Winter Oilseeds Specialist

This position will be located in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, on the University of Minnesota campus in St. Paul, Minnesota. The position will be hybrid on-campus and remote work. This is a temporary-posted, full time (100%) Civil Service position with an initial appointment period of 1 year.

The University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative(FGI) is advancing economically viable market opportunities for continuous living cover (CLC) agriculture. Two of our leading crops are winter camelina and domesticated pennycress, which we refer to as the winter oilseeds and are also known as intermediate crops and "cash cover crops." Winter oilseeds, like other Continuous Living Cover (CLC) crops, provide multiple benefits, including improved water quality, pollinator habitat, soil health, and climate resilience, while offering year-round economic productivity for growers and major innovation opportunities across the agriculture, fuel, feed, industrial, and food sectors. FGI houses multidisciplinary research and development teams for both winter camelina and pennycress, including the leading public breeding programs developing new crop varieties. These teams collaborate with researchers at other institutions and across sectors. The R&D Teams also collaborate with FGI's Commercialization, Adoption, and Scaling (CAS) Team and the Forever Green Partnership, a coalition of environmental and agriculture partners creating favorable policy, social, and cultural conditions for CLC agriculture. FGI launched the winter camelina One Million Acre Scaling Study (1MASS) in 2025 in partnership with MBOLD and multiple cross-sector partners to develop a roadmap for commercializing and scaling with winter camelina over the coming decade. The 1MASS project spans breeding and agronomy R&D, farmer economics, farmer adoption, supply chain development, policy and markets, and carbon intensity modeling. Beyond 1MASS, FGI is broadly engaged with the emerging winter oilseeds and intermediate crops industry; the seed, distribution, and energy industries; policy advocates and think tanks; state and federal policymakers; academic research partners; farmer groups; and civil society.

The Winter Oilseed Specialist will support FGI's broad and growing winter oilseeds efforts spanning coordination of major industry partnerships, driving implementation of 1MASS findings and recommendations, supporting IP and market development strategies, and supporting state/federal regulatory activities. The Specialist will collaborate across research, commercialization, policy, and grower interests to accelerate winter oilseed integration across Minnesota. The position will report directly to FGI's Director of Commercialization, Adoption, and Scaling and will collaborate closely with FGI's CAS Team, Co-Directors, and key stakeholders.

Job Responsibilities

1. Oilseedsfocused public-private-NGO partnership management-30%
   • Support major winter oilseeds commercial partnerships including with Cargill and others
   • Manage latter stages of 1MASS project and drive implementation of findings
   • Support winter oilseeds IP licensing strategy
2. Oilseedsfocused policy tracking and stakeholder engagement-30%
   • Provide in-house expertise on renewable fuels state and federal policy, regulatory barriers, and emerging intermediate crop industry development
   • Translate research into actionable insights, policy memos, and strategies
   • Coordinate with agency teams, policymakers, federal programs, and continuous living cover coalitions
   • Support design of pilot projects and regulatory innovation in areas such as crop insurance/risk management
   • Represent UMN in external policy forums, hearings, roundtables, and partner strategy settings
3. Cross-functional coordination of winter oilseeds efforts-30%
   • Support cross-functional coordination of winter oilseeds actors across FGI (R&D, CAS, Partnership) including external partners
   • Maintain alignment between teams, track milestones, and facilitate communication
   • Proactively identify and solve problems to keep winter oilseeds efforts on track-
4. Travel & Speaking- 10%
   • Co-organize and present at conferences, convenings, field tours, scientific briefings, and stakeholder gatherings regarding Forever Green's winter oilseeds efforts
   • Travel across Minnesota and nationally as required, select opportunities for potential international travel

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS + 2 years experience OR combination of related education and work experience to equal at least 6 years
• Professional experience in agricultural production or supply chains; agricultural or renewable fuel policy; or applied research on related topics
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively on collaborative teams
• Demonstrated ability to build partnerships across science, industry, and government
• Experience in program/project management at the agriculture-policy-market interface

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience bridging sectors and translating science into policy frameworks and business opportunities

Pay Range: $39.68 - $43.47 per hour; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment, Temporary (1-year)

Position Type: Civil-Service

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

Application review will begin on February 16th. Include as a single PDF: cover letter, CV, and contact for three professional references.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).