project team meetings, DBAN network gatherings, agricultural conferences, and Farm Aid's annual festival. Some event-related work may involve physical demands including long hours and setup/breakdown of supplies.

This position is made possible through a USDA/FSA cooperative agreement with funding through December 2027, with approximately 1.5 years remaining in the project. This is an at-will employment engagement intended to extend until the end of the project funding period.

TO APPLY
Please apply with 1) a thoughtful cover letter explaining why this opportunity interests you and 2) your resume. Please address your cover letter to Mary Oxendine, DBAN Project Lead. We review applications on a rolling basis and strive to respond to applicants within two weeks.

Farm Aid is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe a diversity of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone. Farm Aid does not discriminate against any team member or candidate because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

Project Administrator, DBAN